1st Gen R52 Cooper Convertible Most liked posts in thread: Removing stuck Rear Tag screws.

  1. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    #4 Savvy, May 31, 2015
    Get a piece of 1"x lumber behind those 4 mounting screws and drill them out. Carefully. Then just get yourself a new plate holder. It's really all you can do.
     
  2. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    #7 Savvy, May 31, 2015
    You are talking about the two screws for the actual holder?! (#20 in the pic)

    [​IMG]

    You're saying that the #19 nutserts are spinning in the actual hatch? If so, good luck. I've never seen those strip loose.
     
  3. Crashton

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    #10 Crashton, Jun 1, 2015
    Remember this, stainless steel hardware is your friend. Especially in the corrosion filled environment of the rear plate. :yesnod:
     
  4. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    #11 Savvy, Jun 1, 2015
    ^^ and even with SS... some good old anti-seize never hurts either.
     
  5. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    #2 Savvy, May 30, 2015
    You're talking about the screws that hold the plate to the holder......... or the screws that attach the holder to the actual hatch?

    Are you struggling with 4 screws or 2?
     
  6. wmwny

    wmwny Well-Known Member

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    #3 wmwny, May 31, 2015
    Last edited: May 31, 2015
    I have the same problem on my R53 hatchback, in the back. The screw heads holding the plate to the holder are stripped and penetrating oil doesn't work. Do I just break off the tag holder and use a locking wrench to try to twist the screws loose, or do I consider cutting off the screws with a hacksaw and probably really having an even worse problem on my hands? I will entertain any reasonable suggestions.
     
  7. minintrigue

    minintrigue Active Member

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    #5 minintrigue, May 31, 2015
    This happened to me too. I ended bending the plate up and removing the whole bracket from the car. I was able to get them off but I destroyed some pieces in the process. Bought new inserts for the car that the screws go into, and new screws and bracket from the dealer.
     
  8. patchelect

    patchelect New Member

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    #6 patchelect, May 31, 2015
    I tried to take the cover off from inside but couldn't see any access to behind the screws anyway. Looks like drilling is the only way.
     
  9. patchelect

    patchelect New Member

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    #8 patchelect, Jun 1, 2015
    The car is a convertible, but the screw inserts that are spinning are the ones that hold the plate screws, not the frame screws. It's all the same in the long run since on the vert we have a double set of those inserts. Drilling them out seems like the only solution. My stupidity was not replacing them originally with S/S hardware.
     
  10. Savvy

    Savvy Well-Known Member
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    #9 Savvy, Jun 1, 2015
    Ok. So, yeah... drill those plate screws out. It's really all you can do, unless you feel like cutting your plate. Or you have some magic kind of snip that you can get in between the plate and the hatch to snip the holder itself.