Is there such a thing as a decent quality license plate bolt?

T

Tdbo

Joined
Aug 18, 2009
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Location
Ohio
Need to get some for the new Pilot, because the dealer only provided two, and four are needed to keep everything from rattling non stop.
What are the best ones to get, and where is the best place to get them?
Is there even such a thing anymore as a quality license plate bolt?
I ask this because I replaced them last fall on the van I just sold, and the stainless steel ones that I purchased looked like they were 10 years old, instead of 10 months old, when I took the plates off the van on Monday.
 
Go to an Ace Hardware with a good fastener selection. Buy marine grade stainless steel bolts. They are 316SS instead of the rather junky 18-8 stainless you get at HD or Lowe's.

They'll run you about $1-$2 each but they will look good and perform as you expect forever.

If there's no local source for 316SS bolts, you can get them from Mcmaster-Carr but you'll a need to purchase a box of them.
 
Never had a problem with the factory bolts on any of my cars. If they do start rusting I’ll be replacing them with decent stainless steel ones.
 
Imp4 said:
Go to an Ace Hardware with a good fastener selection. Buy marine grade stainless steel bolts. They are 316SS instead of the rather junky 18-8 stainless you get at HD or Lowe's.

They'll run you about $1-$2 each but they will look good and perform as you expect forever.

If there's no local source for 316SS bolts, you can get them from Mcmaster-Carr but you'll a need to purchase a box of them.
Click to expand...

Just did this. Picked up a couple of the SS they had in stock.
We'll see if they last any longer than the ones did on the van.
I need to see if I can source the marine grade locally.
If I can't, guess I need to go for a box of them.
 
Plastic is the superior choice, not sure they make one as they don’t rust or stain the vehicle.

My 1995 Civic had them and the bolts removed so easy after 15 years of New England road salt.
 
Last edited:
Not having a rusted license plate holder bolt that catches you in the worst of times....is un-American! It's like a Tesla....jut kidding. I do know that whatever company makes these crummy rusty a day later hard to remove bolts has a monopoly! Every single car manufacturer seems to use the SAME bolts! I betcha even FIAT does!
 
I’ve had plates stolen so now I prefer a screw that is a little tougher to remove than a Philips or flat screwdriver.

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I have bolts from a GE F-110 jet engine holding my license plates on. The only reason I used those is the factory holes where half stripped from ”dealer prep” and I found the fancy bolts in my bolt bin and they fit well. I didn’t safety wire them though.
 
Tdbo said:
Need to get some for the new Pilot, because the dealer only provided two, and four are needed to keep everything from rattling non stop.
What are the best ones to get, and where is the best place to get them?
Is there even such a thing anymore as a quality license plate bolt?
I ask this because I replaced them last fall on the van I just sold, and the stainless steel ones that I purchased looked like they were 10 years old, instead of 10 months old, when I took the plates off the van on Monday.
Click to expand...
Got some at AZ with roughly a 3/16 hex wrench … figure that’s a bit harder to steal than screwdriver profile …
 
THE BEST was back in the '70's (and into the '80's, I suppose) when car makers stamped square holes in bumpers and license plate hardware was a 4 fingered plastic insert which would splay out and hold perfectly when you ran the screw into them.

The bolt could rust but it didn't matter.
 
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