When I purchased my 2003 911, it had an authentic Porsche Crest front plate. The nice one. I ordered color matched Bumper Plugs, in search of a cleaner look. When I removed my plate today to put the plugs in, I did not find the two factory little square holes in the bumper for the plugs to fit right into, I found what is in the picture. It's apparently a metal/copper/brass/something assembly that allowed the factory plate to screw in. There's no way the bumper plugs will fit and if you try and fail, you ruin the plugs. Car has no accidents, paintwork, clean ppi and autocheck. I'm totally at a loss for what to do next or what I'm looking at. Help?!

I would try to twist that white plastic piece out first before inserting the plugs.

beegee is on the right track. It appears to be an expanding nut to facilitate the front license plate bracket application. Pop the suckers out, and you should find the factory square holes.

I took this picture with my iphone...It's not a white plastic piece, it looks almost like something in similar concept to the metal that surrounds a shoelace hole on a boot. It's actually metal, not plastic...

It might a rivet nut...

It looks a little like that. Is it possible to remove one?

I had the same problem. Can not find out how to remove them either.

Not without mangling the paint around it.

I'm thinking the only remedy (and I use the term lightly...becuase it's not really how I want to move forward) is to use touch-up-paint on the metal part and see if I can get the bumperplugs to somehow fit it. They'll stick out the thickness of the metal portion, but at least it won't be a copper color on a black front bumper. Any other suggestions?

Any idea what it looks like on the inside of the bumper?

Possibly remove bumper and cut it off from the inside?

you have to take the bumper off and have the hole filled then repaint the bumper

Agreed! Fill the holes and paint. Drilled bumpers drive me crazy.

Anyone have any success with this yet? I have the same problem and can't get them out....

Take the bumper off and cut/grind those suckers off from the back. They should just drop out after that and you can use your plugs to fill the holes.

get up w/ a guy called Eric at bumperplugs... He'll probably know what to do..