CALBenzo

Just thought I'd share some of my lame little solutions. When I received my car, the dealer unfortunately had already installed the front license plate frame which involves drilling into the bumper. When I removed the frame, there were these two ugly drilled holes that weren't even straight. I thought about putting the screws back in but the holes were drilled at angles that weren't perpendicular to the surface. Hence when I put the bolts back in, it looked awful.

Anyway, I found these little small nylon plugs at the hardware store that had a diameter just a little bigger than the bolts. This allowed me to bore holes at an angle more perpendicular to the bumper surface so that the plugs would seat flush. After painting the plugs, they just slide in and stay with no glue. This allows me to remount the license frame using the same holes if I have to (in California, we have to have our front license plates although I have only had to do that twice in 25 years).

DWP

Elegant solution! When you go to get the fixit ticket signed off (every 12.5 years), just be sure that you're out of sight of the CHP office before you whip that license plate bracket off your front bumper.

HELL ONA HARLEY

Very clean job there.... Just wondering why you didn't ask the dealer not to drill for the plate in the first place???

CALBenzo

I know, I choked. In my euphoria over getting the car, I didn't even think about it. Besides, all my past cars have had a bracket or something that attached the license plate frame. I didn't know that they drill into the bumper to mount it.

mbfan67

hey cal, you seem to amaze me everyday! i was just looking to do this to my car but i couldn't find anything on this subject. i hate the fact the dealer did such an ugly job in drilling the bumper. mine was also misalign. cal, where in bay area do you live maybe we could hook-up to share ideas. i'm from the San Leandro area.

W211 Ryda

Hey Cal, is there anything else behind the bumper that the license plate frame screws into? Or is the frame all supported by the bumper itself? Looking at your pic, it seems like there is nothing behind that hole. BTW: very creative mod!!! Looks great!

Arnee

www.bumperplugs.com

awiner

WAY to big for Mercedes appliications. Thise puppies have a head the size of a nickle.

Arnee

It was ok for my SLK...just make the hole a *little* larger... and the head diameter is larger than Cal's but it's flatter and has less profile.

... just a different option to those not familiar with it ... ;-)

CALBenzo

ryda,

There is a plastic support behind the front bumper that the license frame screws go into. Thus, you can bore out the bumper hole to fit the plug, and retain the screw hole behind it for the license frame (at least this is how it is on mine). When you bore out the hole, you don't need to go in very far, and try and drill in perpendicular to the surface of the bumper.

mbfan,

I'm up in the Oakland hills near Montclair. That would be great to share ideas sometime!

Arnee,

There is something for everything. I probably should have figured there would be. I didn't even search though. Thanks!

Dema

It's quite strange, Oakland dealer doesn't do drilling and it seems Oakland is your dealership.

CALBenzo

Actually, I bought it down in Laguna Niguel.

Rudegar

I'm wondering if anyone has succesfully tried an adhesive method of attaching the front plate which could be easily removed. Something like a double stick tape solution?

tomd

I'm looking for a simpler solution (OEM, or a snap ON/OFF bracket) but I've come up with a fix in the meantime. I affix the front plate, and plate frame, to the supplied bracket using 2 bolts thru the existing bottom plate holes. chrome caps are used to cover the bottom bolts, and two caps are superglued over the two mounting holes on top for esthetics. This assembly is then attached to the bumper using velcro. two inch strips work fine, hold fine, and are reusable. I simply peel the velcro strip off the bumper when I remove the plate assy.

CALBenzo

Essentially you are Velcroing your license plate on. Interesting! So there is not problem at higher speeds? The other concern (or perhaps not) is if you get a fix-it ticket, if they check closely at the "fix" and see the velcro?

tomd

Not seen in the photos, are the 2 bracket "fingers" extending behind the MB bracket into the slots in the lower grille (standard MB SL bracket config). These fingers support all of the weight of the plate. The Velcro is really only needed to keep the assy from "flopping" forward, and if the velcro ever did fail, the plate would just flop forward at about 30 degrees and (hopefully) never fall off the car. High speed driving actually pushes the assy into the velcro, so it holds tighter. The only issue is repeated washings. This might loosen the velcro adhesive.

tomd

In regard to the 2nd question. You can't see any part of the Velcro from the outside. And the 2 top dummy caps appear like they are covering bolts that extend into the bumper. Well enough never to have anyone question the "permanancy" of the mounting. But if they were to yank on the plate.......

Barry45RPM

Besides the holes, does removing the dealer installed front license plate bracket leave any scars/ memory impressions on the soft bumper cover?

CALBenzo

In mine, luckily, there were not any from the screw or the frame. I'm sure, the longer you keep it on, however, the greater the likelihood some may form from the bracket or frame.

outtadaloop

Cal what are those plugs called specifically and can I go to home depot and get them?

TPAbnz

I found them in the fastener aisle in a slide-out chest of "specialty" materials. They come in varying diameters and are made out of nylon.

Lowes had them too.

Good luck.

CALBenzo

That's exactly it. You should be able to find them at any hardware store. Match the inner diameter of the plug with that of the screw diameter (although just slightly bigger). Another thing to do, so the plug sits flush is to drill your bore hole perpendicular to the surface of the bumper. The way the screws were originally drilled into my bumper were horizontal with the ground, while the surface that they drilled into on the bumper was not completely vertical.

GL

outtadaloop

Did you guys use plain ol' touch up paint from MB to color match?

CALBenzo

Yup!, but I also used primer and clearcoat.

gotallthetoys

Thanks for the great suggestion. I just purchased a used 2004 and the dealer had already removed the plate holder, filled the holes and repainted. Since also live in CA I suspect that at some time I'll be poped for no front plate. LA County Sheriff just sits and waits for cars with no plates