Licence plate holder replacement

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Feb 20, 2018 | 01:57 AM

Big-Red-Lariat

Thread Starter

Laughing Gas

Joined: Feb 2004

Posts: 1,200

Likes: 4

From: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Licence plate holder replacement

Any body guys out there? Need to replace my front licence plate holder and surrounding plastic trim (see #17 in pic). Licence plate holder got pushed straight backwards in an accident and bent 2 metal tabs (see blue arrow) on the bumper in behind it.

The new holder and #17 trim both look like they just snap in, so do I need to care about straightening out the 2 metal tabs on the bumper or just leave them bent as they are covered up by the plate?

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Feb 20, 2018 | 07:18 PM

scott91370

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Dec 2008

Posts: 1,911

Likes: 134

From: Burleson, Tx

I can tell you that the tabs will not be noticeable once part #17 is in.
I do think that the tabs on #17 do snap into the tabs though. But I would bet that bending them back would be good enough.

Feb 22, 2018 | 05:04 PM

Thorium

Mountain Pass

Joined: Oct 2016

Posts: 149

Likes: 0

The license plate frame just snaps into the front trim, make sure you get the correct front, you can get the closed or open, the plate frames are not interchangeable from the open type closed front type. The whole front just snaps in and if you slightly crimp the metal clips, save from destroying the front insert, if its not destroyed now. Easy job.

p.s the open front is needed if your truck is boosted, if you have the 5.0, you can have the closed front, thats my understanding.

Feb 23, 2018 | 08:15 AM

TJReams

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Sep 2016

Posts: 1,801

Likes: 48

From: Abilene TX.

Starting 2015 all engines use the same license plate holder.

Feb 26, 2018 | 11:52 AM

jeffwoodall

Senior User

Joined: Feb 2017

Posts: 113

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From: East Tennessee

I'm getting ready to order part #17 myself. I have a 2016 and scraped a stupid pole base pulling into a parking spot at a business. Kept easing up a little at a time, barely crawling thinking I would hit the curb any second and BAM, right into the base of the pole. My OCD won't allow me to live with the few minor scratches on the black plastic. What a place to put that pole. I looked at the concrete base and it had been hit probably 200 times. If it had scratched my actual bumper, I would probably have had to post bond by now.

Feb 28, 2018 | 10:43 AM

Big-Red-Lariat

Thread Starter

Laughing Gas

Joined: Feb 2004

Posts: 1,200

Likes: 4

From: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

OK, so I pulled out the bent metal tabs with vice grips and I thought they were bent back outwards and forward enough, but when I pushed the new $50 plastic trim into the bumper holes, one of the plastic inserts broke. Was too tight I guess. Now the new unit does not sit exactly flush with the bumper at one end only. Not sure how I could have measured it any better, because if it was too far forward, the trim would have fit too loosely.
Trial and error job, 95% successful. I wonder if I heat it up with a heat gun, would it take the form of the bumper in the area of the broken insert, or would this just make a bigger mess?

Feb 28, 2018 | 01:49 PM

jeffwoodall

Senior User

Joined: Feb 2017

Posts: 113

Likes: 0

From: East Tennessee

I would call the place you ordered it from and see if they will take a exchange. Perhaps that one tab was weak from shipping it or something, never know. They will probably exchange it if you want to go through the hassle of shipping it back.