I just moved to Fl. and went to take my front plate off, when I noticed the bracket had rubbed through the paint in two spots. I searched in the foroums but did not find the answer I needed. Since this is a design flaw with Acura/Honda, should they be responsible for fixing it? My car is also a lease and if they refuse to fix it, will I be charged for the damage? Most threads only talk about the tird self tapping screw, which thankfully I do not have. I would just assume that a small piece of foam could have bee used just like at the top of the rear plate. This could easily be removed if neccesary.

 

when you turn in the car after the lease, just leave the bracket on. if they complain about damages, say it's from the license holder and it's an acura design flaw and complain and make them fix it under warranty. or if you're that worried about it contact the dealer and complain.

 

Welcome to Florida Check out some of the meets.

 

I have the same problem. I still don't know how to approach the dealership.

 

Guys, dont worry about this, this is just normal wear and tear. I install clear bras and so i end up taking lots of license plate brackets off, and i can tell you that no car manufacturer uses foam to protect the bumper.

Lexus, Infiniti, Honda, Toyota, Bmw, ALL have damage from license plate brackets. It is almost unpreventable, unless of course you have a clear bra installed right away. Dealers will not go after you for this on a lease return.
Peace.
Jake

 

Next spring I plan on giving my front skirt and bumper a fresh start. Road chips and the bracket have done a good job chewing up my bumper. At that point, I will be looking at doing something to avoid this problem which seems to have snuck up on several of us TSX owners. It's a horrible design.

What are the options?

1) Screwing the bracket firmly in place.
2) Clear Bra
3) Insulating the bracket with a foam. I get the feeling this wil be easily worn down.
4) Insulating the backete with rubber. I think I am going to try this one and then:
5) Glueing the bracket in place.

I did see one guy on here that moved the bracket underneat the bumper on to the skirt. I liked that idea...but it seemed like a lot of work. I may still consider it though...

Chris

 

I dont have a front license plate bracket but I need to buy one since VA law requires them. I was thinking of putting some of the 3M double-sided moulding adhesive tape on the back of it where it contacts the bumper just to be safe. Would this work?

 

Thanks for the feedback, but now that I don't need the plate anymore, I have to stare at two black marks instead of the nicely painted bumper that is supposed to be there. Shouldn't the dealer be responsible for fixing this so my car can look the way it is supposed to.

 

Why should they be? If the car originally had plates there, they are under no obligation to fix anything if the plates and bracket were taken off.

 

Because they are the ones who installed the bracket and it's an obvious design flaw from Honda/Acura. I am not rquired to have a front plate and the car was not intended to have to have one either. that is why there is no permanent indent on the front bumper for the plate like many American cars have. I purchased a brand new car that is supposed to be defect free. If I cause the problem fine, but if the dealer causes it, then it is a defect.

 

If you aren't required to have one then why on earth did you let them put it on? And if you don't know then I have to ask why you didn't take it off the minute you came home. If you don't know the answer to that either then I would say that you shouldn't worry about it now, especially since you're not going to keep the car a long time.

 

If you read the first post you would know that, but let me refresh. I just moved to Florida and it is not required here. Do you guys work for Acura or something? Do you benefit by protecting there mistakes somehow? I would just assume that as an owner you would want damage fixed on your car as well and I am sure that I am not the first person that has actually moved to a different state.

 

I wouldn't worry about the issues after your lease ends, just put the bracket back on without a plate.

Why don't you take some pics so we can see how big the marks are?

 

Can you take a picture so we can see where the wear spots are? I just had my front bracket removed to have a clear bra installed and I'd like to know where the spots are that need some extra protection. Thanks.

 

Will try to take some photos. One is right at the point of the bumper about the size of a nickel and the other one is a horizontal line not as bad. They are rubbed clear through the paint to the plastic though.

 

My bad, I missed the part about you moving.

 

I happen to have my front license plate "holder" off the car. They removed it to put on the clear bra. There is a plastic reinforcement about the size of a quarter right in the middle. I assume this is what wore through. The only other places it touches is along the edge that is visible when it is attached. I'm not sure what can be done about this. If I put some sort of pad on there, it will still rub. And putting a pad along the edge will just make it show from the outside. Maybe some mole skin?

 

Removed mine as soon as I arrived home with it.

 

Here is the backside of the front license plate holder. I put a piece of mole skin on this bump out before replacing it. Maybe that will slow things down.