Hey there for all of you that live in states requiring a front plate. I got my Fit earlier this week and have LOVED every second of it! Then today I went to take off the dealer frame and plates and lo and behold, I find that they DRILLED A HOLE through the front bumper...there are the brackets on the bottom from the grille, and then a HOLE drilled into the front bumper. They drilled from the inside out, there are pieces of plastic and paint around it....it isn't even a clean hole. Is this how they did it on yours?

We called the dealership and they made it sound like that is how it is done, which is BS to me. I'm so disappointed because I now have to have this ugly huge license plate frame to cover the hole they made, instead of putting the plate in my grille how I've done with my previous Hondas. It kinda killed my high from the car.

 

Yes, this is the way they do it! Because of the body kit they have to drill. My request, which I learned from the wonderfully wise and informative Fit Freaks , was at the time of delivery:

1. Do not attach the front plate onto the body kit
2. Do not put the car dealership logo on the back of the car
3. If you wash it and it has swirls, I was not going to be happy

My dealership was great and conformed to my wishes. I live in a state where we do not have front plates, so it was optional for me. Unfortunately for those of you who live in states where they are required, it is the only way that it can be done.

Cat :x

 

This IS how its supposed to be done. Some dealerships choose to do it. Others dont. Anyways you can ask the dealership, they may or may not fix it for you, but there is a quick fix for them

 

well the state i live in does not require a front lisense plate, yet the dealership drilled a hole right in The smack middle if my bumper and attached their dealership name and logo.

I called them about it and same answer.

If I were to do advertising for them, they better be paying me a royalty every month that plate is on my car.

i should be getting a call from Honda USA soon about the buying experience, and I will be sure to tell them about my dissatisfaction.

 

Yeah I messed up with my Fit when I bought it. I expected an under the bumper mount like it was in my Integra and NSX, nothing drilled on the bumper. OOPS ! Oh well no big for me I have one silver bold smack in the middle of my bumper (was either that or leave an exposed hole in the bumper), its still better than having the plate lol.

 

My fit came with a front plate mount as well, but it was held on by 2 10mm bolts that were on the inside portion of the bumper. They might have drilled holes for the bolts, but you can't see the holes unless you're lying on the ground. Once I took the plate mount off (a process that took about 30 seconds,) there was no way to tell that it had ever been there.

 

Definitely tell the person calling from Honda about your experience and the fact that they did not tell you that you had the options of having these items put onto your car. This is the only way we can help Honda to serve us better -

Cat :x

 

Yea, same thing over here unfortunately. =(

 

Please what ever you do tho. Take into consideration your salesman. If he did a great Job please dont hurt his customer service score. Those survays reflect ONLY your salesperson. The bumper mishap is the service dept. Im only saying this cause the customer service scores are EXTREMELY important with Honda.

Also the fact of "not telling you they were adding the plate" Honda HAS to put a frame on the front and the back, it is the decision of the customer afterwards to remove it, EVEN if your state does not require a front plate.

 

I just hope they do no have to respray the front bumper. I had to have my rear bumper done because of a gouge and now I do not have a VIN number on that piece and it is no longer the original paint.

 

I see you point, but why can't use the dealer choose a mount attaches via. holes inside or below the bumper (as my dealer did?)

 

there are supposed to be 2 screws under and 1 in the middle. 3 screws are supplied as hardware when the cars arrive. My dealership doesnt drill into the bumpers anymore. Unfortunately since my fit was the first to get here it got drilled.

 

you have to blame honda the manufacturer not the dealer for giving that stupid lp mount that has a screw hole for that front bumper. it's very obvious they wanted it that way and also I'm sure the package came with screws.

I was lucky my dealership did only the bottom part.

 

Weird. Mine came just like Bluemoon's - no holes drilled and the mounts were up under the grille. Looked to me like it was the way Honda intended, as my wife's '05 Accord EX is done the same way.

Perhaps the dealers who drilled are using a non-Honda license plate frame to save a couple of bucks?

 

like i said in my previous post, some dealerships do it and some dont. The correct way to install it is to drill the bumper. Also its not a matter or using a non-honda frame... ALL of the cars come with the front plate mount from honda.

 

i think there are two bolts on either side for mine, but nothing in the middle. what size are those bolts? i can't find anything that fits them...

 

A 10mm socket fit mine just fine...

 

I guess I was a lucky one. The dealer only installed the bottom part. I can see why the top screws are required though. I took off the frame after about 700 miles and there were some minor scuff marks from the bracket rubbing against the bumper. I guess the wind causes vibrations. I'm going to add some adhesive felt padding to the bracket.

 

Me lucky too -- I thought it was slick how it was attached from underneath and left the bumper clean.

 

I gave my sales person excellent comments because he was really good to deal with and after three months we developed a fun relationship because he doesn't like the Fit but in the end realized that I would not be happy with anything else. I bought him a Fit baseball cap to wear and he just laughed when he called to thank me. He calls me Miss Fit and claims that I had ESP whenever they had a Fit on the lot!

But he was really nice to not put on the logo or the front plate for me. Once you sign on the dotted line and start your deal the car is yours and that application should be the decision of the new owner. Just would be nice if Honda would consider giving the buyer that option or not.

Cat :x