Man, police stopped my car yesterday for not having front plate installed. Damn it, I wondered also why my W211 doesn't have a place to install plate. I don't want to drill the front bumper either.

So.. "Mr. officer, yeah, I just got the car months ago, and now, I'm on the way to the dealer asking them what's up with my bumper. You can see that there is no way for me to install it though".

He let me go hehehe...... but I don't know how long I can keep doing this. Anyone here has any idea how to install the front plate nicely?

The dealer owes you a plastic front plate bracket, colored to match your paint. Maybe they hid it in your spare tire well. It screws into the front bumper, alas.

DWP,

Yes, the license plate bracket should be in the trunk, on the passenger side where the cargo net is located. But, the statement about it being color matched to the car is no longer correct. All the mid to late production E-class have black plastic brackets in place of the color coded ones in the earlier cars. I guess this is another way for MBUSA to cut back on costs!!!

Do I need to drill? The car is the one who's drilled, but I'm the one who hurts

lol -- yet another use for zip ties!

This BS is killing me!!! Sad.

Will you leave me your car in your will?

-s-

"But, the statement about it being color matched to the car is no longer correct. All the mid to late production E-class have black plastic brackets in place of the color coded ones in the earlier cars."

So, even people who buy their M-B in white get a loverly black bracket for their license plate? That goes way beyond "decontenting" and deeply into stoopid. It's one thing for M-B to save a few bucks by dropping things like outside lights or a lumbar adjustment, but a plastic license plate bracket should cost the same regardless of color. Apparently, it was just too much trouble for M-B to stock 18 colors of bracket. Maybe they needed the inventory and shipping costs they saved from cutting out the other 17 colors to help pay for the "Love My Mercedes" ads they are running now.

is the bracket visible, or does the plate hide it totally?

but yes, this is insane. right up there with that little tether on the rear armrest.

you dont need to drill it yourself at all, your dealer should do it for you, if you ask them.

If the current bracket is like the one on my '03, it's most definitely visible, especially from above. It extends about 1 1/2" back over the bumper on top, and ranges from 1/4" to 1/2" thick on the sides.

yes, but at least I have the color matched one, and if you live in a state where all the cars have front license plates, you will not even notice it after 2 days, it just looks normal.

The front plate bracket is a piece of "plastic", the same size as the license plate, with sides, top & bottom that wrap around and meet the curves of the sides, top, & bottom of the bumper cover perfectly. It is more than an add on "bracket", looks like it came on the car from the factory, (if not moulded in as part of the bumper) and I doubt that they only come in black now. If that's true, take it to a body shop & have it "flex painted" before you bring it back to the dealer for HIM to install.

Don't sweat the "add on" look of the plate bracket. It doesnt look bad like a front plate does on a Corvette or on cars that have a part of the front bumper cover which must be removed for the plate to be recessed into the bumper cover.

If your state requires it (mine does) that's all there is to it. Every car in the state has it. Are rear license plates so much more attractive?

ask Eric at www.bumperplugs.com. He does a nice business painting black plastic parts on Porsches and other cars. His results are terrific.

I peronally do not run a front plate.... They look like **** on a car so beautifully designed as the w-211's front end....So far I've gotten away with it and will deal with it when the man stops me.... The front mounting bracket my dealer handed me was also a molded plastic unit that when installed will look as if it were factory installed, but it's black.....

My guess is that he forgot to order one for you & grabbed one out of a black car. Go back to him & make him get you a bracket in brilliant silver... He was just lazy! I wouldn't put a black one on my pewter E either! Around here there are TONS of Brilliant Silver Es. TONS!

Just got off the phone with the parts dept and he states that all cars coming in have the black units and they are typicaly just thrown in the trunk when they arrive..... He says very few plates are drilled at the VPC anymore and the cars that are drilled at the VPC seem to have the painted ones more often than not... Looks as if their having the dealership do more and more these days. I asked him about obtaining a painted one and he quickly quoted me $75.00........ What a joke..... Looks as if I want one I'm going to have see my salesman and have a heart to heart talk with him.....

I guess its my fault in a way as I insisted they do not drill my bumper full of holes for a plate...

wow, how cheap can a luxury maker get? Guess I should be glad I got an 03 model instead of an 04? Risking the early production glitches but at least I have a relatively fully contented car.

I read what you wrote about all colors getting black front plate mounts. I think he is full of cr@p. I will check with my parts guy & let you know. If its true, take it to a body shop & have it flex painted & get a little bottle of touch up paint with the leftover paint. When the front plate bracket is installed, there ar no visible holes/mounting hardware to see.

Yikes! You're in the SF Bay Area? Uh oh...

Where exactly dig you get pulled over? I don't have my front bumper on either. Hope it's not on the same route I drive everyday.

The man did'nt get me yet kyee.... I'm kinda preparing for the the day he does....

I will not put one one the front.

I'm glad you didn't get caught yet, but I was actually talking to the original poster of this thread, lpolo. His sig says he's from the SF Bay Area.

Lots of us here are from the Bay Area, looks like.

East bay (680, 880) ok, Peninsula (101, 280) do not know yet.

Can't stand what the front plate does to the beautiful look of the 211 so I didn't have it installed. Makes the car look like a fashion model with a front tooth missing! I keep the plate mounted to the bracket in the trunk -"honest officer, it came off in the car wash!".