Rear license plate screw size

[akimmel]

The wellnuts im using are brass threaded afaik. I got them at lowes or home depot, one of those places with all the hardware drawers. The jacknuts seem like a similar approach but im not sure they'd be as friendly to the bumper plastic.

 

[YYZ]

The wellnuts im using are brass threaded afaik. I got them at lowes or home depot, one of those places with all the hardware drawers. The jacknuts seem like a similar approach but im not sure they'd be as friendly to the bumper plastic.

That's good to know, thank you. It's a good solution, but I'm still planning to get the stainless jack nuts. To me, it seems like the cleanest and most secure install. I'm going to go with M6, but I need to figure out the "grip range," which depends on the thickness of the bumper material itself. My choices are 0mm-5mm or 5mm-10mm. Any idea how thick this bumper material is?

 

[akimmel]

I remember it being like 3mm thick or so in the license plate area.

 

[joesid]

I’ve had this one for a couple years and love it. I’m only using two screws. I’ve never been a fan of “naked” plates, but refuse to use frames that obstruct the plate. This one is more of a holder than a frame.

Link below
Carshow Automotive Products 77401 ...p/B011CQTR8G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Qr9QBbV0FP6S6


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[YYZ]

I don't know if it's my Firefox browser or the forum acting crazy, but neither the multi-quote feature or quote feature worked. I had to enter the HTML in manually. Has anyone else had this problem today?

I remember it being like 3mm thick or so in the license plate area.

Perfect, thank you!

I’ve had this one for a couple years and love it. I’m only using two screws. I’ve never been a fan of “naked” plates, but refuse to use frames that obstruct the plate. This one is more of a holder than a frame.

That's the one I bought about a month ago. I was looking for a bracket that would isolate the license plate from the paint, and this does that perfectly. I really don't understand why people purchase these Volvo or BMW license plate holders. You're still drilling into the bumper, so what's the difference? The Plateguard is doing the same thing, isn't it?


By the way, your car is confusing me! I thought those LED tail lights started in 2018? Did you buy them or am I wrong?

 

[joesid]

By the way, your car is confusing me! I thought those LED tail lights started in 2018? Did you buy them or am I wrong?

I bought them from a fellow forum member for cheaper than a set of aftermarket replicas. I love them, and couldn’t be happier.


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[YYZ]

I bought them from a fellow forum member for cheaper than a set of aftermarket replicas. I love them, and couldn’t be happier.

They look awesome. Did he wreck his car? I wish I could find someone who really doesn't like their MK 7.5 LED headlights and wants halogens.

 

[YYZ]

Drill the holes out to 1/2in

Any tips on the best way to enlarge the existing holes without hacking up my bumper? (specific drill bits, etc.) Yes, I know how to drill a hole, but I'm trying to make this as perfect as possible.

 

[akimmel]

Any tips on the best way to enlarge the existing holes without hacking up my bumper? (specific drill bits, etc.) Yes, I know how to drill a hole, but I'm trying to make this as perfect as possible.

Start with something similar to the current hole, clean it out, then go up step by step through the bit sizes until you get to the size you want. I would put masking tape over the holes first so your chip doesn't spin around and scratch the surrounding paint (or the drill bit walks or something). Also i think i remember marking like 1in depth with masking tape on the drill bits so I didn't hit the bumper beam or foam behind.

 

[YYZ]

Start with something similar to the current hole, clean it out, then go up step by step through the bit sizes until you get to the size you want. I would put masking tape over the holes first so your chip doesn't spin around and scratch the surrounding paint (or the drill bit walks or something). Also i think i remember marking like 1in depth with masking tape on the drill bits so I didn't hit the bumper beam or foam behind.

Thank you, that's what I was thinking. At first I searched for a fine toothed hole saw in the size range I need, but after not being able to find anything, I realized it's a one shot deal anyway. If you screw up, you're done. So, I looked into step drill bits, but as you mentioned, the depth behind the plastic would be a concern, especially with those bits. My best bet is going up small amounts at a time (maybe 1/16", even if that's overkill). I had also read about putting blue tape over the area, that's a good point. I'll try to remember to take pictures of the jack nut install.

 

[akimmel]

Let us know how it goes! Glad to help in your quest to have a cleanly mounted plate lol

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[YYZ]

Let us know how it goes! Glad to help in your quest to have a cleanly mounted plate lol

It might be harder than I thought. The dealership drilled the holes really high up, so the plate frame is touching the top of the bumper. If I were to use the existing holes and enlarge them, it won't line up. I'd have to use a center punch and drill new holes slightly off of the other ones and hope it doesn't shift when drilling. By the way, there's a huge amount of space behind the plate for drilling. I put a pick through the existing holes and wasn't about to touching anything about 4" behind the bumper.

 

[akimmel]

Yeah, i would maybe create a drill template with tape. Draw a half inch circle and lay it so the top just covers the current holes, then drill a tiny pilot hole in the center of the new template circle. I had a similar experience with plenty of space behind the bumper, but i had read that some people ran into foam behind there. It's possible that its only the case when drilling further down to install something like the volvo frame/mount.

 

[Gogo GTI]

If people are still looking for a way to fix their loose license plate screws, I’ve found a simple solution that has been working great. It’s called Mr. Grip, got it at Home Depot. It’s just these textured thin metal strips that cut to size and slip into the hole to make the screw snug. Screws have never been this secure before.

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[The Fed]

If people are still looking for a way to fix their loose license plate screws, I’ve found a simple solution that has been working great. It’s called Mr. Grip, got it at Home Depot. It’s just these textured thin metal strips that cut to size and slip into the hole to make the screw snug. Screws have never been this secure before.

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Good find. In the "old" days I used a toothpick or the aforementioned twist tie after they were invented.

I don't see the need to remove the plate. If you have a registration sticker that needs changing every year, just hit it with a hair dryer for about 10-15 seconds and with practice you'll be able to cleanly peel it off. You won't hurt the plate or the bumper.

The stainless fasteners are nice, but to be done right they need to be a type of stainless that doesn't rust. Some do.