It was making a rattling noise as the pokey bits on the top made contact with the tire (while turning sharply to the right)
this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2025
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What is this thing?
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It's pretty obvious what it is, nobody even needs to write down what it is, much like a dodecahedron.
My Dad is a mechanic and, whilst I am not, I've spent some time watching cars be disassembled, that looks to me like a plastics plug. So underneath your car is a whole heap of plastic lining that kinda seals off the underside, in parts, like mud flaps but for the wheel wells and front underside. Those plastic nubs on the end are plastic screws / plugs, to attach the plastic to the metal body, via a trim edge. That particular part looks like a bracket form of the plastic screw / plugs. Just check the plastic isn't lose or bowing down near the wheel well where you got it from. It would be almost impossible to see where it goes without getting it up on a hoist.
You can look it up if you know the model
May I ask where I can find such technical drawings? I'm looking to tidy up some rubber linings and investigate rattling sounds coming from the boot of my car.
If you search for OEM parts you'll find them search year/make/model weather stripping and it will probably pop up with a dealership website that has it.
I tried, but it's definitely not my area of expertise.
Maybe you will have better luck?
2013 Lexus es 300h
Maybe a variation of 53837A "Fender Bracket (Front)"?
I thought that, then I looked at the inner fender splash shield image and I think the bracket is part of that assembly.
Probably for holding together some body panels
It was pretty deep in the wheel well, and wasn't connected to anything else.
Would be my guess too. See if you can find two holes in your wheel well liner / wheel shroud / fender liner that are the same distance apart as the two little screws/bolts on your mystery part - then you know what it tore our of.
That is, presuming you still have a wheel well liner / fender shroud?
If no luck you'll probably have to ask your mechanic or the parts guy at a Toyota dealer.
It didn't seem like it was holding anything on, and it was just attached with one screw. I uploaded a gif of it for scope a moment ago
To be clear it was screwed in when you found it and you removed the screw to remove it?
Correct! It was causing a rattle when making a left turn. Removed, and rattle is gone
If you put it back in the position it would be if the screw was tight and rotate it round are there any little holes the pins would locate into? Potentially in the wheel arch liner?
No other connection points in the wheel well. It was hanging down away from the attachment point.
Checked a wheel arch liner using that parts page linked in this thread, and it doesn't have anything similar looking 🫠.
This thing is driving me nuts
At least you know where it goes. Did you check the same point on the other side of the car?
Yeah, checked and it was only present in the driver's side front wheel well
Maybe part of an old mud flap installation?
It was on driver's side front tire. I don't think I have seen those in that position
2013 Lexus what?
2013 Lexus es 300h
That is an anchor for a child's car seat tether strap.
That's definitely not what it is. Kid seat anchors have a square latch hole, not circular ones. Child seat retention clips are flat to minimize sideways movement - they are not circular like OPs image.
Examples.
You know what?
I'm wrong.
Serves me right for glancing at the image and getting all high and mighty about it.
No worries dude! Your light hearted suggestion put a smile on my face 😅. Check out the gif i just posted for scale and and stick
I don't think so, the wheel well would be a strange place to anchor a child's seat
It's definitely what it is. That's it's been poorly installed in a stupid place in the car doesn't invalidat that.
They are supposed to be bolted through the metal, so it's likely this was an DIY installation.
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Could it be at some point in the past, the car was booted and when it was removed, this component was negligently left behind? Would explain it being only at one wheel, and a front one.
I don't think so, boots didn't need to be screwed into the car. And the bit isn't broken
Makes sense. It was a shot in the dark.
It was only connected by a screw through the bottom hole, and the larger bit was dangling down over the tire. Not a bracket, or holding anything together. The pokey bits are loose, and can spin in the mount
Those pokey bits reeeeaally look like they'd anchor into some other plastic piece. Maybe whatever they were attached to fell out entirely. You've checked the other wheel wells for anything similar that might not have fallen out yet?
The pokey bits are loose, and can spin in place. There is no evidence of broken plastic, or another part that isn't there.
This thing was the only present in the driver's side front wheel well, on the deeper side of the well, near the front end of the car.
Nothing similar in other wheel wells
(Also, huge thanks for helping)
I'm confident I could call the "pokey bits" that can spin in place some kind of rivet, that would have attached this to some other thin material like sheet metal or plastic. What it attached to is missing, so the rivets are loose.
What's it made of? Any markings or numbers? Can you upload a few different angles?
Yeah, on one side it has >pom<2 nt6 in the plastic. Searching that didn't really help me though 😅
I also posted an imgur link to a vid with the different angles
Where/how in the wheel well was it screwed in?
It was pretty deep in the driver's side front wheel well, had to turn the wheels right in order to get my arm and a tool in there.
It was screwed in through the hole on the bottom. Look at this gif too https://imgur.com/a/Utxov43
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