thanks for the advice. I went to the parts dept at MB and got new clips. cost was 3.75 ea. i used needle nose vice gripes and removed the old clips and slipped in the new ones in the slots. then hit the panel at each clip spot to set them into the door frame. took about 5 minutes total----i took my time. I couldve used the old clips by spreading the tabs out but hey they cost 3.75. Plus the old might not have held. I didnt remove the panel, no need to in my case. But in some u would if you cant reach the clips with the needle nose's.