Problems with License Plate Screw(s)

[blacktalon13]

the dumbest thing happen today with my 5.. the back license plate screw is STUCK on there... it would NOT come off.. so i kinda force it out... after forcing it out, and i try to put it back in, and it's stuck half way.. it won't go in any further or come back out. now the whole screw just keep spinning....... (pissed)

 

[jasma1]

That's funny, cause I have the same problem with mine... If you noticed, there is a small square metal plate in the back, where you insert the screw. Well mine is also spinning like hell and there is no way I can get the licence plate to firmly stick to the van....

To unscrew, its ok. To screw, there is no way... Luckily, since I have a "blue" protector to the license plate, it is big enough to be tight. But with just the license plate, it would stay loose... And everytime you close the back door, I would hear this big rattling sound...

Hope you will find an answer! If so, please share!


Jasma.

 

[blacktalon13]

at least u can screw out.. i'm stuck right now.. won't go in or out...

i'm gonna let my buddy take a look tomorrow and see if he know how to get it out...

i got a feeling it's when i got the car.. the sales person cross threaded the bolt in there.. it was very hard to take out in the first place.. there's no way in hell, a car with 16k on it can get rusted like that... i had the car for 8 months... so there's no way

i'll keep you updated.. see what my friend can do

 

[coolmazda5]

Changed the title to make it more descriptive. I would keep it here, but if somebody posts an answer we could move it to the How-To area. Please let me know if this works for ya...

 

[Zoom5Zoom]

Seems like the dealer is using the wrong screw as in canada eh we us a threaded screw with a flat head slot on top...

Most fixes if it is the wrong screw (assuming you can get it out without drilling it out) is take the screw out and re "tap" the screw hole for the correct screw...

If all else fails drive backwards and use the front bracket as your plate lol...jk

 

[blacktalon13]

my buddy take a look at it today, he said the clip from behind went out of place for some odd reason, we tried going from the back to get the clip out.. but as you all have seen.. our 5's backdoor is FULL piece plastic with rivets. so near impossible to take it out.. solution... i just screw the other one tighter and just left it as it is.. plate is not falling off.. so decided to leave it alone...

if anyone have similar problem AND found a solution.. PLEASE let me know...

 

[Mazda5wannabe]

I had to get new plates this year and the stupid frickin' screw head snapped off! Why do they make plastic screws anyway? I drilled it out using a smaller bit than the shank and just screwed a metal one into the remaining plastic. Worked a charm!

 

[blacktalon13]

i actually perfer the plastic screw... at least u can get it out... i'm STUCK in there now.. won't be able to pull out the screw unless i start breaking things

 

[gduong128]

I just bought a used Mazda 5 GT 2009 and found that one of the license plate screw was not coming out.
Called a Mazda dealer and it said that there's no way to pull it out because the whole liftgate is molded in one plastic piece.
So I decided to take the screw and inside bolt out by cutting it off with a Dremel.
Then I bought a nylon push-in bolt like this one:

and it did the work. I used nylon screws to make sure that it will not rust again.

 

[Geeshik]

I had a similar problem with mine when I removed the former owner's license plate to put ours on. I believe one came out, but the insert within the door was loose and would not allow the screw to go back inside because the insert was spinning. The screw on the other side would not turn at all, so I cut it off with my angle grinder. Being that the door was made of plastic, I think I used something like the clip shown above. I filled the old holes with black silicone (because our 5 is black), drilled new ones just beneath it, installed new clips, sealed around them with the black silicone, and away we went... I used stainless hardware to prevent corrosion. The plate still covers the old holes. If you do it carefully you'll never see it once the plate is on.

Another possibility I would consider now that i have the tool, is installing a rivet-like nut insert. I bought the kit at Menards. It was made by Surebonder, I believe. Those things are great. I used them on the car when I was doing the heat shield work underneath. Just be sure to use anti-seize on the screw as well when you thread something into the nut-sert, or you might encounter similar problems in the future.

Here's a link to the tool similar to what I purchased...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

 

[Swenny]

One thing to keep in mind is that the 5 uses different screws on the front and back. I have no idea why they did this (seems like a QA fail to me) but something to keep in mind. Unscrew the other one from the back and compare it to the one that doesn't fit to make sure they are the same