Front License Plate Holes

[interceptor_1972]

Ok Guys... First genuine conern - albeit a rather small and possibly goofy one. Since I bought my 04 Sol used, the previous owner was from TX, and as required by TX State laws, had Front Licence Plates on. Now, since the License Plate mounts straight onto the front bumpers, I'm thinking that there's a couple of holes there? I like the crisp clean looks without any plates and stuff on the front bumper, but if I do pull the Dealer's tag that is mounted on there now, I don't want it looking goofy with 2 holes either. Hence the question - is there anything like a screw/plug that I could put in there that would cover up the hole without it looking obvious?

[PXLpainter]

1/4-20 Carriage Bolt worked for me (tight fit)

Makes a nice chrome-dome finish where the holes were!

Unfortunately, it's still obvious.

[interceptor_1972]

1/4-20 Carriage Bolt worked for me (tight fit)

Makes a nice chrome-dome finish where the holes were!

Unfortunately, it's still obvious.

That was my first guess as well... though I wasn't sure on the size, but figured it'd still be obvious... Was hoping that maybe there's a plastic plug/screw/bolt that could be painted to match the body color which would fit in flush with the bumper.

[cklinh]

http://www.solaraguy.org/viewtopic.php?t=23229

[interceptor_1972]

Thanks cklinh... you answered my question in that post... guess I wasn't the only one with that exact same issue... guess I just didn't use the right keywords when i did a few searches to see if anyone had posted information about this before... Now to find me some Arctic Frost paint.

[swindler]

This post doesn't really help you, but I HAVE to vent.

I'm from TX, but even though the front plate is mandatory, at least 25% of the cars drive around without one. I've never heard of anyone getting a ticket for missing a front plate.

So when I ordered my Solara, I asked the dealer to forego the front plate install so the look would be clean. But the technician screwed on a dealership plate before anyone could tell him. Two obvious holes in the front bumper that make it look like there's a vampire out there that feeds on Toyotas.

Add to that, none of the Toyota dealerships around here actually use the front license plate bracket made for the Solara. You would think that - given that it IS a state law, they would spend the $11 (which is what I paid) and install the bracket onto the bumper. But NO. They just have two screws holding the bare plate onto the bumper.

So not only do they mar the bumper, but they put it on in a way that looks real lame, and leave it to the consumer to worry about it.

Sorry I don't have a solution for you. I bought the $11 bracket and have my OFFICIAL TX plate on the front bumper. Since it's a specialty plate advertising my favorite local sports team, I don't mind too much.

Go Mavs!

[interceptor_1972]

^^ Ahhh... Venting's are allowed... And since here in Oklahoma, we don't use Front plates, I wanted to go with the clean look with no plates, and hopefully, no vamp holes either; and cklinh gave me an idea on how to accomplish that. If for any reason that doesn't pan out, I'll just let our body shop handle that for me - one of the fringe benefits of working for a dealership - albeit not a Toyota Dealership.

Talking of which, what part of TX are you at swindler? So far, I've seen one person here from Oklahoma besides myself - in Broken Arrow, and a few in TX.

[swindler]

Dallas area, north of DFW.

Actually, there's a map where many members have posted their location. I'm not sure how up to date it is, but it's a cool way to see where all the rides are garaged.

Check out http://www.frappr.com/solaraguy. It currently shows the location of 81 members, although you would be the first from Oklahoma.

[interceptor_1972]

Neat... Thanks for that link... updated my info on the map while I was there