'16 CX-5 sport license plate screws rusting
- Thread starter txt990
- Start date
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- Plano, Texas, USA
I switched to stainless steel screws (from the Home Depot) too for license plate. Yes those cheap zinc-plated screws used by the dealership aren’t too good to prevent rust.
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- 2016.5 CX-5 GT AWD titanium/black 2016 Miata Club ST MT white
Stainless fasteners are the way to go. You can buy these just about anywhere.
Problem is ten times worse here in Canada. First thing I do with a new car is replace the crappy rust prone screws with plastic ones. Saves a lot of cursing and swearing later on.
I also remove the license plate surround thingy with the dealer logo on it that they insist on installing. I replace it with a plain black plastic license plate surround, No logo. Actually I remove any and all dealer logos on the car, no matter where or what they put on.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
Actually I always ask the dealer to give me a couple of their plastic dealer name plate usually been used on the new car before the real license plates been put on. Not for more advertising for the dealer, but I use it as a cushion between the metal license plate and the car. I hate metal-to-metal contact, especially on the rear license plate. Hate the metal-to-metal rattling noise each time I close the liftgate. The plastic dealer plate serves as a big gasket nicely and eliminates those problems mentioned above.
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- 2016.5 CX-5 GT AWD titanium/black 2016 Miata Club ST MT white
I always apply four small self-adhesive 'bumpers' to the backs of my license plates to keep em from rubbing on the paint of my vehicles. Works great.
As for the free dealer advertising? When I order/buy a new car I tell the salesperson that I do not want any stickers or any sort of advertising on the car. Of course, they don't always listen or 'hear' you when you tell them this. There's been a couple of times where I arrived to inspect my new car and I find that they didn't 'hear' me, and I have to ask the salesperson if he/she remembers what I said about the stickers. Oh yeah, now they remember. I then have to remove the damn sticker(s) when I get home.
I make them write the no advertising, no front plate (not required in PA) or holes in bumper on the invoice listing the purchase price & deposit. And yes, they still "forget".
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- 2016.5 CX-5 GT AWD titanium/black 2016 Miata Club ST MT white
This happened to me when I ordered my 2012 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI. Illinois does require front plates, but I told the salesman NOT to install the front plate or the bracket. When my car arrived at the dealership the salesman called me to tell me that it was there. I told him again at that time not to install the front plate or bracket. He assured me that it wouldn't be installed as he had placed a sign on the dash telling the crew who preps the cars not to install the front plate bracket.
So, guess what happened when I arrived to pick up my new VW? Yep, the freakin front plate bracket was installed which means that holes were drilled into my brand-new front bumper!!! The damn sign was still on the dash too. I took the salesman to the front of the car, pointed at the bracket, and asked him, WTF man?
What could I do at that point? Not accept the car? Of course, that wasn't an option for me, and I accepted the car. The salesman was very apologetic and offered me a whole bunch of VW swag as compensation.
I took the car home and pulled the front plate bracket and plugged the holes with a couple of those plastic plugs.
As for the front plates here in Illinois? As I said they are required but I've been driving here in Illinois since 1984 and have never mounted a front plate on any of my vehicles. The only time I had an issue was at a parking lot. I returned to my car to find a warning on the windshield that I needed to have a front plate on the car ASAP. I ignored that.
YYMV
Off topic but I had a 2011 VW Golf TDI. Drove it for 6 years & got almost what I paid for it in the VW TDI buyback. I loved that car but couldn't pass up the buyback offer. It allowed me to move on to my CX-5.
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- 2016.5 CX-5 GT AWD titanium/black 2016 Miata Club ST MT white
Same here. I sold my Jetta back to VW after driving it for almost 5 years. They paid me a nice sum and I used that to buy the CX-5. I really liked the Jetta and I miss the awesome 50 mpg that it would get!
Do you know the size for the license plate screws?
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- 2016.5 CX-5 GT AWD titanium/black 2016 Miata Club ST MT white
I believe that they're M6.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
I don’t remember the exact size as I just brought one of the original rear plate screws to Home Depot matching it up on the screw size guide on site. The front plate screws are just the standard sheet metal screws on gen-1 CX-5 and I didn’t install the front plate.
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- 2014 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD w/Tech
I bought these. They work great and a bit more secure than regular screws.
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)
