Results 1 to 1 of 1

Thread: Front number plate trim won't clip in properly?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    Manitoba, Canada
    Posts
    742
    My Cars
    e36

    Front number plate trim won't clip in properly?

    Hi all,

    Car rolled into a brick wall at a very slow speed, only part No. 2 cracked a bit, bought part No. 3 as replacement at the dealer. Now for the life of me I can't get it to clip into the bumper properly.



    The green circles below are all the clips that clip in and hold, the red ones i can clip in but they pop right back out when it let go of them, and the orange one is just going into the hole in the bumper but doesn't clip in at all, the hole in the bumper for the orange one is bigger than the clip on the trim, so the clip is sitting too high to grip.

    For the green ones I had to really push hard and kind of "fold open" the trim piece vertically in order to get both green clips to go into their hole.
    As if the corresponding area on the bumper is stretched horizontally and the clip holes are too far apart.

    For the red ones I need to do the same, but the "pull" on them is just too much and they pop back out.

    You know how those trim pieces just need a slight pull and then pop out.

    The clip holes in the bumper are flawless, no damage at all.

    There's a metal bar running across under the bumper right? Do you know if that goes into this shape of the trim and could disturb the trims fitment if that would've been bent?
    edit: i just looked at this metal bar from behind with a flexible camera and couldn't find any damage to it. Doesn't look bent.



    Questions:

    1. Anyone experienced this before?

    2. Parts catalogue says two of some kind of "base metal piece" have to be installed when installing Part No. 3 (but not with Part No. 2 which I had before), part no. for that piece is
    51 18 2 263 365 and it looks like this:

    What does this do, and is this related to my problem? I didn't buy it because I read in other threads it's not necessary.

    Last edited by importbanana; 05-10-2021 at 10:18 AM.

Similar Threads

  1. 1.9 grille below front number plate
    By Benc in forum 1996 - 2002 Z3 (E36/7, E36/8)
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 03-28-2007, 02:10 AM
  2. Need P/N for M3 Front License Plate trim
    By fun2drive in forum 1992 - 1999 M3 (E36)
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 11-01-2006, 02:13 PM
  3. how to install front license plate trim?
    By aardvark in forum 1995 - 2001 (E38)
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 09-12-2006, 01:39 PM
  4. Replies: 7
    Last Post: 03-28-2005, 02:32 AM
  5. Front number plate
    By Rahul325 in forum General BMW and Automotive Discussion sponsored by Intercity Lines
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 03-28-2001, 01:02 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •