My New Prius Came Today! I'm Pissed! Help!

For decades (literally) I have been telling salesmen when I buy a car not to have the front license plate bracket installed if it is one of the drill through the bumper types. I always tell them that is a deal breaker and I will not accept the car. Only one time did a car come with the plate installed and I walked away from the car and they got me another identical car within a week.

It is not that I object to the front plate, I object to the way they drill the bumper to install it and it is typically not centered or straight. At least if I install it, it is going to be perfect and I always look for an alternative to drilling the bumper face.

It is your money so you should get it how you want it.

 

Here in NY, a front plate is required, so it is not an issue for me. As was said before, the Sandy Beach Metallic is very scarce, and I agree, very nice. I was waiting for one, but gave up and accepted a Silver. It seems that almost every 2010 around here is silver ...
I would install a plug, get some touch up paint, and live with it. You will have to pay more for a 2011, and may not get it for quite awhile.

 

In NY State, you will get a ticket for not having the required front plate. Then again, in NY they give you a ticket for everything or anything. Plus a surcharge. Unless, of course you are millionaire - then you get a tax break ...

 

Mine is black, so I took off the plate, the plate holder, screws and used black tape to hide the holes.

all was fine and dandy until one day.............

I GOT A FIX IT TICKET.

 

Wouldn't be an issue for me; California requires a front license plate. Put a photo of your future mother-in-law on the front, to meet the bugs and to act as the point of impact in a driving mishap.

 

You're closer to Boston, put a Red Sox plate there!

 

WOW! You have a 914-6? Those are rare.

 

....or even a PEI plate there:

 

Since I lived in Michigan, I didn't need a front plate. Then (unfortunately, hehe) I moved to Ohio, and had to get the front plate. I took the car to a dealership (for regular oil change/tire rotation) and asked them to put the plate in for me. They have put a plate holder (I still don't know if the bumper is drilled or not). If I move again to a state that doesn't require a front plate, I will put in some vanity plate. I am glad they are 'fixing' your problem. You paid for it, so it should look like what you asked for.

Enjoy your ride and welcome to PC.

 

I'm pretty picky about my car but I have to say this one doesn't bother me. In NJ we are required to have a front plate but my Prius is registered to my PA home where you only need a back one. But I purchased my car in NJ so I purchased a fancy plate cover and it called it a day. By the way I always have my exterior EZPASS bolted on the front because I hate putting the interior tag in my window. So basically I need the front with the License Bracket and once its on you can't see how many holes they might have drilled or the holes themselves.

 

I have front plates on all my cars now, required in California. I use to drive around all the time without them but a few tickets and being pulled over once for it made me change my mind.

My friend once got a ticket for having no front plate on his parked BMW 335i. The sad part was it was given to him at 11:30PM in a quiet residential area, not by the "meter maids" but by a cop with nothing better to do. He was staying at his girlfriend's house and when he went out the next morning, saw a handwritten ticket for no front plate, prick even checked the "not correctable" box even though it's a $25 "fix it" ticket once corrected. *Meter maids issue machine printed tickets here*

 

Probably a ticket written by the girlfriends previous boyfriend.

 

I heavily debated keeping my FL tags so I wouldn't have to have a front plate, but unlike a lot of vehicles, the Prius doesn't look too bad with it.
Besides, my car already had the front bracket installed before we even met.

 

If you are in the CA, you can get ticketed for no front plate - regardless of the state the car is from.

 

Section 5200 of the Calif Vehicle Code simply says that if two plates are issued, one must be on the front and one on the rear of the vehicle. If you are a visitor from another state where only one plate is required, there would be no code section under which to write a violation.
That being said, I once got a citation from a meter maid on a parked vehicle for displaying only one plate, which was of course on the rear. The plate in question was a "dealer plate" issued to a new car dealer for demo purposes, etc, and only one is issued or required per vehicle. But it was a real hassle to get the citation cleared.
A new car customer had not yet received his permanent license plates, and was issued a citation while the car was parked for not displaying the dealer advertising inserts in the license plate frames. This was in Beverly Hills. I guess they really needed the revenue!

 

I would have used those two holes in the front bumper to mount two amber LEDs. Chrome LED holders can be bought at Radio Shack. Using a 680 ohm resistor in series with each resistor, the LEDs can be left on all the time and you can then find your Prius easily in parking lots.

 

Well. in Cali they have those red light and speeding cameras all over the place. THAT is why they insist on front plates.

 

You can get ticketed if the cop doesn't like the color of your eyes, but it is not a violation to have only one plate on your car if the state that issues it only requires one plate.

Something called the constitution requires all the states to allow other states to pass their own laws and to allow their residents free passage to and through all other states.

Now, one thing that many states are doing is giving citations to people who are parked in work areas because if you reside in and work in a state you are supposed to get plates from that state. If you can prove you don't work or reside in that state they can't make you get plates from that state. But of course they can give you a ticket for any old reason or for no reason at all.

 

The front plate requirement in Ca was in place long before the cameras you mentioned were invented. And besides, those cameras take pictures of the front and rear of the vehicle involved in the violation.

 

You are being a jerk.
Suck it up, or ask the dealer to fix it.