DMc-DE Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 Does the 2004 Outback front bumper come pre-drilled for a license plate? Just picked up 2004 Outback. I told sales guy to not put their dealer emblem on the back. (I am not their billboard). He said OK. When I pick up the car I see it had a dealer license plate holder on the back. No big deal. Took 30 seconds to take off when I got home. Then I see they put a "billboard" placard (size of a license plate) on the front of the car. When I went to take it off, I noticed that the bumper was probably not factory drilled for the license plate. From the looks of the holes, the dealer drilled two holes in my front bumper to install their little "billboard". (or used self-tapping screws more likely). That irks me. I try to not get upset with little things in life, but drilling holes in my new car irks me. When I bought my house, the realtor didn't drill holes in my front door to install her nameplate. I welcome opinions on whether to make a stink about it with the dealer or just deal with it. There is really nothing they can do to fix it short of replacing the bumper cover. That may be worse than just leaving it be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyhaussler Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 Just bought a 2004 Legacy, dealer did the same thing...you can punch out the screw but holes will be left behind...I haven't done it yet on our legacy but I'm tempted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calebz Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 Take it back and demand another car that has been vandalized by the dealer. If they balk, file a complaint with SOA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 I have the same thing! Why are the holes not spaced right for license plates in the first place? This would have eliminated this ugly problem. I never run a front plate! Glenn, 82 Hatch, well it use to be.... 01 Forester, with ugly screw holes in the bumper........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMc-DE Posted November 12, 2003 Author Share Posted November 12, 2003 (names X'd out...) I'll post how the dealer handles the issue. Dear (owner of the dealership): Thank you for facilitating the purchase of my new Outback and for the nice chat discovering common acquaintances. XX sold me on the Outback in 1998 and did equally well in 2004. Hat’s off to XX. I am sure I will enjoy this one as much as I did that last Outback. I have a question for you… When you bought your house, did the realtor drill two holes in your new front door and hang their nameplate on the house? Didn’t think so. When you get your next brand new car, bring it over to my house so I can drill two holes that you don’t want in your flawless front bumper. I can deal with the “XX(dealer name)” rear license plate surround advert. Even the “XX(dealer name)” sticker on the back is OK because it can be easily removed by the customer if they so choose. However, drilling holes in my new car to install a placard to roam around town as your billboard is overstepping the bounds of dealer advertising in this consumer’s opinion. Please don’t tell me that it came that way from the other dealer. That’s moot as all of the cars in your lot are the same way. The unsold cars in your lot are not yours…You are only holding them until the owner shows up to claim them. Therefore, I disagree with your advertising approach that requires the defacing of someone else’s car. Picky issue, I know…but it’s my new car ! I expect it to be flawless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 You told them no dealer emblems on YOUR car. They violated the agreement. take it back and demand an unaltered vehicle, or at a minimum swap the bumper off one that has not been drilled. You DID get the agreement in writing? No, well threaten them with small claims court anyhow. If you live in a rear license only state, there was no reason for them to drill holes in the front of your car. Personally, I wouldn't have driven it off the lot, I would have said that's not MY car, mine has no dealer modifications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMc-DE Posted November 13, 2003 Author Share Posted November 13, 2003 The dealer followed my instructions to a "T"... I told them to not put the decal on the back as I would just take it off. They got that right. It was my mistake to not notice that the front bumper was not factory drilled for a license plate. All of the cars on the lot had front "ad plates". Frankly it did not even dawn on me to think they would drill a hole in the bumper to install the ad plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMc-DE Posted November 13, 2003 Author Share Posted November 13, 2003 The owner of the dealership called within 20 minutes of my sending the fax expressing my opinion about drilling holes in my bumper. He said simply "bring the car in and we'll make it right." We are going to discuss options to do so when I get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickb21 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 That sucks. Cars shouldn't be allowed to have front license plates, makes them look so ugly. Too bad here in NJ you have to have one.. hope it works out well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagonpowaa Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 nice job. You should demand them to pay you for the free advertising you got them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 When I bought my new Forester, I told the dealer verbally but also wrote it in on the agreement (at the offer stage): "No dealer decals or badges on vehicle." It worked. I agree with a previous post, that the best thing to do would be to not accept delivery, if your instructions are not followed. Another approach might be to offer to keep the decals at a price, say $100/week, and see what the response is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 This is something that pretty much every dealership will do.....they're going to placard their names all over the car if they can......the majority of the drones in the US don't care or don't even know it's there. However, yes the few of us that actually care about our cars get upset at this. More then likely the lot attendent was told to not touch the rear plate/surround.....which he didn't.....however most lot attendents are younger, and are told to put those plates on everything.....so he/she was just doing what he was told..... Glad to hear they're trying to make it right though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobySchmitty Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Get a new car, with some more options! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meeky Moose Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 that would deffinitely tick me off, even if the state required there to be a plate on the front.. Billy Bob, out there in his greasy overalls, with a drill, and a big grin.. drillin holes in the front of my car.. ummm don't think so.. if its required for a front plate to be mounted, i'd make them mount a factory license plate bracket on my bumper.. not just drill a couple holes and put self threading screws in there.. just my .02 i'd like to hear what they do to "make it right" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 most new cars have the front plate mounting holes/brackets directly in the bumper. There's very few any more that have a separate bracket simply because how the car's front bumper/areodynamics are designed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1ABAJA Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I bought a Civic Ex and the dealer drilled holes in my bumper...I was so outraged, I told him he could have it, I was not taking it...I noticed the car before I went into the F&I office...so I figured I would be leaving without...they told me to wait about twenty minutes in the lobby (because I was not signing anything)...the sales person came and got me twenty minutes later and showed me my car...no holes.....:cornfuzz: ...I asked what the ??? The sales person told me they swaped the bumpers with another silver Ex.....as long as my car doesn't have any holes!! I can't believe how many people pay large amounts of $$$ and don't mind the dealer plates on the front and the big stickers on the back! I am glad to see my other Soob bros won't stand it! Josh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
83projectbrat Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 ahh from the factory there are two little dimples where you screw into the front bumper, i know this, i work at a dealership and my dad owns it. thats where the factory wants the license plate. matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paladin_w Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 Exactlly, maybe it is just a subaru thing, I took all the stickers and advertizing off mine... and there were three stickers from dealers on them one on top of the other. I am no one's billboard right on man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electryc_monk Posted November 14, 2003 Share Posted November 14, 2003 as a car owner and a few at that... the family also has a similar perspective on dealer ads on cars. With that in mind when the latest "Toy" was purchased from the local dealer, they asked to make sure the decals etc. were not installed on the Truck. When asked why they wanted it that way. They simply said, "Considering how we tend to our vehicles and that we have a 'well known' desire to keep money in the community with being on city counsil that if anyone asks we can tell then directly. Word of mouth has a higher face value then anything you could stick on it." You can bet I'll be using said reply *IF asked* when I buy a new car sometime in the future. :>) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mancomb Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Many manufacturers provide the self tapping screws with instructions as to where to put them. I work at a ford dealer and have cringed while drilling holes in the front bumper of a new mustang, but I have had the service manager bring vehicles back to me for front plate screws and brackets to be installed. I say let the customer decide whether or not to break that state license plate laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondasucks Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 The last Subaru that I did a PDI on had square holes in the front bumper as well as sort of a molded-in flat spot for the license plate... Most of the Toyotas just have two dimples in the front bumper where the plate goes, but if you don't put the front plate on, you don't notice them becuase they are so small, more of just a guide for mounting the front plate and bracket. I have yet to PDI an Outback though.. I don't know about the dealership that you bought your car from, but where I work, a PDI, which gets done before the car goes on to the lot, involves mounting the dummy plate and frame, front and rear, so where I work in order to get no front plate you'd have to pick your car out before it got the PDI done... (Although in Oregon the front plate is required to be "permanently attached to the front of the vehicle") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uniberp Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 The owner of the dealership called within 20 minutes of my sending the fax expressing my opinion about drilling holes in my bumper. He said simply "bring the car in and we'll make it right." We are going to discuss options to do so when I get there. You should have a big accident in his lot and somehow claim it was his fault. I bet he never makes another unauthorized change. My local Subaru dealer is either just really casual and not ambitious or just doesn't care. I can't believe he has a captive market, but I don't give him a hard time, since subarus have such a small market share. I'm glad there's at least a factory parts catalog in my community at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 As others have said, the dealership did exacly what SOA expected of them. When you do a Pre-Delivery-Inspection (PDI), you do things like installing the rubber plugs in the body tie down holes, check and fill all fluids, initialize TPMS, auto windows, sunroof autostops, preset clock and radio, and install rear plate frame and install front plate bracket. Some Hondas come with a plate bracket that bolts onto the underside of the bumper and then has a self tapping screw that goes into the bumper skin. Other have plate brackets that are held on just by self tapping screws into the bumper skin. Seeing as we sell a lot of cars across the Massachussets border, where front plates aren't required, on the ones that are bolted from underneath, we don't put the screw into the bumper, we lable the bag an put it in the glovebox. Oh, and we are not greasy Billy Bob's either. If you think all dealer tech's are greasy toothless a-holes you can screw yourself. The dealer did what was required of them, and that Dealer Billboard that they put on the front is meant to be replaced with your liscence plate when you get real ones instead of the 20 day on. I don't think I've seen anyone driving around with a dealer placard in the front plate location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted October 30, 2007 Share Posted October 30, 2007 Oh, and we are not greasy Billy Bob's either. If you think all dealer tech's are greasy toothless a-holes you can screw yourself. quote] Oooooh ... t-ouchy. our dealer doesn't have a greasy overalled Billy Bob either, he has a skin condition challenged tewnnysomethin' that looks like a tackle box exploded in his face. Our Subaru dealership doesn't drill holes in the front bumper, and we ARE a two-plate state (although you REALLY haveto p!ss off a cop to get a ticket for no front tag). Since the car goes off the lot with a paper plate they leave it up to the OWNER of the car to accommodate the law ... or not (it's the Montana way'). They do apply a vinyl 'Dealername Subaru sticky, but will waive it if you ask, no argument. I used angle brackets from the holes aleady drilled on the underside of the front valence, supposted by fender washers, and my plate 'floats' in front of the lower valence ... NO holes. In 1950 my Dad bought a new Buick in San Antonio. He told them no badge on the trunk (in those days it was a chromed metal badge requiring two holes. When he went to pick up the car ... there was the badge. He said that's not my car, I don't have dealer adverts on my Buick, unless General Motors installed it there. They said no problem, we'll remove it, fill the holes and repaint the trunk. He said, no, my NEW car does not have any body damage So they pulled another Super in the same (hideous) pale seafoam green and swapped trunks. Dad wasted an hour total but he got HIS car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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