So I'm slowly starting to work on the car again and one thing that's always annoyed me is that someone used woodscrews in the original number plate fixings points and this resulted in them rotting, then they decided to drill the bootlid and just use wood screws onto the lid itself, I know, total smack rats. Anyway what are my options? I want to screw my plates back on as im fed up of losing them.
Hm I'm also interested in this as i noticed one of the screws on my boot lid was rusting and when i tried to fix it the darn thing just broke off. I glued the license plate with silicone for now. Seams to be holding but would like to repair it more proper.
A previous owner of my old S3 had used suitably sized raw plugs in the enlarged and rusted original screw mount holes, and it seemed to work quite well. If they've drilled holes elsewhere in the lid though, then it's bodyshop time? Maybe you could get a number plate holder and secure that to the tailgate securely using adhesive strips?
Bolts?... get some plate surrounds and bolt them through... paint the rusty bits and use silicon sealer <tuffty/>
i'm surprised. you actually tried the no nails stuff and made sure its clean? mine has been on over a year without issue, could not pull it off if i tried...
I thoroughly cleaned any old residue/dirt off with AG glue and tar remover, then used No More Nails double sided foam tape from B&Q. I put a small bead of silicone around the edge of my plate surround then reversed close to a wall and used bamboo canes to wedge the plate surround against the car. Been on over 6 months now and no signs of moving, whereas last time I did it with cheaper tape and not cleaning it properly it lasted about 4 months. Callum.
the stuff i used was not foam tape, more solid and very sticky. Unibond No More Nails On A Roll - Choose Interior Or Exterior - 19mm x 1.5m | eBay use the lot.
Rivnuts would make a nice repair if the threads are gone and you can easily change/remove the plate then.