[Tanqueray]

Does anyone (Roger...) know the parts number for rear license plate holder? It's the black plate that screws directly on to the latch lid by two screws and have four holes for screwing on the license plate.

Thanks!

 

[rnlabas]

Here you go - 8U0 827 113 B 9B9 MSRP USD130


PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL screwing in the license plate screws and BE SURE you have the correct length. These brackets are notorious for the little metal nuts to EASILY rotate out of position to render this plate useless as you are prolly aware. They do NOT need to be torqued in like a wheel nut ...

 

[Tanqueray]

These brackets are notorious for the little metal nuts to EASILY rotate out of position to render this plate useless as you are prolly aware. They do NOT need to be torqued in like a wheel nut ...

This is exactly why I'm purchasing a new plate

 

[rnlabas]

PLEASE be aware that this plate is ALSO stuck on to the body work with STRONG double stick tape ... in fact when you remove the star fasteners (bolts), you might wonder why they're even there -

 

[cableguy]

I also discovered this when installing new plate and Audi plate holder, which is why I only have 3 screws holing it on. Pretty lame.

 

[john]

Same issue here! and my Dealer refuses to swap it out (unless I pay $160) and I don't have the mechanical know how to somehow cut the bolts and put new ones on. And even though I knew about it on my wife's Q3, I still messed it up on my Q3!

Quite upset about it but don't know of a good way to fix it. My wife's plate rattles, I just keep hoping it doesn't fall off.

Anybody want to take pity on me and fix it for me??:crying:

 

[Tanqueray]

So here is what I'm doing...

I'm going to purchase a new plate mount and remove the four metal threads that are there and replace them with these from Autozone...

Yes!! Why are there screws when the double-sided tape they used is strong enough to tow my car with?

 

[rnlabas]

So here is what I'm doing...

I'm going to purchase a new plate mount and remove the four metal threads that are there and replace them with these from Autozone...

Yes!! Why are there screws when the double-sided tape they used is strong enough to tow my car with?

As for the Autozone fasteners, that may be cool - just be sure they're NOT too long or they will hit the body panel behind the plate holder before getting snug. btw, THIS is the most common reason why these get FUBAR'd - too long screws hit the body before snugging up the plate, and then extra tightening commences in order to fix that, then the nut does tighten against the screw whilst the plate is still loose, then more tightening results in the nut rotating out of the plastic never to be useful again. Now you have a screw that is tight to the nut, loose to the back plate, a scratched body panel (fortunately hidden to all but rust) AND STILL a loose plate - sheesh.

Luckily the 2017s have a new backing plate design that improves on this but is still not immune to the wrong hardware. The REAL problem is that the sales folks who usually hand over the screws (if they don't put them on and screw this up for you in the first place) - also usually don't pay much attention (cuz they just grab them from a big bin) to giving you the right length for YOUR car as there are about 3 different sizes across the brand...

 

[PTI-Andy]

As for the Autozone fasteners, that may be cool - just be sure they're NOT too long or they will hit the body panel behind the plate holder before getting snug. btw, THIS is the most common reason why these get FUBAR'd - too long screws hit the body before snugging up the plate, and then extra tightening commences in order to fix that, then the nut does tighten against the screw whilst the plate is still loose, then more tightening results in the nut rotating out of the plastic never to be useful again. Now you have a screw that is tight to the nut, loose to the back plate, a scratched body panel (fortunately hidden to all but rust) AND STILL a loose plate - sheesh.

Luckily the 2017s have a new backing plate design that improves on this but is still not immune to the wrong hardware. The REAL problem is that the sales folks who usually hand over the screws (if they don't put them on and screw this up for you in the first place) - also usually don't pay much attention (cuz they just grab them from a big bin) to giving you the right length for YOUR car as there are about 3 different sizes across the brand...

This is exactly what happened to me. The dealer used zinc screws that were too long and used a power screwdriver/drill to put them on with - wrong metal, size, and tool. It stripped out the plastic so you couldn't remove the screws. After arguing with them they decided to replace the plate holder which took a couple of weeks to get and then a few hours of waiting to install it. Replacing it was no trivial task as they had to use solvents to get the sticky goo off the paint.

I asked them to give me the screws and I'd install the plates myself but they didn't have any screws that fit. The explanation was that Audi doesn't provide the screws or the specs for the right screws so they honestly didn't know what to use or where to get them. I ended up finding some stainless ones at a hardware store and then cut and filed them down to size. How in the world do they repair cars if they can't put a license plate on?! They also couldn't connect the battery and broke the batter cover. BTW, this was a dealer under new ownership. I now have no idea where I'm going to get service.

-Andy

 

[rnlabas]

... The explanation was that Audi doesn't provide the screws or the specs for the right screws so they honestly didn't know what to use or where to get them. ...BTW, this was a dealer under new ownership. I now have no idea where I'm going to get service.

-Andy

Sorry Andy - this is absolute rubbish. The cars DO come with them (btw, they are zinc plated too) although it is common practice to just toss them all into a big bin in service/parts and then take from the bin which/whatever they need without seeking proper lengths. These are easy to supply and we stock three lengths typically marked by model. My Tech's 8 year old daughter does the sorting and bin arrangements for these on Saturday mornings - so it shouldn't be beyond them. Tell them to call me (864-517-4728) and I'll be happy to straighten them out...

Even having the correct length DOES NOT fix the over-zealous screw driver though and there IS a design flaw in the bracket plastic and lock nut in the first place - but THAT is an Audi problem. That CAN be however made good by reasonable and prudent care in screwing (couldn't help myself) >

 

[PTI-Andy]

Sorry Andy - this is absolute rubbish. The cars DO come with them (btw, they are zinc plated too) although it is common practice to just toss them all into a big bin in service/parts and then take from the bin which/whatever they need without seeking proper lengths. These are easy to supply and we stock three lengths typically marked by model. My Tech's 8 year old daughter does the sorting and bin arrangements for these on Saturday mornings - so it shouldn't be beyond them. Tell them to call me (864-517-4728) and I'll be happy to straighten them out...

Even having the correct length DOES NOT fix the over-zealous screw driver though and there IS a design flaw in the bracket plastic and lock nut in the first place - but THAT is an Audi problem. That CAN be however made good by reasonable and prudent care in screwing (couldn't help myself) >

Yeah, I didn't think that sounded right. The screws they had were obviously too long and they said they got them at the hardware store. They probably just can't keep track of their stuff. I am surprised that Audi would supply zinc plated though as those will eventually rust. Stainless is much better in my opinion.

If your installing a plate frame it may effect the proper length screw that is needed. There is a fine line between not long enough to reach the nut and too long to bottom out on the nut retention clip (likely just a few mm tolerance). This along with it being held by plastic is the main design flaw that is making this such a critical thing.

Thanks again Roger for clarifying this issue. I thought I just had bad luck with this dealer.

-Andy

 

[Tanqueray]

Such a small problem yet such a huge problem...

 

[rnlabas]

While I would love to have SS screws here - or better, plastic ones as they work well and are lighter - the truth is that zinc plated last fine, especially if you cover them with a plastic cap ...

 

[maxislim]

So here is what I'm doing...

I'm going to purchase a new plate mount and remove the four metal threads that are there and replace them with these from Autozone...

Yes!! Why are there screws when the double-sided tape they used is strong enough to tow my car with?

Why are there screws when the double-sided tape they used is strong enough to tow my car with?

 

[JMW1955]

We just picked up a 2020 Q3 yesterday afternoon. Same nightmare on the bolts. Too long if you’re just mounting your plate by itself. The bolts are 6MM X 1.0 pitch. They look to be around 12MM long. That said if you use the Audi frame to go around the plate it will fit. I looked at the bracket trying to take it off and yes somebody must have gotten a deal on double stick tape for shuttle tiles. No reason for that at all. Looking at the metal bolt hole inserts, they almost look like the put them in backwards. If you could flip the 4 of them around the threads would be closer to the back of the plate making it easier to start the bolts. Just my 2¢ worth. Now to the front bracket. We live in IA and front plates are required. We tried and tried to mount the bracket to the front. No go, my guess is the bracket is for another year. There are 2 standoffs on the backside. One looks like a + sign the other a - sign. They sit across from each other at 9 & 3 o’clock. All I can figure is it’s the wrong year or we need to buzz the 2 standoffs off. Seems like when you spend 39K it should be right though. While these are small deals they should be right. I will call in the AM with the VIN and get to the bottom of it. More to come.