My dealer's license plate mod

E

EmberMike

Member
:
2016 Mazda CX-5 Touring
I just got my CX-5 over the weekend and didn't notice the "mod" my dealer did to the license plate frame.

cx-5-plate.jpg


Going to have them fix it when I go in to pick up the plates in a couple of weeks. Guy must have had his eyes closed when he screwed it into the bumper. (uhm)
 
That is pretty lame........as there are starter holes molded into the bumper cover that are nice and straight, which I thought would make it idiot proof........sheez.....

Sam
 
why don't you go raise the issue now? Maybe they can give you another car?
they can't really fix this unless they replace the bumper or give you a different car
 
TheMAN said:
why don't you go raise the issue now? Maybe they can give you another car?
they can't really fix this unless they replace the bumper or give you a different car
Click to expand...
I agree! But I doubt any dealer would replace the whole car just because they did this "license plate mod"!
 
One of the idiots at my dealership performed the same mod on my CX-5. The only difference is that at least he got the plate level. He missed the 'dimples' by about a .25". I really didn't even notice it till I got home and removed the dealer's plate holder. I plugged the holes with some black plastic hole plugs. It's hard to notice now.

Yes, I do live in a state that requires a front license plate. None of my other cars have had plates on the front and I've never heard a word about it from any LEOs in over 30 years of driving here.
 
TheMAN said:
why don't you go raise the issue now? Maybe they can give you another car?
they can't really fix this unless they replace the bumper or give you a different car
Click to expand...

I did. They said if I pick up the plates during service hours they'll fix it. Not sure how or if it's possible to fix, but I'll give them the chance. Otherwise I'll be arguing for a new bumper.

It's one of those things that once you see it, it can't be unseen. Some people might not even be bothered by it, but I won't be able to leave it unfixed.
 
EmberMike said:
I did. They said if I pick up the plates during service hours they'll fix it. Not sure how or if it's possible to fix, but I'll give them the chance. Otherwise I'll be arguing for a new bumper.

It's one of those things that once you see it, it can't be unseen. Some people might not even be bothered by it, but I won't be able to leave it unfixed.
Click to expand...

They will probably plug the holes with a bit of body putty (Bondo) and touch it up with some body colored paint. I'll be taking care of this myself when the weather warms up a little.

I'd be shocked if they replaced your bumper.
 
...or they'll raise the right side of the license plate and set a new screw to make it level with the left side.
 
MTBingNinja said:
...or they'll raise the right side of the license plate and set a new screw to make it level with the left side.
Click to expand...

Who knows how many holes Bubba will end up making before it's all said and done.
 
I haven't received my plates yet and will have to install them myself when I do. Any tips? I don't have any of the hardware (bought it in a state that doesn't require front plates, but mine does). Thanks!
 
MDazda said:
I haven't received my plates yet and will have to install them myself when I do. Any tips? I don't have any of the hardware (bought it in a state that doesn't require front plates, but mine does). Thanks!
Click to expand...

The only hardware that came with mine, other than the dealer license plate frame, was two screws as seen in the first post of this thread.
 
TheMAN said:
why not go for a "no drill" license plate bracket?
Click to expand...

The problem is that in most cases when a person buys a car off the dealer's lot the front license plate frame is already mounted and the holes already drilled.

If you are ordering a new car from the factory you can request that the front plate frame not be mounted and no holes drilled. The last two new cars that I purchased were factory orders (before the CX-5) and I requested that no holes be drilled. The idiots at the VW dealer ignored my request and when I went to pick up my 2012 Jetta I found that the front plate holder had been mounted and holes drilled. What could I do at that point? I accepted the car but the salesman bent over backwards trying to pacify me. I ended up with a bunch of freebies.
 
Why protect the dealer by blurring the name? This is the work of Wayne Mazda in Wayne NJ. I have a lot of negative experience with their service center. This is the type of work they do half assed and ass backwards. Their way of fixing this will likely be to raise the drivers side and punch in another hole doing nothing with the hole that's already there. Apparently they have a maximum IQ requirement for their service personnel i.e. IQ can't be over 80. I no longer use their service.

EmberMike said:
I just got my CX-5 over the weekend and didn't notice the "mod" my dealer did to the license plate frame.

cx-5-plate.jpg


Going to have them fix it when I go in to pick up the plates in a couple of weeks. Guy must have had his eyes closed when he screwed it into the bumper. (uhm)
Click to expand...
 
Conrad 16.5 said:
The problem is that in most cases when a person buys a car off the dealer's lot the front license plate frame is already mounted and the holes already drilled.

If you are ordering a new car from the factory you can request that the front plate frame not be mounted and no holes drilled. The last two new cars that I purchased were factory orders (before the CX-5) and I requested that no holes be drilled. The idiots at the VW dealer ignored my request and when I went to pick up my 2012 Jetta I found that the front plate holder had been mounted and holes drilled. What could I do at that point? I accepted the car but the salesman bent over backwards trying to pacify me. I ended up with a bunch of freebies.
Click to expand...
Mazda CX-5 doesn't come with any front license plate frame from factory. We saw the front license plate frame installed on the new 2017 CX-5 at the assembly line and hopefully the same frame would be supplied for all states which require front license plate.

I did the same and requested my dealers not to install front license plate frame, or in case of our CX-5, not to install dealer's plate with two metal screws when our special-ordered vehicles arrived. So far I was lucky but I did pay much attention and keep reminding the new car prep guy about the matter. Like you, I fully understand once they screwed in the plate, it's too late to do anything to mend it!
 
WA requires front license plates... if I had choice I would probably try one of those mounts that screw into the front tow hook area. It was already violated when I bought it so left as is. At least it was level.

As for what OP experienced... I'm usually fairly calm but I think I would insist on a new bumper for that kind of screwup. I think what andyg suggested is what they did or will do to fix.

This is one of those reasons I am really hesitant for others to work on my car.
 
yrwei52 said:
Mazda CX-5 doesn't come with any front license plate frame from factory. We saw the front license plate frame installed on the new 2017 CX-5 at the assembly line and hopefully the same frame would be supplied for all states which require front license plate.

I did the same and requested my dealers not to install front license plate frame, or in case of our CX-5, not to install dealer's plate with two metal screws when our special-ordered vehicles arrived. So far I was lucky but I did pay much attention and keep reminding the new car prep guy about the matter. Like you, I fully understand once they screwed in the plate, it's too late to do anything to mend it!
Click to expand...
Mazda only installs license plate brackets on cars destined for certain countries that are known to universally have front license plates... European market, for example... and likewise for JDM... there are no jurisdictions that have no front plates, unlike the US where it varies from state to state (or canada for that matter)
 
andyg said:
Why protect the dealer by blurring the name? This is the work of Wayne Mazda in Wayne NJ. I have a lot of negative experience with their service center. This is the type of work they do half assed and ass backwards. Their way of fixing this will likely be to raise the drivers side and punch in another hole doing nothing with the hole that's already there. Apparently they have a maximum IQ requirement for their service personnel i.e. IQ can't be over 80. I no longer use their service.
Click to expand...

Only 4 posts by the OP. I doubt that we'll ever hear what his dealer did to resolve this screw-up (pun not intended).
 
so, I am in a similar dilema...the car was purchased in a state that has a front plate (OH) and the dealer was "kind" enough to put their plastic dealer frame and Certified Pre-owned paper plate on the front.

I removed the dealer plate and frame moments after arriving home, but noticed that the two holes drilled into the front bumpber DO NOT match up with the dimples in the bumper. The US plate mounting holes are not as far apart as the dimples are.

Are the dimples made for the plastic plate bracket that uses mounting holes wider than the US plate mounting holes?
Are the dimples made for Euro or Asia market plates?

___Added pictures on 12 May 17___

Front Plate on the bumper
Gold arrows are the mounting holes for the US plate
The green arrows are the dimples. As you can see, there is quite a difference. At least from front holes are even.




The front mounting screw(s)



Rear Plate mounting
The rear plate mounting options really have me scratching my head. Are the large circle depressions for the RoW mounting bracket? The two other holes, which are directly into the metal, are threaded and use a machine screw (no picture) to mount the US plate. Is this what Mazda thought was a good idea?? The two yellowish rectangles are the left over residue from masking tape that was used to drill the holes...at least that is what I think.



When mounting the rear plate, I used some silicone around the screws to help keep water out of the holes. I guess I could have used thread-locker too just so I know that these screws would not back out.

Is mounting the plate in the rear bumper that hard? It would look much better and the rear hatch could be resculpted for a cleaner look. That's what VW did on my GTI. The plate is in the bumper and the hatch is nice and smooth and blends with the body.
 
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