Whirlpool 8031202 Louver Assembly OEM Part

During reassembly after a thorough cleaning of the air conditioner, one of the vent side pins broke off. When I received the new vent, I tried changing my approach to the installation: I inserted the vent pin on the side that doesn't include a track, and then, instead of sliding the other pin through the track as I'd done in the past, I used a flat tip screwdriver to gently pry the side panel away from the vent and slid the new vent straight down into its slots (round pin for rotation, flat pin for incremental adjustments). The new vent snapped into place without any problem. All of the plastic components become brittle with age, so "gentle" seems to be the key. I've only used this approach once, so I sincerely hope I'm not giving bad advice. Since these vents are one of the most commonly purchased replacement parts for this model, the root of the problem is obviously a design deficiency; The diameter of the vent side pins should be at least four times greater, and the ends of the pins should be beveled or rounded to facilitate removal and re-installation.