sorry for 2 posts in a row but I also have traced a rattle when driving down to the glass screen in front of the dials on the dashboard which seems to have workrd loose so at the moment I have wedged a bit of card in the gap to stop it moving but is there any way of tightening it up properly ....I looked for screws etc but couldnt see any
2001 civic 1.4 max

 

I imagine your talking about the bevel piece that presses up against the guages. my 00' has 2 phillips screws on the top and it snaps in at the bottom but these easily wear out especially if the panel has been removed before. If there are no screws,it probably just snaps right out but you have to be careful when removing the panel not to break or damage any trim pieces. Occasionally the plastic piece that the fastner(metal clip) is mounted to may break and then your SOL. I've used small amounts of a sticky putty in or around fasteners before with good results but they can be harder to remove down the road. Your on the right track though, you can shim pieces with cardboard or soft pieces of wood even as long as it's out ofview and works who cares. However, new clips are cheap and yours may need replaced.