I have a 2025 GLS 450 that I just purchased from a dealer in TN. I am registering the vehicle in IL so I need the front license plate bracket but the TN dealer said they would not install it because they did not know how! (Gives me a great feeling on how good their service dept is) I have the bracket but cannot figure out how it is to be mounted. I think I need to drill holes but where those holes would go is a wiring harness, plus no way to get behind that area to put a nut on a bolt.

Also, how can I determine that this car is really a MB CPO car?

 

Ummm, don't you think it would have been a good idea to verify it was a MBCPO car before signing your name on a bunch of documents? Did you even buy it from an MB dealer? If you did not, then it is not. Additionally, in all that paperwork you signed you should have received info on the MBCPO warranty. So, if you don't have that information in your documents it's probably not and you bought a used car with the balance of the original MFG warranty.

Regarding your front plate bracket, was it in the car somewhere or did your purchase this on your own? If it was in the car somewhere they should also be two black self tapping screws. That is how it is mounted.

 

I purchased it from MB of Memphis, it was a never titled used car, meaning it was never titled but was in the dealers loaner fleet so it had some miles on it. They gave me paperwork saying it is a CPO vehicle but I do not trust them that is why I am trying to verify.

There were 2 brackets in the car, one is for something else and the other is for my front end. I will look in the spare tire area again for those self tapping screws.

 

Typically loaners/demo's are not CPO because there is an expense associated with making them CPO and generally the dealership won't want to bother with that for 3-4,000 miles on a new vehicle. Not always though.

There are a couple ways you can look up your warranty information. For 23 or newer you can go to mbusa.com/en/vehicle-information and plug in your VIN. Or, you can call another dealer if you don't trust the one you dealt with for whatever reason. Jeff Jackson of MB Louisville is a good dude and would help I'm sure. His # is 502-894-6829

Regarding your plate, if you can't find them, any self tapping screw will do, I believe the ones it comes with are 5/16th or maybe 3/8th. Unfortunately I tossed mine and the bracket. But that is the way, it's not a nut and bolt situation. If you don't want to drill into your bumper cover though there are aftermarket products that can be purchased that offer an alternative way to mount.

 

It was new but not new so I asked them to CPO it and they said we will do that and cover the cost. Regarding the self tapping screw, right behind where I the screws go is a wiring harness so I was a little concerned about that.

Thanks for the information on Jeff In Louisville. I will give them time to register the sell and such then contact him.

 

I question anyone who still lives in Ill-Noise.

That said...I never, not ever had a front plate on any of my many cars for my over 20 years there. Not one of them. The Audi I had, took it off.

 

It would be ticketed pretty quick in NY. The old joke ask me how I know.

I don't have a bracket for mine, I think I'm going with the tow hook kind.

 

My 21 had it mounted previously so I left it. My 23 did not and the one in with the spare tire isn't the correct one. I live near an area where they tend to look for reasons to pull people over, but I have gambled so far with no problems in 8 months. I have talked to a few others that drive through these areas that have picky police and don't have a front plate. They said they have never been hassled when in nice vehicles. If I get pulled over for it I will decide what to do then. I wish there were better no drill or hidden license plate bracket mounting options for these. The only one I really like is only for the AMG GLS63.

If the dealer refused to put it on, I would be thrilled. That is far better than someone who doesn't know how to do it drilling holes and getting it wrong.