Numberplate lighting nightmare!
 

If I was as OCD as some on here I might need a new boot lid by now! :eek:

A while ago a mechanic replaced my numberplate bulbs at MOT time. I had put LED's in there but he said they failed. MOT is due fairly soon and I was thinking about swapping back to LED's as I have some spare of the right sort.

I also wanted to have a look at the light unit to see if it might help with reversing camera fitment.

Three of the four bolts came out fairly easily, the fourth looked like it wasn't in straight and didn't want to move........ :tuttut:
Sure enough, it had been rammed in, probably with a power tool, at an angle and was jammed. Worse, the metal sleeve it screws into was rotating in its seat in the boot lid. :-(

I removed all the lining to see if I could get access to grip it from behind. But no it's in a pretty inaccessible place.
I could just about get a small mole wrench onto it, but the back of the bulbholder got in the way and I didn't want to break that. Not enough grip to make any progress.

And it was all inaccessible from the front too, the numberplate backing plate and bulbholder both getting in the way.

Eventually I removed the backing plate (luckily possible with lights still in place) and with the help of my glamorous assistant (SWMBO) managed to get a small Stanley hacksaw blade onto the bolt beneath the head and cut it off. Took ages and didn't do the paintwork any good either (luckily only the area normally hidden by the backing plate.

It was all very contorted with her holding the boot lid half open with one hand and the other with a spanner on the bolt head while I guided the Stanley hacksaw blade very carefully. Repaired the paint scratches with touch-up paint.

So now one of the numberplate lights is only held by a single bolt, though it is fairly secure. The other end has the stub of a cut off bolt jammed into the threaded sleeve.

Has anyone else had this problem? I'm wondering whether to just leave it alone or to drill out the offending stub/sleeve and insert some other fixing, if so what type would do the job?

Drill it out and replace.

I hate the number plate bolts.
POssibly the worst design ever.

On par with the drain holes, rear wipers and roof shape that drips water on your arm via the open window.

Had the same problem when i first got the car. Bolt spinning pointlessly. Ended up drilling it out, breaking the lens in the process :(
Replaced the offending nut with a new trap nut and fitted 4 stainless screws in place so hopefully no re occurrence
A lot of effort for my first Audi repair, now i know why they cost so much to fix!

Details please, what exactly and from where?

Finally managed to remove the old, spinning fixing with a dremel. Took ages and destroyed two bits in the process.:(

Used a nice cavity fixing that I had already with an expanding rubber plug that was exactly the right diameter. So all good now. +++

Fixing was the same type as shown below, except mine happened to be longer; still worked fine. +++
See original suggestion here: http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/showpost....1&postcount=11

http://www.memfast.co.uk/CLI/MEM001/...er%20Nuts2.jpg
(Generally known as rubber nuts or well nuts)

Oops, missed that post.....sorry!

Used a m5 trap nut and trap nut tool to fit. Thankfully had them in work and borrowed the tool overnight.
Most bodyshops will have the same tool.

I'm not sure what you mean by a trap nut though, is it this sort of thing, which I would call a cage nut? Needs a square hole though...
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...afigmutter.jpg

Rivnut / nutsert?

https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1f77CH...t-fastener.jpg

Thought that some preventive maintenance would be worthwhile after reading this thread so today went and removed mine. For some reason the bolts holding the right hand light fitting were corroded and took some careful force to remove but, thankfully, they did unscrew. Phew! Quite why both the right hand side were affected and not the left hand one I am not sure though, like HP (I think?), I have had issue with water ingress on the right hand side of the boot lid.

Anyway cleaned the lenses/ fittings up ready to get some LEDs, applied some copperease to the bolts and threaded inserts and put all back together.

Good heads-up +++

The very one!