craig001

Here's a question for the guru's. I have a 2008 CLK with a front license plate bracket. The bracket was loosely attached using 1/4" x 1.5" Sheet Metal screws. Since it was loose I removed the screws and the plate bracket and found that the holes were just drilled into the front bumper. Upon looking at the back of the bracket it looks like the holes were drilled out to fit the SAE screws. I thought I read somewhere that the OEM screws were 5mm but I find it hard to believe that MB did not use some rubber coated threaded sleeve similar to a bull nut or the fittings on the rear license plate. So just how is the front plate attached? I was thinking about just drilling things out to take an 8mm bolt or else just getting some BumperPlugs and using a tow eye plate adapter. Hopefully Porsche and MB used the same thread size and pitch.

Rudeney

MBZ doesn't attach the front license plate holder - dealers do, and they use whatever bolts/screws they can find. Sine there are no pre-drilled holes, most dealers just use self-tapping wood screws and let them chew into the bumper skin.

My state doesn't require a front license plate, so I prefer not to have one, but my car came from California, so it had the bracket attached - with cheap steel wood screws that had rusted. I replaced them with stainless screws. I don't recall what size, but I took the rusty ones to Home Depot and found a suitable stainless replacement. And then I put my favorite college team plate in place, also using stainless screws.