Front plate mount

[jvsgabriel]

Does having the front plate in front of the grill affect air flow to the radiator?  I don't think it is like other cars in the past, where you get some air flow from under the grill.  Oh well, I guess I will still have to wait for the plates to come in.  Nice picture, liking all the colors, but red looks striking, gray subtle, and white is quite brilliant.  

Joel

[Vlad92]

In my state front plates are also required, but I too hate the idea of drilling the bumper.  Here is what I use on my Smart Car (note this is not my car).



Works great and it looks like the Fiat kit is "coming soon" according to their website.  I'm planning on getting this for my Prima and have already asked my dealer not to drill the bumper.

http://www.gominigo.com/NHLPB-main.html

[sjmst]

No front plate brackets at dealers here on Long Island either. Got mine fastened with zip ties.

[Giallo Edizione]

sjmst wrote

No front plate brackets at dealers here on Long Island either. Got mine fastened with zip ties.

Mine too. But...it seems to have, um, fallen off.  


Is that a problem officer? I have it right here in the boot, er, trunk.

[navy48]

I think there's another thread on this subject that I posted the part number and price of the front license plate bracket.  if you need it again, I'll look up the info again.  it's not that much money and you won't be blocking the airflow to your cooling system.

[sjmst]

navy48 wrote

I think there's another thread on this subject that I posted the part number and price of the front license plate bracket.  if you need it again, I'll look up the info again.  it's not that much money and you won't be blocking the airflow to your cooling system.

So far my plate on the lower grill has not affected engine temp...but it has not been hot out yet.

I have my bracket and want to put it where it is supposed to be but NOT drill holes.

Here is my Rube Goldberg Solution.
I bought some double sided foam tape. What I found though, is that the tape does not stick to the plastic used on the mounting bracket.
I thus plan on getting a thin sheet of Plexiglas. Using small screws/clips, I will place that on the back of the mounting bracket. The tape should stick well to the Plexiglas which will in turn stick to the bumper. As a backup, I will have two zip ties looped through  the lower honeycomb grill. That way, if the tape should fail, the plate and bracket won’t be lost.

I’ll let you know how that goes,

[ciddyguy]

sjmst wrote

navy48 wrote

I think there's another thread on this subject that I posted the part number and price of the front license plate bracket.  if you need it again, I'll look up the info again.  it's not that much money and you won't be blocking the airflow to your cooling system.

So far my plate on the lower grill has not affected engine temp...but it has not been hot out yet.

I have my bracket and want to put it where it is supposed to be but NOT drill holes.

Here is my Rube Goldberg Solution.
I bought some double sided foam tape. What I found though, is that the tape does not stick to the plastic used on the mounting bracket.
I thus plan on getting a thin sheet of Plexiglas. Using small screws/clips, I will place that on the back of the mounting bracket. The tape should stick well to the Plexiglas which will in turn stick to the bumper. As a backup, I will have two zip ties looped through  the lower honeycomb grill. That way, if the tape should fail, the plate and bracket won’t be lost.

I’ll let you know how that goes,

Depends on if there are other versions of this foam tape but the stuff we tried to use didn't last long as it dries out and once stuck, it might be mighty difficult to remove, just saying...

[Fiat500USA]

3M double sided tape (red colored backing) will stay on. Used for spoilers and aerodynamic kits. You can get it at Auto Zone.

[sjmst]

Fiat500USA wrote

3M double sided tape (red colored backing) will stay on. Used for spoilers and aerodynamic kits. You can get it at Auto Zone.

Thanks for the tip, I will try that if the regular 3m I used fails. I have a zip tie "safety cord" so I won't lose my bracket or plate if it does!

[sam500]

okay, first parking ticket in Hollywood. $25 for not having my front license plate. I'm biting the bullet and installing the mount :/

[Fiat500USA]

 We should petition all the states to abolish the front plate! Another strike against NY! LOL

[Thad]

I started this thread because I believe that every car delivered should have been supplied with a proper factory front mount. The owner or dealer could optionally chose to use it. All other new cars I have bought came with the mount even though I live in a state that doesn't require them.

[Giallo Edizione]

Fiat500USA wrote

We should petition all the states to abolish the front plate! Another strike against NY! LOL

Then the troopers won't have a good target for their laser guns.

[Alvon Elrod]

I agree with Thad.  It shouldn't be up to each dealer to invent the wheel for how the plate should be mounted.  Fiat should provide that as part of each and every car.  Whether or not the dealer uses the front mount would depend on each state's laws (and whether the customer wants to use it or not).

Since hearing about the violation in Hollywood, I begrudgingly decided to mount my front plate to keep from getting a ticket.  I just used the bare plate, with a strip of vinyl electrical tape around the outer edge to cover the sharp edge and to give it somewhat of a border, and cut a strip of foam carpet padding to put on the back side of the plate.  It's attached to the front bumper strip between the lower radiator grill opening and the smaller opening above it, using zip ties, and using the foam padding to keep from scratching the bumper.  

I just used 1 of the long zip ties going into the top hole of the license plate from the front, then around the back of the front bumper, and coming back into the license plate on the bottom hole.  There was just enough of the zip tie to push into a second zip tie retainer end, and cinch up 2 clicks.  Then I cut off the free end of the second zip tie down to the retainer end, and cut off the free end of the first zip tie.  So the same thing for the other 2 license plate holes.  All you see from the front of the car is the ends of the zip ties.  I'll take a few pictures and post later.

Alvon

[sam500]

Sounds great Alvon! I'd love to see pictures. I'm still not 100% sure how I'll mount mine (I'm leaning towards using the actual mount), but I know that anything will be better than being paranoid every time I park on the street.

[sjmst]

I used double sided tape and holding up fine.

Other options: Can't say if these are good or not, just FYI.

http://www.skene.org/bmw/plate/

[Alvon Elrod]

A few pictures, out in the rain this evening:
I'll trim the foam rubber pad so it doesn't look so tacky from up close.

   

And from further back, yesterday:
 

[Fiat500USA]

Thad wrote

I started this thread because I believe that every car delivered should have been supplied with a proper factory front mount. The owner or dealer could optionally chose to use it. All other new cars I have bought came with the mount even though I live in a state that doesn't require them.

Technically you can't get an inspection sticker in NY without a front plate, so it is a really touchy subject not having a plate holder.  

When I sold cars twenty years ago, we had to make sure we ordered the plate holder from the factory for each car. Sometimes we would do a dealer swap from a state that didn't require a front plate, we had to make sure we got the plate holder from the swapping dealer or it was the biggest PITA to get one.  Ordering plate holders have always been a hassle... somethings never change!

[sjmst]

Excellent solution, Alvon.

[sam500]

Okay, installed the mount (the one provided by the dealership). I figure this car will live most of its days in California, and I'd rather have everything properly mounted and avoid future problems, rather than tempt fate, and have something happen to the plate or the bumper. I also think that if I MUST have a plate, I'd rather mount it the way it was intended, since I hardly trust my ability to either improvise a hole-free mount or just secure it and have it not look very good. That said, I think you did a great job Alvon.