Dumb Question on plates :-(

[860_ZUPR4]

Thanks for the link! I don’t use a license plate Fran anyway.
Do you think it’ll hold if I go through a car wash every now & then? I don’t much but sometimes if it’s real cold out and it’s real dirty I do lol.

Also, I ended up finding a screw to fit into the top right. Maybe because it’s a smaller screw it still fits, idk lol.

My plate has stayed on for over a year now. Never use a car wash, but its power washed often and the water hasn't messed with the adhesive.

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[spta97]

Agreed with the above posts that this should be handled under warranty if the dealer broke the screw off (if it was done by the owner...not really a warranty thing).

That aside, I believe the rear license plate is mounted to the rear bumper via 2 screws, and the license plate is then mounted to the bracket via 4 screws. If the broken screw is one of the 4 holding the license plate, it should be possible to replace the bracket itself.
Although I cannot find a clear Toyota diagram for the bracket, it may (confirm with your dealer before order) be Toyota Part #57669-WAA02.

Looks similar, but I can't say if identical, to the brackets BMW places on their other vehicles. Here's an image from ECS tuning for BMW part #51188238061:

Can you confirm if this plate holder was to be included with the Supra?

The plate on our 2021 has two screws at the top and they put the plate directly into that, not the center screws that would hold a BMW plate bracket.

I am going to take a look at it after work but curious if this has changed for 2021 (and pray they did not make new holes in the trunk )

Also, I have the OEM plate holder like that one for my BMW, but there is a better one (which is like the old BMW style) where the plate holder screws have a metal threaded insert rather than just a hole in the plastic. It also has appropriate length screws as not to scratch the paint.

Cheap too: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07233KS7D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[spta97]

Jesus - I just looked at it and the large wood screws used to hold the plate are in the plate bracket and touching the paint!!! ?

She is not going to be happy about this...

 

[gtshnzr]

Jesus - I just looked at it and the large wood screws used to hold the plate are in the plate bracket and touching the paint!!! ?

She is not going to be happy about this...

Yes, have to watch the clearance between the plate frame and the plate attachment screws sticking out the back of the frame. Used a couple of washers to make the stack-up of the plate frame, plexiglass cover and plate thicker so replacement screws would not bottom out on the car

 

[spta97]

Yes, have to watch the clearance between the plate frame and the plate attachment screws sticking out the back of the frame. Used a couple of washers to make the stack-up of the plate frame, plexiglass cover and plate thicker so replacement screws would not bottom out on the car

What really bothers me is this was a result of the dealer not using the included screws. Also, they will rust as I noticed them on other vehicles in the show room. Common dealer practice to use cheap rusting screws that are too big.

The design change to self tapping screws by BMW is the cause. The plate I linked above has machine screws which do not protrude past the plate holder. Also, they hold the plate much more securely as opposed to thin plastic that will likely loosen over time.

I just found another one on Amazon which has stainless steel screws (allegedly - we'll see what my magnet says) so we went with that one.

Here's the link.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D4BTF2...olid=122ZX5P97YPKC&psc=1&ref_=lv_cv_lig_dp_it

 

[gtshnzr]

What really bothers me is this was a result of the dealer not using the included screws. Also, they will rust as I noticed them on other vehicles in the show room. Common dealer practice to use cheap rusting screws that are too big.

The design change to self tapping screws by BMW is the cause. The plate I linked above has machine screws which do not protrude past the plate holder. Also, they hold the plate much more securely as opposed to thin plastic that will likely loosen over time.

I just found another one on Amazon which has stainless steel screws (allegedly - we'll see what my magnet says) so we went with that one.

Here's the link.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D4BTF2...olid=122ZX5P97YPKC&psc=1&ref_=lv_cv_lig_dp_it

My rear plate holder mounting bracket is metal (6/20 production date) and it has plastic cage nut-like inserts for the self taping screws used to attach the plate. The bracket itself mounts to the rear plastic body panel via a threaded insert and machine screws. Sometimes that bracket gets installed upside down during PDI and then there is literally no clearance for a license plate frame (or a regular plate is resting on the diffuser to scratch it). I had to flip mine around in order to use the thin framed stainless plate holder. And yes it was a PITA to find the right length replacement screws at Ace Hardware.

 

[spta97]

My rear plate holder mounting bracket is metal (6/20 production date) and it has plastic cage nut-like inserts for the self taping screws used to attach the plate. The bracket itself mounts to the rear plastic body panel via a threaded insert and machine screws. Sometimes that bracket gets installed upside down during PDI and then there is literally no clearance for a license plate frame (or a regular plate is resting on the diffuser to scratch it). I had to flip mine around in order to use the thin framed stainless plate holder. And yes it was a PITA to find the right length replacement screws at Ace Hardware.

This one was plastic (same as my 2020 BMW)- I'm surprised yours is metal. Wonder if they changed that for 2021?

Can you confirm which way is right side up? The plate was resting on the diffuser (luckily it wasn't scratched) so I wonder if it was upside-down?

I took out the 3/4" screws out of the plate and they penetrated the back (red arrows in pic).

The yellow arrows are where they screwed in the plate holder. My BMW has the threaded inserts you noted but this is just screwed directly to the panel. Not to mention additional scratches. Are the threaded inserts not part of 2021 builds?

What a mess - we are never going back to that dealer for anything.

Not much we can do and thankfully it's covered by the plate but it is a shame they drilled 4 holes into a brand new car. I should have known to tell them not to mount the plate so I sort of blame myself. At least I told them not to mount the front plate.

When I took delivery of my BMW, I transferred plates so I did it myself but that dealership was far superior to this one.

 

[gtshnzr]

This one was plastic (same as my 2020 BMW)- I'm surprised yours is metal. Wonder if they changed that for 2021?

Can you confirm which way is right side up? The plate was resting on the diffuser (luckily it wasn't scratched) so I wonder if it was upside-down?

I took out the 3/4" screws out of the plate and they penetrated the back (red arrows in pic).

The yellow arrows are where they screwed in the plate holder. My BMW has the threaded inserts you noted but this is just screwed directly to the panel. Not to mention additional scratches. Are the threaded inserts not part of 2021 builds?

What a mess - we are never going back to that dealer for anything.

Not much we can do and thankfully it's covered by the plate but it is a shame they drilled 4 holes into a brand new car. I should have known to tell them not to mount the plate so I sort of blame myself. At least I told them not to mount the front plate.

When I took delivery of my BMW, I transferred plates so I did it myself but that dealership was far superior to this one.

 

[gtshnzr]

I cant remember if the “tab” is on the top or on the bottom of the frame. I fiddled with my plate bracket until it had enough clearance on the bottom for the plate frame. Here are the install instructions from the Yota PDI checklist. It appears that they do drill holes for the mounting bracket, so I can’t explain why mine had threaded fastener inserts like your BMW. Maybe a running change. As for the extra holes you have, the screws my dealer used were not long and did not contact the rear panel. I did get a bag of fasteners and the front bracket, so maybe the PDI tech just grabbed the wrong ones. Maybe put a piece of electric tape over the extra holes to prevent water from getting in there.

 

[Axix23]

I noticed on our cars that it’s better to use a rubber tag frame around the license plate so the edges won’t scratch the bumper area. I think the tag bracket area is a horrible design. I never seen self tapping screws in a license plate bracket area ever.

 

[gtshnzr]

I noticed on our cars that it’s better to use a rubber tag frame around the license plate so the edges won’t scratch the bumper area. I think the tag bracket area is a horrible design. I never seen self tapping screws in a license plate bracket area ever.

Yes, I had a black silicone frame on there before my vanity plates arrived. Looked good and kept the edges off the diffuser.

 

[spta97]

I cant remember if the “tab” is on the top or on the bottom of the frame. I fiddled with my plate bracket until it had enough clearance on the bottom for the plate frame. Here are the install instructions from the Yota PDI checklist. It appears that they do drill holes for the mounting bracket, so I can’t explain why mine had threaded fastener inserts like your BMW. Maybe a running change. As for the extra holes you have, the screws my dealer used were not long and did not contact the rear panel. I did get a bag of fasteners and the front bracket, so maybe the PDI tech just grabbed the wrong ones. Maybe put a piece of electric tape over the extra holes to prevent water from getting in there.

looks like you had a dealer who cared. Thanks for the instructions!

 

[spta97]

Yes, I had a black silicone frame on there before my vanity plates arrived. Looked good and kept the edges off the diffuser.

I just the silicone plate frame.installed. It’s a nice understated look.

It came in a two pack so the other protects the trunk from the pesky front plate incase we get pulled over and I have to explain how the front plate mount is on back order

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