VW Tiguan Front License Plate Holder Removal
Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2015 2:53 pm
First start by removing the license plate from the license plate holder. Some license plates are pop-riveted to the License Plate Holder and the rivets need to be drilled out. Mine was screwed on. Also please note that my Tig has the “Off-Road” front.
My Tig:
Difference between Off-Road front and normal front:
After you have removed the license plate you will see 5 spreader rivets.
To remove the spreader rivets you need a punch or screwdriver with a shaft not thicker than 4.5mm (Pins in the spreader rivets is 4.9mm). Place the punch on the centre pin of the rivet and knock it out backwards out of the spreader rivet. The pins will fall out to the back and you might lose them. New spreader rivets with their pins is available at a VW parts dealer (Part Number N0385494) and is not expensive. You can also find these rivets at normal car spares shops as they not exclusively used on the Tiguan but many other models.
After removing the spreader rivets the license plate holder should come off the bumper. On my Track & Field model Tiguan the Part Number for the holder is 5N0807287E. I do not know what the part number is for the normal Tiguan license plate holder. There is definitely a difference between the two holders.
To install the holder align the 5 holes in the holder with the 5 holes in the bumper and then push the spreader rivets through the holder and bumper without the centre pins installed in them. Now push the centre pins in the spreader rivets until the pin is flush with the front of the spreader rivets.
If you going to rivet the license plate to the holder make sure you use the right size rivets that won’t push into the bumper. The dealership that mounted mine used screws that was slightly too long and made holes in the bumper (See pic below).
My Tig:
Difference between Off-Road front and normal front:
After you have removed the license plate you will see 5 spreader rivets.
To remove the spreader rivets you need a punch or screwdriver with a shaft not thicker than 4.5mm (Pins in the spreader rivets is 4.9mm). Place the punch on the centre pin of the rivet and knock it out backwards out of the spreader rivet. The pins will fall out to the back and you might lose them. New spreader rivets with their pins is available at a VW parts dealer (Part Number N0385494) and is not expensive. You can also find these rivets at normal car spares shops as they not exclusively used on the Tiguan but many other models.
After removing the spreader rivets the license plate holder should come off the bumper. On my Track & Field model Tiguan the Part Number for the holder is 5N0807287E. I do not know what the part number is for the normal Tiguan license plate holder. There is definitely a difference between the two holders.
To install the holder align the 5 holes in the holder with the 5 holes in the bumper and then push the spreader rivets through the holder and bumper without the centre pins installed in them. Now push the centre pins in the spreader rivets until the pin is flush with the front of the spreader rivets.
If you going to rivet the license plate to the holder make sure you use the right size rivets that won’t push into the bumper. The dealership that mounted mine used screws that was slightly too long and made holes in the bumper (See pic below).