Pekkle

I am debating if I should remove the front license bracket so it look nicer without the frame. but I am sure the bumper already have 4 holes holding the bracket, will the bodyshop be able to patch does hole up and look like brand new? I hate how they drilled onto the bumper directly!

jallison12

There's little plugs you can get for those holes. I googled "license plate hole plug" and got a whole bunch of hits, mainly other car forums. If you read through some of those, there's probably a link to a store.

When I got my car last year from PA it didn't have a front bracket - not needed in PA. I REALLY didn't want to drill anything on my car. Plus, the plastic bracket is like $110 So instead I found this guy who machine license brackets that screw onto the front tow hook. $90 and no permanent damage, and NY legal.

One thing though. When I picked up the car the dealer and I talked about the lack of front plate. He had another wagon, which did have a front plate that he was going to give me. But when he took it off it was nasty under there!

konigstiger

Two possible solutions:
http://www.bumperplugs.com
https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....67&postcount=1

Long Islander

That's unbelievable. Are you sure?

gaazmon

Have you thought about having the bracket painted? I was thinking about doing that at least so it matches better to the bumper cause mine is just black plastic.

My CL500 has it painted and it looks a little better. Also, this one does not stick out as much as my E320.

I know it's a requirement in CA, but I've seen E-classes and other cars all the time w/o it. What gives?

jallison12

Yup, called the dealer, Rallye in Roslyn. Plus labor of course!

Neoii

They are just risking getting a ticket.

E2233

On European Delivery vehicles to the US do you know of any brackets for the front and back license plates to use to cover the holes on the removal of the European plates.

Long Islander

I was thinking about that too, but on a dark blue car, it will hardly be noticeable. If you want to do it, Eric at www.bumperblugs.com should be able to do it for you if you send him the plastic bracket.

Pekkle

Thanks for the links, I hate how they just drill right into the bumper, and here is the ugly part, they drilled four holes into my bumper, the plugs would look funny because of the four holes.. I am going to check with my bodyshop and see if they can do anything..

Here is the crazy thing, since the 07 bumper is pointed in the front, my bracket is actually angled too, so my license plate and the frame has to be bent before I can install them. Sux..

gaazmon

That really sucks. Just noticed today, my aunt's 2007 E350 doesn't have the front license plate bracket either (came like that when she bought it brand new). Also, my friend's 2008 C300 doesn't have it either. I really don't get why some of these cars come with it and some don't, really pisses me off that they have the nerve (and the govt. has the nerve to make it a law) to drill holes in a bumper for a car this nice.

However, I have seen when this is a good thing. A co-worker of mine was hit by a kid making a left-hand turn. The kid took off, but his front license plate fell off.

gaazmon

Thanks Oggie for the reference. I noticed they had a lot of cool stuff for Porsches. Makes me have second thoughts about turning down buying my uncle's '99 convertible 911.

I think it's especially ridiculous to have the front license plate on a car like a 911. Sorry, about all the ranting guys, I guess I'm just like this. Something small pisses me off, and I start a crusade against it .

j_belll

i took mine off, had 4 holes. had the bumper spotted and repainted.

jallison12

I understood it was dependent on the State the car is intended for. If the State has mandatory front plates, the dealer (I think) *has* to put on the bracket.

j_belll

no, in CA you sign a waiver at the dealer saying u understand CA is supposed to have front plates and u agree u dont want drills holed blah blah blah...

i think.

Long Islander

Yeah, I hadn't realized that until we picked up my wife's 2008 wagon. I had a nice frame with clear cover, but since it can't be angled, I couldn't put it on. NYS plates are made of thin aluminum, so they bend easily. At least the dealer put a flexible black frame over the plate, with black screws, so the whole thing looks pretty nice. I was concerned that my plate will get chips on it without a cover, but the DMV told me they'd make up new plates for only $18 per pair (they're personalized plates), so I'll just replace them when they look old (still cheaper than the frame/clear cover I bought).

Pekkle

Oggie, I am not sure why the bracket is angled they could have made it flat like the 06 and prior. If I would get a MB logo plate in the front, that thing is not going to bend, so I guess my only solution is to remove the bracket and either get a new one or have bodyshop paint them.

FreshBenz, the pictures inside your posting, is that the front bumper that had 4 holes and you spotted it and repainted it? because it looked like it never had the bracket before. Very nice looking! I guess I will do the same then.. how much does it cost you?

j_belll

yup thats the bumper. $200 or $250, dont remember.

Barry45RPM

Any decent body shop can fill the front bumper & paint the bumper to make an undetectable repair. I had it done on my Dad's car when he moved from NY to FL.

Long Islander

If your bumper is otherwise in good condition, I wouldn't bother painting it. Just get the plugs from www.bumperplugs.com. If your bumper later gets damaged, or gets lots of stone chips, well, then, that's a different story.

If you are going to get it painted, make sure the body shop bakes the bumper in the oven after painting. I had that done to my Jaguar front bumper after a kid ran into it with his bicycle (while parked) and it came out great and still looks great after 3 years. The bill for the bumper painting alone, with labor was around $600. The child's father's homeowner's insurance paid for it.

Polar Bear

This really gets on my nerves as well. What REALLY ticked me off is that I spoke with the original owner of my car who lives in a state where they are not needed. I asked him if he put the bracket on the front of the car and he said no, that it was in the trunk when he traded it. So I pick the car up, and guess what... Some idiot drilled the holes and put it on there. And the car was NEVER in a state that required a front license plate.

I went through the same thing, and ended up putting a euro plate on the front of mine, and actually really like the look. Everyone else was like "put a mirrored Mercedes star on there" but I am not into that look.

Will post a pic if you are interested. I didn't really want it to say anything, so I just lifted the number from a Mercedes-Benz stock photo.