[David Miner]

Hi all,

Some of you may have seen in my introduction that for various reasons, I bought my new Acura TLX in California, even though I live in Arizona. One interesting aspect of this is the license plate requirements. In California, you are required to have both a front and a back license plate. However, here in Arizona, you are only required to have a rear license plate. The front of the TLX looks much nicer without the license plate, so I definitely wanted to remove it. So when I got back to Arizona, one of the first things I did was to work on removing the front license plate holder from the car. Much to my surprise (and dismay!), I found that the license plate holder was screwed directly into the body of the car with 3 screws! So after removing it, there are now 3 small screw holes in the frame!

Do any of you have suggestions for a DIY option of repairing these holes? Am I being overly picky? It is a brand new car after all, and now has 3 holes in the front of the car!

 

[HAx5]

Found the same thing. Its a flat plastic plate. Mine has extra holes from where the techs missed the first time it seems.

It may be possible to remove it? It seem seperate from the bumper but i didnt look closely

 

[MrMoo]

You are not being too picky. I live in Oklahoma where we too only have a rear license plate. However, when I first test drove a TLX here in Oklahoma it had a front license plate holder installed. One of my requirements I made to the dealer whe I ordered my car was that the license plate holder never be installed as I did not want the holes.

I know my Honda had little grommets that popped out so that you could install the license plate holder into pre drilled holes, or put them back in if you decided you didn't need it. Sad that they don't do that still. Probably the best thing would be to ask a body shop how much they would charge to fill and paint match those holes. Doing so would make it look cleaner than a factory TLX in my opinion because you wouldn't have the dimples on the front of the factory bumper.

 

[andre12dbsi]

Having a body shop fix the car is probably the cleanest option.

Another option might be to check EBay to see if the have some plugs to fill the holes. I've heard of other people finding some there.

 

[MTD]

BumperPlugs for Acura

 

[David Miner]

Thanks for the pointers! I wish I could have planned more to have them avoid drilling those holes in the front of the bumper. But I couldn't find the color/options I wanted in Arizona, and happened to find one in California, which already had the front plate installed.

Thanks MTD for the link - I went ahead and ordered 2 pairs of the bumper plugs - hopefully they won't look too bad...

 

[MTD]

Im ordering a set too. Ive used them in the past and they are very high quality.

I also ordered a plate relocator kit. We have to have a plate here in Ontario, I just prefer a different way of mounting it.

 

[HAx5]

I also ordered a plate relocator kit. We have to have a plate here in Ontario, I just prefer a different way of mounting it.

@MTD, what is the relocator kit?

 

[Ero]

Unfortunately in 2-plate states it is often the law that dealerships can't release cars without bolting holders for both plates...They can get in trouble if they get caught...

 

[MTD]

@MTD, what is the relocator kit?

Typically a metal bracket that bolts into the hole where the took hook goes. I prefer Rho-Plate ones.
Rho-plate for Acura

 

[Summest]

Typically a metal bracket that bolts into the hole where the took hook goes. I prefer Rho-Plate ones.
Rho-plate for Acura

Thanks for the link. I never realized such a thing existed.

 

[MikeinEDH]

It's the law in Ca. but I think there should be other priorities. Cellphone use. The bozos that refuse to refill their blinker fluid. Rebel that I am, I won't install the front plate until I'm asked to do so. >

 

[MTD]

There is also this one.
License Plate Relocation Kit - Subaru - GrimmSpeed

I prefer the Rho-plate ones simply because its a Canadian company and shipping is faster.

 

[dizfoogeofrey]

I bought automotive plugs and painted them white. Hardly noticeable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Summest]

Welcome to the Forum!

I bought automotive plugs and painted them white. Hardly noticeable.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome to the Forum! Glad to see your first post.

Tell us more about yourself and your TLX.

I guess it has a white exterior?

 

[Alanjm53]

It's the law in Ca. but I think there should be other priorities. Cellphone use. The bozos that refuse to refill their blinker fluid. Rebel that I am, I won't install the front plate until I'm asked to do so. >

Mike, I'd rather have a crushed front license plate and bracket than custom bodywork performed by amateur drivers who prefer to park by Braille...

It seems that, over the years, drivers around me are less experienced.
(Well DUH!!! I' m older than most drivers now...)

 

[David Miner]

Not too bad...

So I received my "bumper plugs" in the mail yesterday, and installed them today. The install took all of 2 minutes. The hardest part was actually having to drill a slightly larger hold where the existing holes were. It just simply felt wrong to take a power drill to the body of my new TLX!!!

Anyway, all 3 plugs are installed, and though they are a little bigger than I had thought, they actually look pretty decent. I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to get rid of those unsightly holes.

See below for a few pics of before and after.

 

[David Miner]

Not too bad...

So my bumper plugs arrived in the mail yesterday and I installed them today. It took all of 2 minutes to install the 3 plugs. Though I have to say it was a bit unsettling to take a power drill to the body of my new TLX to widen the holes a bit for the plugs.

All in all, I'm happy with the result. The plugs were a little larger than I expected, but I think it looks good. See below for a few pics of the before and after.

 

[Alanjm53]

Good job there. That's about as clean a look as one could get for that.

 

[andre12dbsi]

That looks so much better than the holes. The only thing that would look better than what you did would be a professional job at a body shop. Nice job.