My Fix for Rear License Plate Adapter

[copperleaf]

I've been getting more and more annoyed with the rear license plate adapter rattling around every time I shut the hatch, not to mention that I don't think it looks very good since it's so much larger than the license plate.

I did some reading around here on various solutions and nothing really appealed so I attempted my own fix.

I bought a cheap plastic adapter plate from Autozone and inverted it so that the screws attaching it to the hatch would be recessed and drilled two new holes in the adapter (reused the holes already in the hatch) for the mounting screws. Take the time here to touch up any exposed metal from the rubbing of the bracket and the license plate screws. I cleaned the flat side of the adapter and the hatch area with rubbing alcohol and applied some strips of 3M molding tape at the top an bottom to help prevent it from rattling. Apply some silicone sealant to the screws here to help prevent rusting. See the next two shots.



I then cut the supplied screws short so that they wouldn't dig into the back of the hatch with chain cutters.


I then attached the plate with a plain black frame. I think this looks much better, and better yet, no more rattle.



UPDATE:
Today I replaced the stock front license plate bracket with the same one shown above. The previous owner had stripped out one of the mounting holes so I made the decision to drill standard holes. Since the bumper is plastic, this didn't seem a big deal too me since the original holes are covered up by the bracket. The rest was like above: cut the screws short and mounted everything back. Now the front and back match.

 

[drgnzadiel101]

not bad. my car didnt bring the black plate so i had to drill an extra hole in my license plate LOL. i might need to do this

 

[Skippster86]

I havent had a problem with the adapter, just the frame around the plate. I put some velcro (soft part) on the backside and it stopped the rattle. I have to still do the spoiler and bumper cover.

 

[Lewis7789]

Looks really good, man! And thanks for putting up pics and the items you purchased. I'll have to do this soon.

Did you use any silicone on the new screws for the frame? I would hate to have those rust out on ya.

 

[jdmdikk]

this is great for me because my plate adapter is all broken and i have been wanting to remove it anyways..good job

 

[copperleaf]

I didn't seal the mounting screws, but I plan to go back and do that. Interestingly, it didn't appear that they were sealed to begin with when I took them out, but better safe than sorry.

 

[copperleaf]

I just realized when I reread the initial post, that it wasn't clear that I reused the existing holes in the hatch and drilled new ones in the adapter, not in the hatch. No modifications or drilling was done to the hatch. Just the two existing screw holes and the molding tape. I edited the first post to try and reflect this.

 

[copperleaf]

I updated the initial post to reflect your comment about applying silicone sealant to the screws. Thx for the idea.

 

[P-Funk!]

Great post!
Thanks!

 

[CTt3P5]

Nice and creative fix!

Over the weekend I bought some Cruiser fasteners that were made to fix rattles. They are plastic screws with plastic nuts. I removed the plate and shield from the car, affixed the new fasteners to the bottom of the plate and shield and then re-mounted the plate to the car. When I re-mounted it I made sure to stick the protruding end of the nut/bolt behind the plastic bracket. The bracket itself is not attached at the bottom but I have no more rattle as it is 'one piece'. I then used the Cruiser plastic covers to cover the screws so it's nice and clean.

 

[projectmx]

thank you for this awesome post. i just bought a P5 and when i attempted to put the plate on i found out the holes don't line up this will help