Just thought I'd throw this out there ...

I finally got around to installing my rear license plate and discovered that the bottom edge of the plate/frame will eventually scratch or cut through the paint on the trunk lid over time. I had some of this around so I attached two strips side by side to the entire bottom edge of the rear plate and it appears to work well. I'll see how it holds up over time.

 

My plate was originally mounted poorly and had the same issue. I got the dealership to put some felt underneath the bottom edges when I heard the plate rattling against the trunk whenever I closed it. There are a couple of chips there from the first couple of weeks of ownership, but hopefully it helps.

 

I read this thread and went to look at my GS...Yup, I have a little scratching around the plate. Gonna have to rig something similar to prevent rubbing and further damage.

 

Just be sure to stick the weatherstrip to the paint and not the plate. So the plate can vibrate freely over the strips.

 

I stuck mine on the plate. Didn't want any adhesive on the paint either.

 

After a week of driving, dirt will get in between the strips and your paint. With small amount of dirt trapped between the strips and your paint you've essentially created a strip of sandpaper. Vibrations from trunk closure or driving over rough surfaces might create noticeable damage over the long run.

So just be careful. Adhesive stuck on pain can easily be remove with a little soap and water

 

Hmm. Good point. I'm going to wait till the weather is warmer and take off my plate to see what I can do.

 

Thanks for bringing this up. Just checked mine and you can see very small marks (car is two months old). I used a small amount of gorilla tape (like duct tape but stronger, can be used outdoors) on the top where the screws go in and a bit of weatherstripping as you did on the bottom to act as a shock absorber.

My wife's RX has metal plates at the contact points up top. I think one of those details they overlooked on our cars. I'm a little disappointed to be putting weatherstripping on a $60K car!

 

Oh! Good point! I'll redo mine.

 

Yeah dealership installed felt to the back of mine, got to get it done needed to replace my frame.

 

So you guys know you can just bend the plate right? I ended up doing that right when I put the plate on the car as before the bend, the contact looked like it was going to be an issue. That being said I don't run a frame so I only have the plate to worry about.

 

Just thought I'd update this. I have a frame so bending the plate wasn't an option for me. Also the product I first tried in my original post didn't stick very well to the paint. I switched over to 11" of this single side adhesive foam tape and it seems to work perfectly.