Mazda3 Rear number plate light assembly

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Sun 12 Mar 2006 12:56
Mazda3 Rear number plate light assembly - Engineer Andy
I recently bought a new Mazda3 1.6 TS2 4dr, and bar this one 'fault', am very pleased with the car.

The rear number plate light assembly (mounting plate [?] for the lights [which work OK]) is missing - there is a large hole between the lights in the middle, with several smaller ones dotted around. This indicated to me that they were holes for mounting 'something'.

I contacted my local dealer, who passed the query on to the Mazda technical people (not in Japan). Both indicated this was normal, and that Mazda did not pay much attention to the finish of that area in general. This seemed strange to me, considering their reputation for quality.

Mazda UK has only put the ball back in the dealer's court (not the seller - which was a car supermarket). I have contacted HJ, who reassured me that any problems associated with this (corrosion due to water ingress [also the wiring is visible]) would have shown up by now.

Please would any Mazda3 owners let me know if you have the same 'problem', and any ideas on what to do next.

Best Regards,

Andy.
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Sun 12 Mar 2006 13:02
Mazda3 Rear number plate light assembly - Aprilia
Go into parts dept and have a look at parts diagram for that area? Have a look at another Mazda 3 at the dealers? I don't know the car, but normally would expect it to be 'weather-tight' - maybe there are grommets/bungs that fit in there?
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Sun 12 Mar 2006 13:55
Mazda3 Rear number plate light assembly - Engineer Andy
Aprilia,

When I phoned the dealership, they checked another model in the showroom and it was the same. When I'm next in the area I'll drop in and check with the parts people.

From the shape/configuration of the holes, it looks as though they are for clips to mount the cover plate. Water has got in there (spray from the road) - I just hope it doesn't sit there at the bottom (difficult to see given the location), particularly as there is so much salt/grit on the roads at the moment, which could corrode the metal parts.
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