HOW TO FIX YOUR FRONT PLATE HOLES | DIY CHEAP & EASY BUMPER PLUGS FOR ANY CAR
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- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
- Here's a cheap, quick, and easy do-it-yourself tutorial to fix those ugly front bumper license plate holes no matter what type of car you drive! Plus, retain the option of putting your plate back on in the future if you want to! Please read full description below for detailed information.
IMPORTANT INFO:
Please check your local rules, laws, and regulations before removing your front plate. Your city, state, municipality, country, or department of transportation may require you to keep your front plate on. Look into the regulations and find out if this is something you can do. You are removing your front plate at your own risk and assume all responsibilities associated with this DIY modification.
With all that said - my wife and I recently traded in our 2017 F30 BMW 330e and got a new 2020 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 4Matic. It's a beautiful car but it came with a front plate from the dealership. Since we're not fans of sporting a front plate, we took it off and of course saw the holes left in the bumper by the 2 screws that were holding it in place. So after a bit of research (turns out there's a company called bumperplugs but their plugs are huge and I wanted to keep the footprint of the fix as small and as unnoticeable as possible) I decided to fix those hideous holes myself with a little DIY project. Then I realized it's something anyone can do on any budget, for any car. So I decided to upload this video for anyone that's interested in doing the same modification to their vehicle regardless of brand!
TOOLS & MATERIALS YOU NEED:
1) - You'll need touch-up paint in the color of your car. You can talk to your local dealership to purchase some, or try ordering online. This shouldn't be too expensive. I actually got my bottle for free from Mercedes-Benz Seattle (thanks Mike!) alternatively you can go to an auto parts store and try to color match as best as you can.
2) - You'll need a Phillips head screwdriver. You'll use it to take off your front plate, but you can also use the head to enlarge the holes JUST ENOUGH to allow for the Everlast plugs to be pushed in.
3) - You'll need to purchase a pair (2) of Nylon locking hole plugs. I bought mine from Home Depot and paid less than $1 for them. They're made by EVERBILT. The most common size for automotive application is 3/16 inch but you should DEFINITELY measure the diameter of your bumper holes beforehand. The idea is that you want the plugs to be larger than the holes, so that you can slightly enlarge the holes using the Phillips screwdriver to the point where once you apply some pressure they'll pop and lock into place. If you don't have a Home Depot in your area, any hardware or home improvement store will likely have these nylon locking plugs.
If in the future you want to re-install your front license plate, you totally can! Just use a flathead screwdriver (I recommend you cover the tip with some painters masking tape to avoid scratching your bumper's paint) nudge them out, and then re-install the plate using your old screws. If they don't bite/thread correctly you may need to get slightly thicker screws, but that's super easy. And you're done!
In total I spent less than $10, and that's taking the gas used to travel to and from Home Depot to buy the nylon locking plugs. The touch-up paint was free, and everything else I did myself. It's super easy and I highly recommend you don't shy away from trying it yourself.
This video is not sponsored or promoted by anyone. I just love cars, and I make videos whenever I get the chance to.
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Do you sport a front plate? If not, how did you fix your plate problem?
Paint cake off mine after sick months even with primer. Maybe got hit with a power washer to hard. Any advice to get it to stick?
That sucks Matt! The next step to take is sand the plugs a bit, polish, primer, touch-up paint and then a few layers of clear coat. Some sort of clear sealant that can act as an extra layer of protectant. If you do pressure wash your car then maybe be a bit more careful around that area. Let me know what you do and how it turns out. Hopefully this helps 👍🏻
This is awesome, thanks for the video. No front plate required in my state- headed to Home Depot now. Thanks!
You're welcome! Have fun with it and let me know how it turns out when you're done 👍
Wow! Love how detailed and easy to follow this is. Will try this out, thanks!
Glad it was helpful, Yash! Please let me know if you have any other questions, and if you try the install yourself be sure to let me know how it went :)
Thanks for the video. This is a perfect solution for fixing bumper license plate holes. Love the simple but extremely effectively approach. Great DIY tip!
You're welcome! I'm glad to hear you found value in my DIY video - hopefully your results are as good if not better than mine :)
Hands down the best solve for those hideous holes left by license plate drill on my m2c! Just tried and it works so well! Thank you James! So creative!
Glad it helped, Will! Let me know how it holds up over time :)
Hi Will, I’m in the same boat with my m2c! I’m planning to do this fix myself, do you think it’s possible for you to send a photo of the result?
This worked PERFECTLY for our Acura MDX and Acura TLX...and I’m picky. Thank you!
That's so awesome to hear! Thank you for coming back Allison and letting me know - it's really nice to know people are getting value from my videos. It makes me want to make more DYI videos as a result :)
Great video, simple explanation, super chill music. Lovely stuff.
Glad it was helpful! I appreciate you taking the time to drop a comment :)
Thanks so much for your video! The best that I've watched on youtube. Cheers bro!
Glad it helped, Ryan! I had fun making it, and the fact that it's so easy and simple, with great end results is all the sweeter :)
Perfect solution for my 2020 230i. No paint needed. Matched the Arctic white perfectly
That’s awesome to hear! Thanks for giving my method a try and for letting me know your results were positive 👍🏻
Love this idea. Super small compared to other bumper plugs I've seen around.
Glad to hear! It's exactly why I decided to just put together a DIY, it's super easy and way less obtrusive than what is currently offered on the market :)
I’m going to give this a try soon! Thanks.
You're welcome! Please let me know how it goes!
I had looked at bumper plugs but thought they looked so big! I’m going to do this for my 2020 A35 AMG, just got the ugly plastic plate holder off this arvo, onto the plugs now 👌🏼
Awesome! I can’t wait to hear back on the end results! Yeah, the bumper plugs I found were huge and they looked hideous, so I decided to do it myself 😄👍🏻
I like this because it's a quick fix that requires no body shop work! I'll have to try this! Thanks! :)
That’s right! It’s an actual DIY that doesn’t require a ton of know-how, experience, or like you mentioned a body shop! Let me know if you try it and how it goes 👍🏻 please also consider subscribing 😃
James Bachici Channel I definitely will let you know! Just got my brand new M2 Comp today but unfortunately the dealer put a plate on it😭 so when I try this I will definitely let you know how it turns out!
Congrats! Excited to see your M2 Competition when it’s ready 🤗
This is incredibly smart. I’m going to try this on my 340i!
Thanks Jon! Glad you found value - please let me know how it goes for you once it's done :)
Very well done video....thank you.
Glad it was helpful, Gary! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment :)
Genius! Thanks for sharing
Glad it was helpful!
Took my front plate off only to find 4 holes instead of 2 😂 I’m irritated asf now
Oh no 🤣 look at it this way, whoever installed the original plate REALLY wanted to make sure it was safe and secure 😅 get a couple more plugs and you know what to do 👍
i’ve got 8 and they’re huge
@oliver.l736 You may want to consider taking it to a body shop then, get a quote, see what they’d charge to fill in the holes, primer, sand, paint and clear coat the bumper 👍
Can’t wait to try this
Glad to hear! Let me know how it turns out 👍
OMG soooooooooooooooo happy I came across this posting !!!!
I'm happy you did as well! Hopefully it will make your life easier and your car look nicer!
@@JamesBachiciChannel after watched I couldn't wait to drive to Cadillac to pick up a paint touch up kit for plugs , just cant get over how nice this looks especially compared to those huge dime size plugs everywhere else
Excellent! I'm so glad to hear it got you excited to go out and do it! It's ridiculously easy to do, and the finish is awesome! Let me know how it goes for you :)
Great idea. My body shop wanted $150. to fill prep and paint. 👍
Glad you think so! This method not only is significantly cheaper, it’s also a lot more fun too 😃👍🏻
Excellent video. Can you tell me where in Home Depot I can find these? I don't know what section of the store to look in. Thanks.
Thanks, glad you found it useful! You can find the Everbilt nylon locking hole plugs in the Hardware section by the specialty fasteners. I believe they're in the sized drawers, if not they'll be in the little boxes - hope this helps, and if you do the upgrade please come back and let me know how it turned it!
Thanks brother!
Good luck! Hope it turns out well for you!
i'm glad i found your video, thanks for this! imo this looks way better and is a much cheaper option. sounds like from your response to another comment that it's been holding up well. i guess even if they do need to be replaced, it's not like it's a huge deal to do again :)
Glad it was helpful! And yes, like you said, even if it needs replacing you're going to be spending less than $5 (if you still have some of the original touch-up paint) which is great!
Where is that small bmw m stripe decal available to purchase from in the first clip?
There are dozens of retailers online that sell OEM M vinyl as well as their own home-brew versions. I’d recommend OEM since they tend to be higher quality and are UV treated meaning they won’t fade or discolor over time. I’d recommend you look up BMW Parts Pros and search their offerings 👍🏻
Perfect ✅
Thanks! Although I don't think you need this walkthrough for your F80 since it's already perfect :)
thanks for showing how you did this
Absolutely! Hope it helps!
Nice!! Where did you get you BMW M stripes decal?
Thanks! You can order it through your local dealer, it's an official catalog part. Or you could just search other alternative options like IND Distribution or BMW Parts Pros. Thanks for watching, if you haven't already, please consider subscribing :)
Clean! Ima try it !
Do it! Let me know how it goes 👍🏻
James Bachici Channel the plugs came out good , got the oem paint . when I took the license plate off , the holes had pressure cracks on them . It still looks decent , but not as good as I was hoping .
Awesome! Glad to hear you went through with it, sorry to hear about the pressure cracks. That’s always a worry. I bet it still looks better than before though. Thanks for the update 😃👍🏻
what size did you get? what is the standard size plug for a license plate hole?
All information can be found in the video description - also there’s no standard size for holes, dealerships that drill the holes all differ in their practices, so measure yourself and make the call accordingly.
after you do this, is it possible to put the license plate back on?
Yes actually! You just need to pop the pins out with a flathead screwdriver (I recommend you use some painters masking tape on the tip so you don’t damage your paint) and you may need to use slightly wider screws in order to have them bite/re-thread into the holes 👍🏻
Can I apply this on a m4 trunk? I removed a gts wing
Unlikely - the bumper works because it’s plastic/polyurethane so you can adjust the diameter and widen it easily to the point where the nylon plugs can fit snuggly. The trunk is metal, you’d need to do a proper fix (sanding, epoxy filler, more sanding, priming, painting, clear coat blending)
Did you only use color and not the clear? How is it holding up?
Correct, just the factory touch up paint, zero clear coat. It’s holding up great, blends in well 👍
does anyone know where to get the hole plugs i cant find them anywhere
Home Depot. All the info is in the description 👍
What aisle was this in? Plumbing? Hardware?
You'll want to ask one of the HM folks where you can find the Everbilt nylon locking hole plugs. I believe they're in the specialty hardware section. Good luck!
Unfortunately someone’s screwed a plate holder and then a plate so iv 6 holes th the front of my m4
Oh no 😲 sounds like a pain! This DIY method should still work for you, otherwise you’d want to go to a auto shop and get the bumper filled and repainted which of course is a lot more work and costs way more but the overall finish should look better. Either way, good luck 😃👍
its lowkey kinda ugly thom the bumps are a little obvious but is there a way you can cover it without and just have it covered up a different way?
As opposed to the alternative, which is keep the plate on? Bumper plugs are the best way to go if you're looking at removing a front plate, not spend a ton of money, and not have any visible holes left. Putting a cover over it defeats the original purpose of having a clean front end, so that's not an option, at least for me. If you want to get really deep into it, and for best results you'd need to take your car to a body shop, have them take off the bumper, fill in the holes, primer/paint it, and re-install your bumper. No one wants to do that because it's the most expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive route you can go. My DIY method uses the smallest plug possible and cost me less than $10. If you go online and try to find purpose-built bumper plugs you'll find that they're A) more expensive and B) almost twice the diameter size making them stand out even more. This is why I decided to do it myself, and also show others how to do it as well.
Cant you sand it down further to make it even smaller and flatter?
I suppose you could do that, after you've installed it. However 3 things you'd want to keep in mind: 1) you'll want to be careful to not sand any of the surrounding surface on your front bumper: 2) you'd want to apply the touch-up paint on the top of the nylon locking hole plugs AFTER you've inserted and sanded them down, otherwise you're just wasting time and paint since you'd be sanding off the tops: 3) there's a chance you could potentially risk pushing the locks in further if you ever plan on using a pressure washer, resulting in a "dip" of sorts, whereas if you left the tops on you have a sort of stopper in place to keep that from happening.
Great call-out, hopefully my points above make sense and help you. Let me know if you end up doing the upgrade!
@@JamesBachiciChannel Thanks for the tips, will definitely try doing this if I can find the 3/16 size. Seems like Canada only has the 3/8.
No worries at all! Good luck, shop around if you can, I'm rooting for you :)
Pretty annoying I have different size holes and about 6 holes. My cat came from Korea but this work Ty
Yeah, if you have multiple holes AND they're different diameters, that's a pain. Glad you got is sorted though!
How is this coming out? Any issues yet?
Nope, no issues. 2 years later it still holds up great, they never popped out even though I pressure wash the car 👍
How did u get the touch up paint for free??
I asked for it when we purchased the car 😃 the associate was more than happy to provide a bottle 👍
Niice, luckyyy! Lol nice vid, thx for sharing
Anytime! Thanks for dropping a comment - I always recommend you ask your dealership for touch-up paint whenever possible, sometimes they'll give you a sample but because it's touch-up the idea is you'll only really need a little bit :)
i hate people that drill the holes in the first place
It's definitely an annoyance - sometimes you can speak with the dealer/seller and if the holes weren't drilled yet, ask them to not make them to begin with.
One easy fix
Yup! Super easy, and cheap too 👍🏻
Licenseplateplugs sells the same plugs on ebay for like half the price
You realize that the plugs I call out in my DIY cost less than $2, right?
Ahhh portrait!
😄 yep, it was designed to be watched on your phone while you’re outside doing the install itself - I figured you’d prop your phone upright and go through the steps as I do them 👍
Bro I’ll just get it fixed at the body shop. My bumper has holes and scratches from the name plate. I curse the person who drilled in my truck
Body shop would do the best job for sure - my video this is for people that want to do it themselves without having to go through the whole process of engaging with a body shop. Definitely 2 types of people in this world, those that drill holes in their bumper (or let others do it) and don't care, and those that absolutely detest it :)
If anybody asks ima just say they are parking sensors
Haha that works! Did you actually do the install?
I just used white latex caulking lol and u cant even notice
Interesting! Did you use touch-up paint afterwards once it cured? My worry would be that it wouldn't stand up to any pressure washing, but I'm curious to know more!
@@JamesBachiciChannel i did use the touch up paint...idk if it will stand tho i just did it last weekend and i haven’t washed it, i guess we’ll find out lol
Let me know how it handles the first wash 😃👍 very creative approach!
I hope the dealer honors my request not to mount plate. If there is a communication problem and someone puts holes in my bumper I'm screwed. This fix would be unacceptable.
That's the best approach, honestly. Speak with your dealer and local rep to ensure the holes aren't drilled in the first place. My DYI fix is great for folks that didn't have a say at the point of sale/dealership. Out of curiosity, what car are you looking at picking up?
Thanks. Yes, this is a great fix after the fact. I don't mind having the required plate on my daily. I'm awaiting delivery on a challenger Scat Pack Widebody Shaker. I already purchased the Sho N Sto mount so I can display the plate when I want to. I just hope the dealer honors my request and everyone gets the memo.
Congrats! That's one proper beast! Let me know how it goes for you :)
I hate bumper holes
They're just the worst 🙂
go to bumper plug
I did, and they’re very large when compared to my DIY method. So I went with my route instead 👍🏻
@@JamesBachiciChannel Great video thanks so much for an idea! These bumper plugs also require a gigantic hole, so to install them you need to enlarge the current hole on the bumper, which, personally for me is not really a fix. I'll definitely give your method a try.
Absolutely! Really glad I could help out! I used a Phillips screwdriver to enlarge the holes a bit, but you don’t want to overdo it since you want the plugs to be a tight fit 👍🏻 let me know how it goes!