[mfan225]

Guys, does your rear license plate move/rattle at all? Mine moves a bit if I push on the top and bottom. Dealer replaced the acceptors for the screws that hold the bracket to the car, which helped a little, but not much...

If this is normal its surprising for a $50k car..

[mikeyymonster]

Originally Posted by mfan225

Guys, does your rear license plate move/rattle at all? Mine moves a bit if I push on the top and bottom. Dealer replaced the acceptors for the screws that hold the bracket to the car, which helped a little, but not much...

If this is normal its surprising for a $50k car..

Not sure if mine actually rattles but mine moves too.

[overcoil]

my rear license plate moves if pressed on obliquely - no rattle when driving / over bumps

[USA-RET]

4 screws, no rattle. If using a bracket, make sure it has a clip in the inside that secures the plate to the bracket or it will rattle. Again, 4 screws makes the diff on the rear plate.

[aerobod]

Body mounting tape between the bottom of the frame and plate if using only top screws to mount, will quell rattles.

[Maynard]

Mine is tight, but in past cars I put a small piece of that rubberized fabric behind plate to keep it quiet (that car only had 2 bolts).

[stevenvillatoro]

I found a little-known but absolutely brilliant product that cures license plate rattles when using only the top two mounting bolts. The product is specifically designed to prevent license plate and/or frame rattling, and costs just $2.25.

It's a set of small suction cups that you attach to your license plate from its backside, securing them to the plate through the plate's lower two holes, using a small plastic pin (provided). Once the suction cups - invisible when installed - are secured to the plate, you simply mount the plate to the car with the top two bolts and then press the suction cups to your car's rear body panel.

Of course, make sure your car is clean first. Also, I dampen the suction cups before pressing them into place. Although the cups are very low-profile, on some cars you may want to add a thin nylon washer (1/8" maybe?) between the top mounting bolts and the body panel, in order to get a consistent gap around the license plate.

I started using these things decades ago to successfully cure this same issue on a hatchback which had the license plate mounted to the hatch... so that every time I'd close the hatch it would make an annoying 'twangy' rattle. It'd also vibrate on rough road surfaces.

I bought the suction cups on a whim, but they work perfectly and I've used them on every car since. A side benefit is that when combined with the nylon spacers (bought separately) mentioned above, the small extra 1/8"-ish offset of the plate from the body can prevent the edge of a license plate frame from making contact and gouging the painted rear body panel of your car.

Several years ago - when I was between cars - I misplaced my original set (which were still-working) and had to repurchase a set by using an online search. I tried first to find them locally, with no luck.

Here's the source company/product:

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...r/CR78410.html

[mfan225]

It doesn't so much rattle anymore, just moves if you push on the top or bottom of it. The bracket itself is what's moving. Should have had four screws instead of two holding it to the car. The plate itself has four screws which are all tight.

[BarryJI]

A good rear license plate frame should come with rubber washers that go behind the plate, preventing it from contact with the metal trunk lid and making rattling impossible.

[USA-RET]

Originally Posted by Maynard

Mine is tight, but in past cars I put a small piece of that rubberized fabric behind plate to keep it quiet (that car only had 2 bolts).

Seems like dealers don't want to part with two extra bolts. Went to Ace hardware w/ one off the car and tested thread patterns and found matching bolts for .50. Problem solved

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by USA-RET

Seems like dealers don't want to part with two extra bolts. Went to Ace hardware w/ one off the car and tested thread patterns and found matching bolts for .50. Problem solved

I'll bet you know what's going on under the hood, too!

We're a dying breed.

[SlickShift]

I have all 4 screws on my plate and the frame rattles a little. Has always bugged me a little.

[Maynard]

At least in NYS the plates are like the crappiest and thinnest metal humanly possible. Random ones will slough all the paint off like leprosy, and they are about the thickness of a disposable pie plate. No wonder they rattle if you let them.

[CP911]

Love how Volvo does their bracket. The black circles seen in the pic below are just rubber grommets/pads that go against the vehicle's paint to prevent scratches and vibration as well. They are basically permanent grommets that are inserted through the steel bracket, so they aren't falling out or going anywhere.



I'm not familiar with the BMW bracket, but if the contact points against the paint aren't already buffered with rubber in the same way the Volvo one is, I'd suggest going to Autozone or your local hardware store and finding some circular rubber gaskets/washers that would accomplish the same thing. My WRX (now sold) didn't come with any bracket at all and just had 2 plate mounting holes with a totally flat mounting surface, meaning the plate would just press against the paint if I didn't find something to raise the plate from the surface. I went and got a few rubber washers from Autozone and put them behind the plate where the 2 screw holes were. It worked like a charm.

OP - I could be misreading, but it sounds like you might be creating a problem that doesn't exist. Sure, if you pressed on the upper or lower part of the plate, it would flex a bit at the center axis across the 2 mounting screws, but why do you need to do that? If it's secure, nothing is scratching the paint, and nothing is vibrating or making noise while driving, then what's the big deal?

[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by USA-RET

4 screws, no rattle. If using a bracket, make sure it has a clip in the inside that secures the plate to the bracket or it will rattle. Again, 4 screws makes the diff on the rear plate.

Ditto here, no rattles or movement.