Originally Posted by waybomb

If you haven't changed your plates lately, you'll probably have some fun.

The lady i bought my ML from couldn't get the screws loose. Neither could I; they were siezed. So I rilled the heads off so she could get her plate back.

So I take the lower interior door panel off to check it out. What a damn stupid way of doing things. Jeesh - if this is what newer Benzes are made of, I'll havce to snatch up a bunch of 126s.

This is how it works - the door is notched out with a hexagonal hole. The holder is some type of alloy, also shaped hexagonally. The piece is insterted in the hole, then a screw is screwed in the license palte side, drawing the back piece up and spreading it at the hole, similar to a pop rivet.

So, to remove the piece, you have to get in there with a Dremel tool and grind it out. Of course, as you grind the piece, you also grind on the door a bit. So then, sfter you are done, the metal has to be protected with paint. Stoopid, simply stoopid. What the heck were they thinking?