Front license screws
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 26
Likes: 3
From: Hobart, WA
1999 E320, 2001 S430
Front license screws
Well, three weeks after I bought my 1999 E320 the license plates arrived, and I just now realized that while there are four screws for the rear plate, there are none for the front. I tried one of the rear screws, but it doesn't fit. So can someone save me a trip to the dealer and tell me what size screws I need to mount the front license plate? Thanks.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 26
Likes: 3
From: Hobart, WA
1999 E320, 2001 S430
OK, I solved it. First, I called the closest dealer, and they were very nice. They said I could just stop by and they'd be happy to install the plates for me. That's really inconvenient for me, so I asked about the screws themselves and they said the front plate takes M6 screws, 10 or 12mm long. I did not realize the bracket was a separate piece - I thought the bumper just had a flat spot for the license molded into it - so on closer inspection I decided to remove the bracket and take it with me to the hardware store. Good thing I did. The bracket is plastic and has holes molded into it for the screws, but no threads. I'm sure M6 screws would work just fine, but whoever first put a plate on this car used 6-32 screws, so that's what I bought. The screw heads weren't very large, so I bought washers as well, all in stainless steel. Probably the only non-metric fasteners in the whole car.
So for future reference, if anyone ever searches here, the front plate (on an E320 at least) is held on with M6 screws but 6-32 will do in a pinch, and it's more important to go with the threads already cut in the plastic than to cross-thread it by using some other screw.
So for future reference, if anyone ever searches here, the front plate (on an E320 at least) is held on with M6 screws but 6-32 will do in a pinch, and it's more important to go with the threads already cut in the plastic than to cross-thread it by using some other screw.
