Best number plate / plate holder style

[langers_sydney]

Jesus Rob. A drill. Are you sure. Letting me loose on my new car with a drill! Hope its easy to do. Any tips?

[Corey_R]

Corey's car pick up tips.
1) Pick up car from dealer
2) Drive it 13 km
3) Attack it with a drill

That's seriously the order of my first R experience. lol

As for tips... you can look at my entire Lakin experience here:
1) My Lakin brackets and covers kit
2) Removal of the front plate holder is just as Rob_R described it. If you don't have a steady hand with a drill, use a nail or something to mark the centre of the scrivet. Use a suitably sized drill bit (slightly smaller than the scrivet) and position carefully, then drill in with mild pressure. The bumper should only flex slightly, and after about 1cm just let it pull itself in so you don't hit anything behind (which you shouldn't really anyway.... you've got several cm until you do hit something)
3) Installation of Lakin brackets and covers

[Rob_R]

Jesus Rob. A drill. Are you sure. Letting me loose on my new car with a drill! Hope its easy to do. Any tips?

Corey sums it up fairly well. As long as you are centred all will be fine. Remember scrivet pin is the spreader for the four prongs on the scrivet button so you won't drill into the bumper. From memory you purchased Lakin brackets. What size plates are you putting on your car?

[langers_sydney]

Small black euro on front and large on back........

This is genius, I guess I will know what this means when I look at the OEM plate holder hahaha

'Remember scrivet pin is the spreader for the four prongs on the scrivet button' '

Thanks both
LS

[Rob_R]

Well here is what the Lakin setup I've gone with looks like.

OEM bracket still fitted:

OEM bracket removed with black OEM scrivets:

Colour coded scrivets (also with full frontal venturesheild fitted):

[Candyman]

God, what a mess that OEM bracket makes

Is it possible they changed this on MY12's or am I expecting too much ?

Not sure I like the "scrivets" but guess there is no other easy option

As ours is CW, I guess wrapping is an option or just bling the blank bits either side of the OEM bracket with something.

Never had this on my MKV -sucky

[Rob_R]

God, what a mess that OEM bracket makes

Is it possible they changed this on MY12's or am I expecting too much ?

Not sure I like the "scrivets" but guess there is no other easy option

As ours is CW, I guess wrapping is an option or just bling the blank bits either side of the OEM bracket with something.

Never had this on my MKV -sucky

I think there is no change to MY12's. Colour code scrivets was the only option I could think of without resorting to have the bumper filled and resprayed. You only really notice them when close up and I'm ok with them. Compared to the first pic with OEM bracket it is 95% better.

[Corey_R]

Colour coded scrivets (also with full frontal venturesheild fitted):

Hey Rob_R, that looks alright! That's about as good as you're going to get without filling and respray, as you said.


For those who have 6 character "slim line" plates (Euro or otherwise), I still feel the option that AdamD and I went with is the way to go...
From my large installation post (also with full Ventureshield):



And AdamD's car:

[Rob_R]

Yeh I think it has come up ok.

Hey Corey ever considered colour coded the Lakin bracket? I think that would look ok and the bracket would blend into the bumper.

[Corey_R]

Yeah I have actually. I think it might be difficult to paint the screws and get them in (and out) without chipping paint etc. But I'll give it a go at some point in time.

Edit: Actually, I was going to get it done when I first got the car. The problem is that there are no "Blue pieces" that I can easily just take off the car and leave at the smash repairers to match to (like mirror caps etc). So I'd have to leave the car there - annoying!

[Rob_R]

Yeah I have actually. I think it might be difficult to paint the screws and get them in (and out) without chipping paint etc. But I'll give it a go at some point in time.

Did you get security screws to fix the bracket? Hex head type screws should ok painted but have to go nice and slow putting them in.

[Corey_R]

The security screws go on the plate actually... so it's a bit of a catch
(unless Philip has some new ones now that there are several cars with exposed screws due to these types of situations).

So they're just the regular philips head...

[Rob_R]

The security screws go on the plate actually... so it's a bit of a catch
(unless Philip has some new ones now that there are several cars with exposed screws due to these types of situations).

So they're just the regular philips head...

Yeh I've got security screws fixing plate and cover also. Places like The Bolt Bloke type stores have almost every conceiveable screw these days and you can get hex head self tappers in all types of metals.

[langers_sydney]

Parked at a mates. Assembled tools to install the Lakin brackets. As soon as i plugged the drillbit in the biggest storm in three months hit. Abandoned !

Try again next week

[Rob_R]

Parked at a mates. Assembled tools to install the Lakin brackets. As soon as i plugged the drillbit in the biggest storm in three months hit. Abandoned !

Try again next week

LS, have you tried pushing the pins in until they drop out? You might be lucky and they will budge saving you having to drill them out.