Alright,
Dealer just called me. After about 8 weeks of waiting, my car is in. It's not my first color choice, but it is Flint Mica, which I know is a cool color, although I think it's a bit boring. I'll probably end up going with it because my dealer can't tell me how much longer I'd have to wait to get an IIP or AP manual with side airbags. Anyway, my question is this. It came in this morning and when I called back at like 11, they had already mounted the front plate. I was planning on either mounting it from the grill or not using it at all. But that's kind of out now because there are holes in this. I know it's pretty much standard procedure for them to do this. Should I just leave it? Are there any better looking ways to mount it? Should I really throw a fit over two little holes in the paint? Ideas?

Thanks.

 

I actually have no problems with where they put the license plate normally. Since I need to have one in the front around here, by law, I've stuck with it. If you really don't like where it is though, one option is to buy a plug that you can put in the current holes (I know I read about it somewhere here before so you can probably find it with a search) and mount your license plate on the grill using zip ties (pics of someone doing that is somewhere in this forum too).

 

I've been lookin for that exact thing, but can't find it anywhere.

 

By law, I've lived places that need front plates for the last 8 years, but ever since I knocked it off my old camry I haven't had them and in that time I've been stopped by cops 3 times and nobody has ever commented on it. Unless it was a cop on a real bad day, I doubt they'd care. Plus cops seem to have this aversion to walking in front of cars they've pulled over, so that isn't really an issue. Anyway, I was probably going to use one of those mounts you can make or buy to hold the plate in place, but only be attached to the grill. If someone knows where to get good colored plugs, I'd probably go that route. I remember seeing someone advertising them, but they weren't for Scions - they were for like really expensive sportscars, and somehow I doubt they use the same colors. I'm not painting them myself.

 

It might be too late for you but I bought one of these license plate brackets. I haven't installed it yet but I have high hopes. Thankfully my dealer was cool and didn't drill the bumper for the front plate. He just gave me the screws and told me how to mount the plate if I wanted to do it.

 

Don't tell me that they drill the front bumber and make a whole for that ____... cause if they do ... hell no im not buying it... im planning on putting the license plate on the bottom and tie it onto somewhere with one of those things where when you put it in, it doesn't come back out.. I dont know what its called but anyways i did that for my accord..

Oh and though the law is to have license plates in front from where i live but the city i live in.. most police dont mind... but the problem is when i go to another city or something.. i might a ticket so...

THEY BETTER NOT DO SHIET ON MY CAR!

 

Oh please.. dont make any hole on my car please!!

do they actually make a hole even when someone ordered it?

 

yea.. when i bought my tC about 2 months ago.. the put holes is my bumper right when they got it in.. came home and took them out, and now i have the plates zipped tied to the bottom right of the middle grill. Im looking for some new way to put it cause i think it looks goofy...

definitely bring your car out the the seattle meets sometime! good way to meet other owners around here.

oh and i settled for flint mica..because it came w/ the curtain airbags

 

dont buy that front braket thing..go to the closet lowes stroe and get these shelf angle pieces thier steel little metal angle pieces(its like a right angle piece and thieres different sizes and get bolts and orings and have a little fun with it.) mine fits great and i put it toaward like the passenger side and people look and thinks its neat...


i will get pics of it on sunday...and post...only bad thing is it sticks out a little bit but it gives it like a cool effect plus i have weather strips on the bottom backside of the plate where it would normally rest against the fron bumper bottom part so the foam strips cushion the plate and prevents it from scratching my paint....i also put weather strips on the back plate to prevent scratching..


i thought of this method for a long time and was my first my so called little mod...


haha if you dont get it or see the picture..just think of how you can get your plate through the bottom honeycomb and what kind of parts you need for it?




peace

 

I can't remember where I first ran into these, but theres a site called http://www.bumperplugs.com which makes plugs. They mostly deal with porsche but they state you can custom order for particular colors. Worst case, you maybe able to buy a white plug and use some touch up paint to make it match the car color.

 

I'm with iowagary, take the front plate off and leave it off, just keep it in the trunk just in case you are pulled over and give em a bull____ excuse like you just detailed the car and took it off but forgot to put it back on...

 

cops is WA > me ... ill leave my plates on

 

You better hope you have a clean car to use that one.

The one I always used to use was that I was using the car in a film I was shooting and didn't want to expose the plate numbers.

Either that or depending on the shape of the bumper I said that I hit a curb and it knocked the plate off.

 

This was my cheap and temp. solution to the license plate holes:

 

I went in to see the car last night and I've come around on Flint Mica - it was actually my original choice, but it's too similar to the color car I have now, lots of people have it, and it looks bad dirty. But hey... I'm not waiting forever and I'm not so sure about the II anyway, so I said yes. It definitely has the holes in the front bumper. I'm just hoping they're at least clean. When I get it home I'll probably take it off, at least for the short term. I'm going to get everything really clean and detailed, and after all that, I'm going to get a clear bra put on it, so that will go under where they currently have the plate mounted, so it's got to be off for that.

I emailed the bumper plug people and we'll see what they say. They do have a lot of colors if you take a look. I did see one color listed as Toyota/Scion - I think it was the greenish color that the xB comes in. I emailed them to see what they could do for the tC and I'll post if I hear back.

Honestly, if a cop pulls you over for the front plate (or notices it when you're stopped for something else), he isn't going to buy the excuse that you just took it off for something, even if you have it in the trunk. The upside is that it should be a fixit ticket, which isn't a moving violation, and it might just cost you some money. It's not like you're getting thrown in jail. I drive mostly in Seattle (I hear the cops on the East side are way worse) and I park it in a garage at home and at work, so there isn't a lot of time for them to catch me. I had my California plates (or should I say plate) on the car for almost 2 years when I moved up here and didn't get busted for that, so I think I'll live.

 

Post a pic of that lowe's bracket and what ilooks like on your tC.

 

Im soooo glad they didnt drill holes in my front bumper.

 

i will post pics by sunday, but i dont know how to post them on the webpage so can i email it to someone and they can post it..

just post your email and i will send pics to that person by sunday.


thanks

 

I just heard back from the bumper plugs people. They said that they don't have any color dark enough to really match flint mica. If you've got another color and it isn't on the list, email them - they got back to me really quickly and didn't seem to need any explanation of the colors - just the name.

They did say, however, that they would do custom runs of any color and it would be an exact match, but the price is $99 for three sets. That's $33/set instead of the usual $25/set. It sounds high, but honestly, if there are two other people out there with flint micas that want to go in on it with me, I'd be up for it.

Stupid dealer mistake costing me money.

 

I told my dealer that if they drilled holes in my front bumper I was going to go elsewhere. You don't have to buy that car until you sign the paperwork which is usually when you take possession. If they do something you dont want make them fix it or go elsewhere. you are paying alot of money they should make sure that anything done to it is what YOU want. There are plenty of dealers who would be more than glad not to drill the holes if you were going to buyit from them. It's customer service.