Switching the trunk plate holders for a Civic EG doesn’t seem to be very difficult. Here’s how and a little more.
The paint on my car is temporary, but the silver color plate holder on Feriko annoys me – the rest of the car is white, so this silver sticks out too much! Additional too is that my old plate number is still on it, as the shop I took it to couldn’t remove the plate holder and opted to drill in the mounting holes for the more recent plate number to fit. These only cost under RM200, so its time I buy a second one and try my luck.
Changing the plate holder
The first on my agenda and on this entry was to figure out how to remove the plate holder.
The bolts were a 8mm size that rotated around a screw connected with the plate holder. This can be accessed via the underside of the trunk when opened.
All it takes is to unscrew all four bolts for the plate holder to be able to be pushed out. Depending on prior workings by other parties, the bulb wiring may be hooked in by rear clamps or not. Do note that these are brittle and can snap. It would be recommended to disconnect the bulbs to do any further work.
directly onto the screw like this
If the wiring needs to be replaced, the loom runs through the same underside of the trunk, though the connector were both wrapped into a loom and impossible to reach. Should you also purchase another plate holder, it would be best to reuse the existing wiring.
Supposedly, the coupe or USDM trunks may have differing mounting holes, so drilling may be required to cross-fit either parts.
In other words, swapping this part is a direct swap that is accessed only by four bolts. I broke off one of the wiring tabs and had to glue it back, but otherwise was a very fuss-free and DIY-able thing to do.
Plate lights and bulbs
Upon testing, I found that both bulbs for the plate light were non-functioning. Both are to light up with the rears when parking or low beam lights are turned on.
I am no wiring expert – I know nothing about electricals – but I would assume that water contacting the bulbs would have burned both bulbs out.
The bulbs might be removable when the plate holder is removed, but I only replaced them when the holder was reinstalled. The lights, whose lens actually differ between Japanese and export markets, may be removed via screwdriver.
The Japanese market plate holders, like the headlights and taillights, will have Stanley stamping on the bracket of the light, with certifications stamped on the lens.
The bulbs in question are T10 – Tubular and 10 eighths of an inch. E-commerce have these T10 bulbs and I bought them from here. What I picked were really cheap and no-brand bulbs, but was recommended OSRAM by a friend. The no-brands are about RM0.8 cheaper per unit than the OSRAM, but I’m only saving cents.
Replacing is actually quite straightforward as the plate light unit just needs to be screwed out with a consumer screwdriver and remove the unit to access the bulb. From there, its a matter of removing the bulb and replacing it with the new one – though direction of fitting the bulb might matter. The old bulbs were equally burnt.
Given the age of these cars and the fact that at least locally in Malaysia, most people are still living in landed properties, parts from sellers may have severe corrosion. I mention this as the light assembly from the new part had a screw that was completely rusted. This also gives me an opportunity to show you what a non-Stanley plate light assembly looks like, which doesn’t have the stamping.
End
Indeed, the mechanical work required for this car is… less than others. Unfortunately, the plate holder that I bought was unsurprisingly not the same white that is on the car. Nevermind as a temporary color change, as the car will eventually be resprayed to repair the body. Happy to learn a thing or two while I can.
~Efini
Gallery:
Read more: Feriko: New radio player! Albeit it is cheap…
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