belly

Hi, all.
I am having problem to mount rear license plate.
Front one was very easy to mount;just unscrew and screw back w/ license plate.
But the back was...another story.
My car came w/ 2 holes and 2 bolts already installed in the space given for license plate on rear bumper. My concern is that if I unscrew these bolt, nut may fall into bumper.... I tried to access from inside of trunk, but I could not take apart black platic cover from bod frame...

HELP!!!!

Nubo

Don't worry. There's no bolt, the hole is threaded.

rodmeister

I have the same problem. Just got my plates and when I removed the dealer's frame, the right nut fell into the bumper. There was a previous post about the nut being held in place by a retainer, but the dealer probably broke it loose by torquing the screw excessively. Recovering and remounting the nut involves removing the bumper.

I don't want to spend an hour or more removing and reattaching the bumper just to mount my friggin' rear license plate. And the thought of taking my RX to the dealer to mount plates is ridiculous, and will they charge me $50-$100 for labor if I can't prove it was their fault? Removal/remounting of the bumper also involves a small risk of damage, if I DYI or through dealer imcompetence.

My plate is temporarily mounted with one screw/nut on the left, and I'm looking into securing the right side with a winged blind fastener - one of those plastic deals that secure objects to walls by expanding into a winged nut on the inside when the screw is tightened. I'm open to better ideas.

(BTW, Nubo, there are no threaded holes for the rear license plate on my RX-8. It has quarter inch square holes with nuts on the inside, retained by some sort of mount or clip.)

loco4rx8

I'm confused. My license plate is just screwed into the holes with two screws. I took the plate off and put it back on when I detailed my car last week. It wasn't a problem. Is my car different than yours?

NavyDood

What pisses me off about the rear plate, is that they only put 2 bolts. Why the heck didn't they add the lower 2 also?

phrozenhandlez

ya thats true... i just put on my new rear chrome liscense plate and i really wish they had put the two bottom screws on aswell.

rodmeister

Strange. Are there two versions of the RX-8 with differing rear plate holes? I'll take a picure of mine. Mine definitely has a square hole with a nut behind it.

loco4rx8

No, rodmeister. I just went out and looked, and I guess I just didn't pay any attention before. Mine does have the square hole with the nut behind it. But I didn't have any trouble removing the plate and putting it back, so I don't think anyone needs to worry about losing the nut in the bumper.

Anyway, sorry for the confusion. Duh.

rodmeister

Loco4rx8, you are lucky that your plate nuts are intact. I am not the only person to have "lost" a licence plate nut. My right plate nut did come loose and fell into the bumper, probably from overtightening by the dealer which detached the clip. I heard it fall when I removed the dealer plate frame, and I can see a square hole with no nut behind it, while my left plate nut is still in place. They can and do come loose, and you need to remove the bumper to fix it.

Nubo

I apologize for any mis-information. Now I see where the potential problem is. I didn't realize the threaded fittings could work loose. I imagine they're all the same design. It is not a nut in a conventional sense, but a captive fitting. Which, apparently sometimes escapes captivity! But, hopefully it's a rare problem. If you're concerned, you could probably check the attachment by backing out the bolts far enough so you can see the fittings behind the plate. Then wiggle the bolt a little (gently) to make sure the fitting is fixed in place. If it slips around then you've got one of the problem ones.

loco4rx8

Wow, sorry that happened rodmeister. You should take it to the dealer and get them to take the bumper off and fix it for you. That shouldn't fall out like that. So, it should be a warranty issue.

belly

Thanks for lots of info. guys.
I am gonna try it.
By the way, sorry that happened rodmeister.

Wish me...

fordracing19

I have had to put clips in the rear holes since the salesman broke the nuts. I used some plastic clips that I had for plates on the b-series i think. Worked just fine.

Dongwhi

both of my nuts fell into the bumper....

I had my car over at a bodyshop to put on the aerowerks urethane kit...

got the car back and it had the right nut missing..

the plate was held only by the left one...

I wanted to put a frame on my plate so I take the plate off and I hear something drop inside my rear bumper...

Now I don't have any nuts so I can't put my license plate on.....

this sucks! any ideas...? other than going to the bodyshop or dealer to get it fixed?

even going to the bodyshop or dealer is a problem since I have no plate.....

I'd rather go to the bodyshop since the dealer might charge me of labor.....

sandia8

my rear plate was attached by the dealer with 'metal screws' that they forced into the machined bolt holes. Needless to say the bracket fell into the bumber area when I tried to install the real plates. the dealer had to re-place everyhing since ithe threads were stripped.

bean counters in phoenix

there is a way (neat trick) to install the brackets without taking the bumper off.
thread down some fishing line, attach the bracket and pull it back verticaly into place.

magixpuma

put 1 of those cool spring mounted clips that look like a umbrella sorta you pu teh scrw through it and you can close it looks likea wide v then you can put it to small ll ill take a picture of the thing later bye

RenoIV

I had the same problem a few months ago. The folks in the Tech Garage were helpful. link
My Dealer ordered the part and it fixed under warranty.