[hef]

I may be proving myself the ultimate noob, but I did a search and did not come up with any relevant threads on this. I live in PA, so I do not require a front license plate. In order to cover the ugly license plate placeholder, I decided to get the euro-style STi plate that is in the new 2008 Impreza accessories guide. It arrived at the dealer today, and I picked it up, brought it home and went to install it. The holes on the plate are not lining up with the holes on the front bumper. They line up with the rear license holder, but not the front. Is this a known issue?

[bklynpanman]

i'm assuming you know what the holes actually are in the front.. not the square things.. there are 2 dimples that you have to drill through.. screw the thing in and be done with it. good luck..

[hef]

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

For anyone who has done this, have you had an issue with the screws working themselves loose? Do I need to use a bolt/nut combo to hold the euro plate on? Any issues with cracking the bumper while drilling holes?

[DrPhyzx]

Originally Posted by bklynpanman

i'm assuming you know what the holes actually are in the front.. not the square things.. there are 2 dimples that you have to drill through.. screw the thing in and be done with it. good luck..

Or if you don't want to screw into your bumper (like I didn't) get these:
South Coast Performance (powered by CubeCart)

I'm picky about quality, and I'm very happy with these CNC-machined aluminum pieces. They have expanding sleeves on the outside screws for mounting in the square holes along with strong adhesive backing to keep them from rotating and come with nice stainless machine screws for mounting the plate (not shown in the pictures). Subaru should sell these.

Screw into my bumper?! I think not!

[hef]

Originally Posted by DrPhyzx

Or if you don't want to screw into your bumper (like I didn't) get these:
South Coast Performance (powered by CubeCart)

I'm picky about quality, and I'm very happy with these CNC-machined aluminum pieces. They have expanding sleeves on the outside screws for mounting in the square holes along with strong adhesive backing to keep them from rotating and come with nice stainless machine screws for mounting the plate (not shown in the pictures). Subaru should sell these.

Screw into my bumper?! I think not!

I really don't want to drill the bumper, but I am not sure how I like the plate not being flush with the bumper, i.e. sticking out. I will probably wind up with them after thinking it through though. Thanks for posting.

[chaos311clarity]

lol well... this is america... soooo...

im just kidding.. you have to use self tapping screws and put them into the bumper.. thats how my garnish is on the car

[Rootus]

Many people risk a ticket every day by not running a front plate in states that require them. This is the first time I've ever heard of someone who is not required to have a front plate wanting to install one ...

[DrPhyzx]

Originally Posted by hef

I really don't want to drill the bumper, but I am not sure how I like the plate not being flush with the bumper, i.e. sticking out. I will probably wind up with them after thinking it through though. Thanks for posting.

I never even thought about it: it sticks out about 1/4"... not really noticeable. The only downside is that you may need a stiff backing for your plate since it doesn't rest directly against the bumper. A US-sized sized plate is small and stiff enough that it isn't a problem.

I put mine in these:
*REAL CARBON FIBER*

because I swore I'd (a) never have rusty screws showing on this car and (b) never put any fake CF on anything I own.

[hef]

Originally Posted by Rootus

Many people risk a ticket every day by not running a front plate in states that require them. This is the first time I've ever heard of someone who is not required to have a front plate wanting to install one ...

it is a vanity plate. you never heard of anyone that used a vanity plate? the dealer said the wrx one was on order because they sold out of it.

[Spieda]

I was thinking of getting that same plate for mine, also in PA. hef, what does the back of the plate look like? Is it smooth/finished? I wanted to flip it around, paint it to match the car and decal it.

[hef]

Originally Posted by Spieda

I was thinking of getting that same plate for mine, also in PA. hef, what does the back of the plate look like? Is it smooth/finished? I wanted to flip it around, paint it to match the car and decal it.

it is smooth, brushed steel all over. should be okay for what you want to do.

[STI 08]

i already got a ticket for not having plates. it was only 3 days after i got them in the mail too

[GhoSStRyda]

i wanted to put my front plates on to avoid the fix it ticket so i took it to the renick subaru, dealership i bought the car from. i told the service tech i can't put the plates on the front cuz the holes dont match and i dont wanna drill holes into the car. hes says ok, no problem, we'll put it on for you. i said again, i dont want no drilled holes, hes says, ok!

i get the car back in 10 minutes, believing that they had honor my explicit request NOT to drill holes to mount the plate i went on my merry way. guess what? i got fugged! i left the dealership without double checking, which is probably my fault but even if i did, it was too late cuz they had drilled two unsightly holes into the front bumper! !$!#$^( im fuming right now and im going to go there tmorrow morning and raise friggen hell!

moral of the story is, DONT TRUST THE DEALERSHIP FUKS! make sure your explicit instruction is heard and understood. im so pissed...GRRRR!

[bklynpanman]

how else do you expect the plate to sit without screws. !?!?!??

[kiwachi]

how that euro-style STi plate look like? any picture that you can show? actually I would like to get one but I have no idea if it can solve my problem or not. It that euro-style STi plate only uses the two square holes to clip the plate on? no screw necssary?