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Bumper "Plugs"?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by qdllc, Aug 15, 2016.

  1. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

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    When I was washing the Prius yesterday, I noticed the front licence plate bracket coming away from the bumper. In short, there was a minor "ding" a year or so ago, and the bumper was removed and repainted by Toyota. Whether the mechanic did it or it was a result of the "ding" one of the self-tapping screws used to put the bracket onto the bumper had stripped out and was barely holding it on the car.

    Ultimately, I solved the problem by finding a matching set of self-tapping screws that were a larger diameter to created bigger non-stripped holes in the bumper. Still, if this happened again, I'd not want to keep going larger.

    Is there a "plug" that can be inserted into a pre-drilled hole to create a refurbished anchor point for the bracket if it happens again. Ideally, if I moved some place that doesn't require a front license plate, they could be color matched to blend into the bumper to there aren't two holes in it.
     
    #1 qdllc, Aug 15, 2016
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    You got me surfing; there's lots of DIY ideas, painting a plain fastener, and a prepainted, somewhat pricey option:

    BumperPlugs for Toyota
     
    #2 Mendel Leisk, Aug 15, 2016
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The what if question, man that is a time consuming topic
     
    #3 JC91006, Aug 15, 2016
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah, the essence of cargo cult: preparing for something, that's never coming.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Aug 15, 2016
  5. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Just use a standard screw plug, the ones you insert into drywall etc. They expand enough to hold a license plate.
     
    #5 David Beale, Aug 15, 2016
  6. Jimi1976

    Jimi1976 Active Member

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    License plate bolt kits at every car parts store....some with backing bolts some without. Sounds like you need backing bolts.
     
    #6 Jimi1976, Aug 15, 2016
  7. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    I used bumperplugs.com to get some bumper attachments for a silver Porsche. (silver is hard to match.) Wonderful people to deal with, perfect match, still perfect after 6 years.
     
    #7 mikefocke, Aug 15, 2016
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  8. NutzAboutBolts

    NutzAboutBolts Senior Member

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    I sometimes ponder at the meaning of life...
     
    #8 NutzAboutBolts, Aug 15, 2016
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