more stupid design - front license plate pocket

I am just starting to have a serious loathing for GM engineers... I live in Virginia, and prior to that I lived in Maryland. Both states, like most, require a front license plate. My company car is a Chevy Impala. Part of the deal is that I am supposed to maintain the car in a "reasonably clean" state - I've pushed that a few times, but still. Obviously in poor weather that means going through an automatic car wash, as hand washing in the driveway isn't going to happen. Which brings us to today's peeve. At least 50% of the time, if I take the car through a car wash, the front license plate gets mangled. This appears to be partially due to the fact that the dealer provided me with only two mounting bolts, and partially due to the fact that the license plate hangs slightly below the point where the front bumper curves back underneath into the air dam. So I bought some fairly expensive "billet aluminum" (actually do appear to be billet) license plate frames in an attempt to keep this from happening. I also bought some stainless screws - four for each plate this time! - to hold the plate in place. Well when I went to put the front one on what do I find, but the formed "pocket" in the front bumper for the plate isn't a flat surface! What the hell? Even with two washers under each screw, the whole plate/frame assembly is still under stress and is tweaking the bumper slightly and the whole assembly looks like arse.

Come on, GM. Other manufacturers can at least design a simple, functional license plate bracket. What the hell is your problem? It's not like front license plates are all that uncommon.

nate

(hopefully I've at least flattened my front license plate for the last time)

Reply to
N8N
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I don't know why GM doesn't provide a more durable front bracket. The plates just screw directly into the bumper (and often the screws will strip out so that so your bumper winds up with several screw holes in it over time. I guess they save 50-cents per car that way.

Reply to
jcr

Car Washes used to bend the front license plate forward on my 73 Impala to the point the constant flexing broke the plate off on one end inline with the bolt holes.

On my mom's 91 Cadillac Brougham the steel license plate holder slides down on two attaching fins riveted to the bumper. Once time at a restaurant she parked against a frozen mound of snow that raised up the front of the car. When she backed out of the parking space the front bumper dragged down over the frozen snow mound and the plate bracket was forced upward and slid off the mounting fins. Fortunately the plate was lying there when I went back looking for it. And this / was a $35,000 for christ sake.

On my 2005 Park Avenue the plastic license plate frame is riveted through the bumper fascia if four spots. The front edge of the bracket has a continual recessed groove going up both sides and across the top. The license plate is slid into the bracket from the bottom. Bolts thread through the lower holes in the license plate. The recessed groove protects the vertical ( sides ) and horizontal (top) edge of the license plate are protected from being peeled over from car wash brushes.

The Boneville bracket is similar but there is no edge overlapping the plate. The license plate sits about a 1/4" in from the edge of the frame of the LP Bracket.

If there are more states that don't require a front licesnse plate than do, then all states should eliminate the front plate. But I understand the reason why ( for identifiying a vehicle ) its there.

harryface

2005 Park Avenue 54,750 1991 Bonneville 309, 175
Reply to
Harry Face

"N8N" wrote in news:1175644275.541846.190680 @q75g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:

what a great country! the biggest 'bitch' of the day is this...........we got it great folks!!.celebrate! after you straighten out your plate prob of course......im not bein' a smartass folks. look at the news footage of the countries ALL around the world......we got it great and i would kiss the forefathers ass as thanks if they werent so DEAD.(GAG AND PUKE)..........kjun

Reply to
Kjun

Amen. It is nice to be so safe, fed, etc. that we are free to worry about this kind of stuff and to care who wins on American Idol. Is this a great country or what?

Reply to
gad

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