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Dealer was kind enough to give me two OEM license plate frames...but no mounting hardware. A call to the parts department was fruitless, as I talked with a guy who couldn’t count to eleven with his pants down. Searches here and elsewhere have yielded mixed results. Any help with the right sizes and/or part numbers is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Dealer was kind enough to give me two OEM license plate frames...but no mounting hardware. A call to the parts department was fruitless, as I talked with a guy who couldn’t count to eleven with his pants down. Searches here and elsewhere have yielded mixed results. Any help with the right sizes and/or part numbers is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
I didn’t want a front plate, but mine came with the front bracket. I kept the bracket. It did not come with the mounting bolts. The dealership had the bolts in their shop. You should just take it back to the dealership and have them mount your license plates.
I didn’t want a front plate, but mine came with the front bracket. I kept the bracket. It did not come with the mounting bolts. The dealership had the bolts in their shop. You should just take it back to the dealership and have them mount your license plates.
I would, except the dealer is located out of state.
That’s no good, can you take it to the local dealership? If not, I would call the out of state dealership and have them Fed-Ex the brackets and hardware.
Yes take it to local MB dealership and have them install. I can tell you that even when bracket installed installing real license plate wasn’t an easy feat as I wanted to put screw head covers as well to look more seamless with black and yellow CA custom vintage license plates. There isn’t much clearance behind the plate frame and the bumper and it takes some skill. Regardless, take kt
to the closest dealer to install the frame
Yes take it to local MB dealership and have them install. I can tell you that even when bracket installed installing real license plate wasn’t an easy feat as I wanted to put screw head covers as well to look more seamless with black and yellow CA custom vintage license plates. There isn’t much clearance behind the plate frame and the bumper and it takes some skill. Regardless, take kt
to the closest dealer to install the frame
Same here, had a black frame with bolt covers. The salesman and service manager couldn’t get the bolts installed. They had to call a mechanic to come out with better tools and it took the mechanic a while to get them installed.
The parts catalog has the silver plate but no parts number for the screws, so I agree the local dealer would be the best option as I'm sure they just have them lying around.
This is what the hardware looks like - after aligning the license plate against the silver plate, you have to place the square nut behind the silver plate while you align and put the screw in from the other side.
You have to hold the square plate in place so that the screw will turn in, otherwise the entire assembly continues to spin around.
In case the dealer is a bust I'm sure the hardware store will have something similar - the square piece is 6 mm wide with a 4 mm opening. The screw is 10 mm long with a 7 mm diameter head and 3 mm screw diameter.
That's about 2MM short from what I use .. rear plate is Bolt/Nut .. and skinny fingers to hold the nut.. for the rear's you certainly can eyball a match at a local Home Improvement store.. on front's have no idea ... have never mounted one even for states where "it's required" my buyers have never mounted a single front.
On the rear - it's Best Practice either to use some Clear Xpel on the metal license bracket .. or cut a piece out of a plastic sign to match the back of the plate... if you provide a insulator between the back of the plate and that metal holder.. you prevent di-electric/electrolysis corrosion on that license bracket - without a insulator the rear plate holder starts to corrode starting in center of the rear plate holder holder in just a couple of yrs - shorter time if in driven in winter/salt areas.
On "used" G's - that rear plate holder corrosion bugged me a bit - since there was absolutely no reason that plate holder should corrode - dug deep over time to find the reason it was happening....
That's about 2MM short from what I use .. rear plate is Bolt/Nut .. and skinny fingers to hold the nut.. for the rear's you certainly can eyball a match at a local Home Improvement store.. on front's have no idea ... have never mounted one even for states where "it's required" my buyers have never mounted a single front.
On the rear - it's Best Practice either to use some Clear Xpel on the metal license bracket .. or cut a piece out of a plastic sign to match the back of the plate... if you provide a insulator between the back of the plate and that metal holder.. you prevent di-electric/electrolysis corrosion on that license bracket - without a insulator the rear plate holder starts to corrode starting in center of the rear plate holder holder in just a couple of yrs - shorter time if in driven in winter/salt areas.
On "used" G's - that rear plate holder corrosion bugged me a bit - since there was absolutely no reason that plate holder should corrode - dug deep over time to find the reason it was happening....
thanks for the tip! I suppose one could also sand down the license plate holder and clear coat or just paint it silver with automotive paint?
Got the rear plate on. Now, anyone know how the plastic front bracket attaches to the lower grille?
It's been a year since I installed my front plate, but as I recall, the plastic push-in sleeves shown in your pic's poly bag are not required. There should be 2 fairly obvious dimples in the plastic lower grill piece symmetrical to center line that align with the 2 mounting holes in the plastic mounting plate, and the 2 coarse threaded screws are used for mounting. Orientation should be obvious as the plastic plate fits the lower grill's contour. I installed WeatherTech license plate holders front and rear, and drilled 4 holes in the front plate that fit 4 of the coarse threaded screws that were among the bag full of hardware provided with the WeatherTech holders. The WeatherTech holder has a polycarbonate face that protects the license plate and discourages registration sticker theft (had mine lifted at a "secure" car park several years ago).
The dealer will try and use bolts that are too long and will damage the paint behind the rear tag bracket when screwed in.
I took another route and went to the hardware store and bought stainless screws and hex locking bolts with nylon centers.
That way I could insert the bolt into a box wrench and slide it behind the tag bracket while placing the tag bolt and cover through the tag and then using a phillips head screw driver to tighten it.
Easy on and off and no rust.
I want to understand why MB didn’t provide self threading inserts for the tag bracket. Then you pop them in to the braket and install the tag as it is done on their orher vehicles.
Agreed - MB (or the dealer) should have provided a mounting bracket with attached blind threaded inserts and bolts/screws of the correct length, but 50 cents means more to them than to most G owners. MB assumes everyone is going to buy an aftermarket polished stainless steel license frame for $200/ea. that comes with hardware.
For some reason they keep using the crappy license plate from which was originally made for the front of the r107 SL. Hated having to deal with it in my SL500.
I guess the USA plate is an afterthought on the Gs. On the pre-2019s the license plate lights don’t even light up the plate correctly due to the bracket pushing out the plate from the bumper.
I have attempted to epoxy nuts to the holder, didn’t end up holding. Maybe welding a nut on would work?
Either way MB really needs a new plate bracket design.
For some reason they keep using the crappy license plate from which was originally made for the front of the r107 SL. Hated having to deal with it in my SL500.
I guess the USA plate is an afterthought on the Gs. On the pre-2019s the license plate lights don’t even light up the plate correctly due to the bracket pushing out the plate from the bumper.
I have attempted to epoxy nuts to the holder, didn’t end up holding. Maybe welding a nut on would work?
Either way MB really needs a new plate bracket design.
A fastener known as a "swage" or "clinch" nut will accomplish the task. They need to be pressed in and might not be easy to find at a local hardware or auto store, but will work nicely.
I took delivery of my G this weekend..:I didn’t want a front bracket.
They said, “These take special mounting hardware..we will use 4 of them on the rear license plate so if you ever decide to install the front plate, you 2 bolts/nuts you can use.”
I’m still stumped with the placement of the front bracket...even after spending an a embarrassing amount of time on this. Frankly, I’m pissed that the dealer has been so unresponsive.
I only have to deal with the rear mounting bracket once a year when affixing a new registration sticker to the license plate, but the screw and nut annoyed me so I modified the mounting bracket to accept press-in plastic nuts. The nut and screw kit costs $4 at Walmart, and includes 4 plastic nuts, 4 hex-pin head security screws (how secure can security hardware be if you can buy it at Walmart? Duh!) and a hex wrench to fit the screws (see photo). The bracket is attached to the rear bumper with 3 T-20 screws that go into plastic nuts similar to those I installed on the plate bracket. The plate bracket has four holes 7mm in diameter that I enlarged to 3/8", and then made 3/8" square with a file to fit the plastic press-in nuts (see photo). Took about 30 minutes and saves me at least that much time fumbling around with screws and nuts.
I’m still stumped with the placement of the front bracket...even after spending an a embarrassing amount of time on this. Frankly, I’m pissed that the dealer has been so unresponsive.
I think the dealer gave you the wrong plastic bracket. The P/N on mine is A463 885 47 00. Below are photos of my front bumper and the plastic bracket matching this P/N. There's a barb on the backside of the bracket that pushes into the slot in the bumper and holds it in place while putting the screws through the 2 recessed openings that align with the 2 holes in the bumper. I had to drill the 4 holes in the plastic bracket and used coarse thread screws to attach the plate. The dealer should have done this for you.
What I meant to say was is there any way to put on a front plate without drilling through the bumper?
Still confused here - do you have the plastic license plate mount bracket shown in the post just above? It requires only 2 screws that go into 2 holes in the bumper. Takes only a couple minutes to install.
I guess thats what I meant to say. I have the front mounting bracket which wasnt installed yet. Would it require to be drilled through the front bumper? If i ever sell the car to somone out of state and doesnt require a front plate i dont want there to be 2 holes in the front bumper.
I guess thats what I meant to say. I have the front mounting bracket which wasnt installed yet. Would it require to be drilled through the front bumper? If i ever sell the car to somone out of state and doesnt require a front plate i dont want there to be 2 holes in the front bumper.
There are 30 states that require front plates, so the odds are in your favor here. The 2 holes are fairly subtle if the plate mount is removed, and easy enough to plug with the 2 screws or a push-in plastic rivet available at most auto stores. I guess I wouldn't stress too much over this. Even in states that don't require plates, people usually mount some affinity plate for a college, sports team or (gasp!) confederate flag (many of the no front plate states are in the SE U.S.). If drilling holes really bothers you that much, you could use large fender washers behind the bumper and run long bolts through an area adjacent to the drilling locations.
01-01-2021, 05:37 PM
