Number plate light screw size

[Daniel97]

Need to know quite urgently lol as atm water is seeping into the car and enjoying itself :P

The self tappers (which came out in one smooth motion :D) are needing replacing and i have googled and searched to a vague answer.

I want a 100% proof before i buy so to replace these do i need 2x M6 8mm bolts? (with hex ends for easy undoing in future)

[Daniel97]

panic over .. M3 12mm in case anybody else is wondering .. all done.

[haytch75]

You already bought some mate? Might be able to help out.

[Daniel97]

yes mate - only cost me £1.30 though lol

thanks anyway!

will let you know if they don't turn up :P

[crazy88]

Did you buy some from eBay? I just bought some for about that price from eBay for mine.

Shame my old screws won't come out very easily though.

[Daniel97]

Yes mate from the evil bay.

Bought some can bus LEDs for £3 and a fresh set of plates for £7 aswell

[crazy88]

Nice!! I need a new rear plate too, will finish the back end off nicely. Oh, and at one point the avant spoiler ha. Too much to spend.

[quattrojames]

Shame my old screws won't come out very easily though.

£1.30 for the screws.

£30 for the new surround.

Madness.

[stu_m]

i need to sort all mine out at some point

one of the screws has snapped so its been glues in till i need to remove it again and when that time comes i will replace the lot!!

[crazy88]

I'm hoping to drill mine out. Read a few techniques to get them out. Think it'll be break the lens, and extract the screw with grips or something.

[quattrojames]

I hope your surround wasn't in the state mine was!

[crazy88]

I know it's not in the best state, but hope its not that bad!! Expensive number plate lights if I have to buy a new one

[quattrojames]

Plus the lens are £6 each or something! I know my £7 led bulbs ended up costing £50

[crazy88]

Yeah I just picked up my lenses yesterday. Cost me about 16quid for both I think it was. I haven't told the wife

Got all my bits now for the led/HID conversion. Hopefully doing it between Christmas and new year.

[stu_m]

I'm hoping to drill mine out. Read a few techniques to get them out. Think it'll be break the lens, and extract the screw with grips or something.

i tried that and failed there just isnt enough to grab with grips on mine! plus its stuck solid one of them came out after a bit of swearing!

[crazy88]

Well, I might have to think of another way then. i really don't want to buy a new surround.

[Daniel97]

How did you guys not manage to get the screws out?

Just use a suitable size screwdriver, don't use one too big or too small .. and make sure you push hard as you twist it out so it gets a good lock.

Mines a 2003 on 128,000 so the cars bits are well seized/rusted in.

Feel sorry for you though The mod has cost me £3.50

[crazy88]

Believe you me, I've tried an appropriately sized screw driver, and I'm no stranger to removing screws but these are stuck in good and proper. They corrode and appear to be made of cheese, neither is good :D

[Daniel97]

Mine were the same but some brute force whilst turning and the buggers released ..

Try some WD40 first and let it soak in for an hour?

[crazy88]

Yeah I did consider wd40. Will give that a try when I next attempt it. Just had to repaint the skirting boards in the nursery after the wife kindly volunteered to help...and painted them in emulsion.

So that's less chance of being able to play car stuff tomorrow as it'll probably need another coat in the morning.

[Daniel97]

Ah love woman lol

[stu_m]

Mine where soaked for days in wd before I went near them and it didn't make any difference!

I also have top notch screwdrivers and always use a perfect fit

The screws are just rubbish

[quattrojames]

Agreed, no amount of WD40 would have got mine out. It's same steel into alloy problem that affect the pinchbolt on the front suspension.

[stu_m]

Yup allow oxidises and expands and seizes the screws in

[stu_m]

Yup allow oxidises and expands and seizes the screws in

Alloy even lol

[t8ups]

The best thing to use is a small ratchet, i know some dont have access to one but it makes it a doddol

[Audi-Rog]

I have just had to do this to my S4, I had a missing light and the other was discoloured and tired looking. The screws had welded themselves in and didn't want to come out, as described in this thread! I tried all of the advice in this thread but to no avail! So I ended up replacing the whole Grab Molding to fit the 2 new lights.

A couple of pics to illustrate the problem,

Both sides Fubared!(Knackered) The rear of the Molding looked like Quattrojames's, but worse!





New Grab Molding and lights refitted. All original parts sourced from ebay at reasonable prices (Approx £ 35.00). Fitting was pretty painless!



The part Numbers needed are as follows (it may help people searching with the same issue):

Grab Molding:
8E0 827 576
Number plate lights:
8E0 807 430 A
8E0 807 430 B

Rog

[quattrojames]

Nice work! Didn't fancy the LED option then?

It's shocking how bad they get, whilst I'm sure the advice given on removal is useful in some situations there was no way mine were coming out!

[Audi-Rog]

Cheers james,

I did look at the LED option, but for the price of the original, plus having to buy a new molding, I opted for the standard set up.

It is a vast improvement on what it was! And it is now MOT standard. (as my light was missing).

Yeah, same here James, there was no way the screws were coming out in one piece! I could of persisted and carried on trying to drill the holes out, but I risked drawing blood!! Plus it was very rotton behind the electrics.

Rog