What was the person who detached my license plate lights trying to do?

September 9, 2021 7:35 PM

My car is parked in the lot behind the house and since I didn't need to drive for ~2 years I never saw it - I always used the front door. A few months ago I needed the car to get a vaccine and discovered that this license plate light has been detached and is hanging down.

Looking under the rear bumper I can see that both of them have been detached, but the other one is still tucked under the bumper.

My car has been broken into/gas siphoned/scratched multiple times and my former motorcycle has had a license plate and a cover stolen, both in this lot and when parked on the street.

This damage isn't a surprise and nothing was stolen but I have no idea why someone would do this. Based on the position of my parking space and the fact that all the screws are gone, I'm positive it wasn't a hit and run.

posted by bendy to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

Best answer: they thought they could / were able to pop the trunk through the hole?
posted by zippy at 7:42 PM on September 9, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Yeah, I was thinking that also: maybe they want to try to snake a coat hangar or some such to pull the release. And if they got that open, they can try to use that to go for more.
posted by kschang at 7:59 PM on September 9, 2021

Response by poster: I think your ideas are good. I've been digging through service manuals but haven't found the exact correlation.
posted by bendy at 8:44 PM on September 9, 2021

If the car has really been sitting for two years a critter may have used it has a home.
posted by tman99 at 5:38 AM on September 10, 2021 [4 favorites]

Best answer: I've been digging through service manuals but haven't found the exact correlation.

Given your car and its contents are where you left them, any connection between that access point and the trunk release may be slight or non existent.
posted by zamboni at 5:42 AM on September 10, 2021

Are you sure they didn't just fall out by themselves? It's not uncommon. Manufacturers use cheap plastic clips for these kinds of parts and they fail with wear/age. Happened with my car's backup camera and I had to epoxy it back into place.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 7:31 AM on September 10, 2021

Trying to get your backup camera.
posted by infinitewindow at 2:33 PM on September 10, 2021

Response by poster: Trying to get your backup camera.

There's no backup camera

It's not uncommon. Manufacturers use cheap plastic clips for these kinds of parts and they fail with wear/age.

If the car has really been sitting for two years a critter may have used it has a home.

There're two screw holes for each light and I've perused way too many pages of service manuals in the last couple days and I'm going to mark this resolved.

Thank you all.
posted by bendy at 11:36 PM on September 10, 2021