Holes in Front Bumper? Question about License Plate Holder

tmoczygemba

@Dad - Where did you get those plugs?

vipor

On my Nismo you can see 2 small roughly 1/8" indentions in the front of the bumper. My genious intuition tells me that is where the plate adapter goes, lol.

There has been some talk about people using the front tow hook adapter to hold a license plate instead of butchering your bumper.

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theDreamer

I have done that, and removed it. It is not center like the 350z so it just looks...wrong.

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VCuomo

Eh, I have it on mine - you get used to it (and it's better than drilling the holes in the bumper). Here's a photo that shows the whole front of the car with the plate holder installed:

Blown32

Mine was not drilled from the dealer.Plate was in plastic in back storage area.So I never installed nor do I intend to.
Have not had a problem here in NJ so far even though it is required.
Guys in corvettes have been driving around for years without a front tag and it takes a real dickhead of a cop to pull you over.
Not that we don't have some dickheads but for the most part they are real cool when it comes to petty things like that.Worst case scenario is a warning and at that point let your conscence be your guide!

kenchan

that plate in front of the radiator is a restriction... not to forget there is an air duct above there for your intake.

i'd keep it at the factory mount location and let it be.

xweaponx

where do I get the plugs to fill the wholes if I take the license plate bracket off?

cerruto

bumper plugs dot com

xweaponx

is it legit? haha
seems like a lot for two little plugs.

I cant believe I said "wholes"
I meant holes.

cerruto

I dont want to repaint/fill the bumper since the clear bra on it is in good shape. I figure this is the next best thing. I just ordered them (2 pair for four awesome holes!) they came in three days. The paint match looks perfect. People seem to have nothing but good things to say about them. I'll post up some pick when I put them in correctly.

xweaponx

How do you have four holes? Doesnt the front license plate only use two?

Guard Dad

The plate mounts to a bracket and the bracket mounts to the flat black portion of the grill. These grill holes can be filled with plugs and it will look ok. The problem is that the upper screws on the plate itself are long enough (in many cases) that they end up scraping the paint on the nose of the car-NOT GOOD. You need to communicate with them, in writing, that you will not accept delivery of the car if the bracket is or has been installed. Make it clear that no holes will be tolerated. If they insist that they must install a holder then inform them that you will bring a holder (Stillen or similar) you or they can install at the time of delivery.

Accept no compromise.

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xweaponx

What other option do I have besides just putting a plug in it? And do they sell plugs at common stores? I tried autozone and they didn't have any.

Augustus

Yes and Yes. Not through the painted part of the bumper, but the black-plastic trim. My dealer didn't install the front plate. Did it myself the next day. Yes, yes, it looks cleaner without, but in Illinois it's required and I'd rather not spend $120 each time a cop is having a bad day. For me, the plate's going on and never coming off, so I'll never remove the front bracket and therefore never see the holes. See no evil, right?

The mounting hardware & bracket should come with the car. Mine was in the trunk (with the front wheel spoilers...) The instructions for mounting it are in the owner's manual, towards the back. It's easy to do, but two caveats...

1. It uses these self-anchoring taps. It is very important to drill the right size holes. The manual, I think, recommends a 10mm bit. Double-check this. Two holes in bumper-->Anchors in holes-->screws through mounting bracket into anchors. Tinker with these anchors BEFORE you stick them in your bumper, as it's hard to impossible to remove then once you put them in. There's a trick to getting the anchor to swing out to lock into the back side of the bumper. One of mine worked as it should, the other one kind of didn't and took a few minutes of swearing at it to get it to lock properly.

2. As someone else mentioned - be VERY CAREFUL as to the length of the screws you use to secure your license plate to the bracket. These screws are *not* included in the mounting hardware, so be especially careful if you go out and buy new ones as I had to. The manual specifically mentions that they must not exceed a certain length. If they are longer than about a half-inch, they will go right into the painted bumper. I had to use a Dremel to cut-down the screws I bought, as they were too long.

Good luck.

PapoZalsa

I know this is old, but this is what the dealer did to my bumper. Nissan replaced my front bumper after months of discussions.

However that is what Nissan told the stealership in writing back in 09 when they prep the car for delivery in those states that requieres front license plate.

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