Four screws attaching air box cover

[Constant Mesh]

When you clean or replace the engine air filter you remove/reinstall four screws and the cover from the air box. These self-tapping screws appear to thread into the plastic air box. The Owner's Manual recommends that the filter be checked/cleaned every 4K miles.

Can the frequent removing/reinstalling of the screws wear away the plastic to the point that the screws won't hold securely?

Obviously these screws just need to be snug and not much torque is needed.

When you reinstall the screws do they typically try to jump into the tapped threads in the plastic or do they create new threads?

Seems like it would have been better to have machine screws threaded into metal inserts in the air box.

 

[Ignacio]

I found that while doing my subframe-ectomy and changing initially to a K&N that they're pretty substantial and high-density plastic. I wouldn't worry about them stripping, loosening, or wearing out any time soon with moderate torque.

 

[Geezer]

The plastic seems solid enough that I never even thought about it being screws threaded directly into plastic. The screws should find the original threads and screw back in the way they came. The self tapping part is most likely just to make initial installation at the factory easier. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a robot installing them.