Know Nothin' About Cars...

[Finn]

It has been a while since I started a thread (I think).

I've putting this off for a while now. but there's an issue with my wife's car. Since it was purchased in Louisiana where cars aren't required to have a front plate, there is no way to screw the Massachusetts front license plate in place. So far, we had black zip ties without issue, but they have been breaking apart.

I have looked around online. Some say use heavy-duty double-sided tape Others say to buy L-shape brackets via ebay. Some say to take it to a garage for drilling or do it oneself. I'm really uncertain which way to do it.

Any car here can give good tips about this? I hope this thread also would serve for others who may have questions about their automobile issues.

Thanks.

 

[RoJoHen]

I am pretty much an idiot when it comes to cars. I can change a tire. I can change the battery. Beyond that, I'm basically lost. I always try to stand my ground when I get an oil change and they try to sell me things, but I honestly have no idea what they're ever talking about.

 

[publiusr]

You don't want to lose a tag because tape won't hold. You may have to have someone do this for you. I know--everything costs an arm and a leg.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Any car here can give good tips about this?

At least you're going right to the source!

 

[Tiberius Jim]

What year, make and model is the car?

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Dealers put a plastic bracket on the front bumpers of cars that don't have a spot there (like the Corvette, which I believe has a notch). They're usually made for the specific vehicle's bumper shape. New cars come to the dealership without them because some states (or Canada) don't require the front plate.

You could probably search one out on Google if you don't want to pay the dealership price.

 

[Avro Arrow]

New cars come to the dealership without them because some states (or Canada) don't require the front plate.

Apropos of nothing, but... vehicle licensing falls under provincial jurisdiction, so there is no uniform rule across all of Canada. B.C., Manitoba, New Brunswick, and my own province of Ontario all require a front plate, and the other provinces and territories do not.

 

[StarCruiser]

Again - the primary question is - what make, model and year of car?

With that information, it's fairly easy to find out what you need to get to fix that issue. They ALL have the option of a front license plate bracket. It's a legal requirement in the US and Canada (and Europe, Japan etc...). You may take it to a dealer (and pay way too much for the part) or order the correct part from an online parts vendor that handles that make...

 

[Finn]

2008 Hyundai Sontana

 

[urbandefault]

Went to the dealership yesterday. They didn't have any kind of a bracket. They had several Sonatas on the lot and the plates were screwed into the front bumper.

The tech showed me two small dimples in the front bumper where the plate would screw in. I had them install the plate with a generic dealer plastic frame and had the service department write me up a receipt just to document that they're the ones who screwed into the body.

It looks fine with the frame on there.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r23953751-Front-registration-plate-on-new-car

You can find generic brackets at pretty much any auto parts store, or you can do like this guy did and mount the plate directly to the bumper cover.