Number Plate Question

[romario]

Hi, am trying to remove the number plate off my parteners car to fit a private plate, however the rear plate is attatched by two rivets. I cant work out how to remove these and have removed the mounting on the inside of the hatchback boot to look.

Car 2001 renault Clio

Thankes in advance for any help.

[vansboy]

I'd guess the riveted plate was done for extra security, so that they couldn't be stolen, or more than likely just to fit quicker, at the dealer.

Probably need to drill the centre of the rivet out 7 then the plate will come off.

& as a tip for fitting the new ones, use extra strong double sided tape, or adhesive pads.

Tape from focus, pads from Halfords. Wipe surface clean before sticking in position, with petrol.

Then everything'll look neater without drilling/screwing!

VB

[david29dpo]

why not use the old plate as a template to drill the hole in the new one? then get the nice plastic nut and bolts to use in the holes in the car.

[espresso]

why not use the old plate as a template to drill the hole in the new one? then get the nice plastic nut and bolts to use in the holes in the car.

Because the letters/numbers are likely to be in different positions!

[rdwarr]

I'm with vansboy on this. Having just fitted a private plate I can confirm Halfords Pads as the best solution. They come in two thicknesses; 1mm for flat surfaces and 6mm for bendy.

[scheming_gypsy]

i use velcro for mine and they've never fallen off. Got the velcro strips from a car shop and it means i can swap my plates from the legal version to the illegal version

[david29dpo]

if its the same plate, now can the numbers be in different positions?

[espresso]

if its the same plate, now can the numbers be in different positions?

The numbers/letters are often arranged by a human unless it's computerised and some plates have a GB symbol to one side. If you used a previous plate as a template to drill holes, the chances are that the holes would not be positioned correctly or overlap the digits!

:eek:

[rdwarr]

if its the same plate, now can the numbers be in different positions?
But it's not the same plate. The OP says Hi, am trying to remove the number plate off my parteners car to fit a private plate

[david29dpo]

sorry! must be the sun!

[romario]

If i was to drill the center of the rivet out as vansboy suggests, which type of
drill bit would be suitable? which sort of bit could be used to drill through the metal rivet? would a cordless drill be powerful enough to do this?

Sorry for so many questions, dont want to make a mess of the car.

[vansboy]

Your cordless will be fine.

Use the thinnest bit you might have - you'll find by drilling the centre of the rivet, the outer part will split away & make its way up the drill bit, as if you've drilled into a washer. (if that makes sense)

Is there a piece of scrap metal around you could practice on. Or someone that might have drilled out rivets before, that could help.

You're right to be cautious, as you dont want to slip. Maybe taping up the plate, say a couple of inches around the rivet, with masking tape might help. Even though you dont want to protect the old plate, if you did slip, it'd be less chance of marking the bodywork.

VB