Word of warning to those who don't want / need to wear a front license plate on their new 06 Civic Hybrid...make sure you tell your dealer's staff to leave it off
before taking delivery of the car!
I went to take off my front plate, because I hate the way it looks on a car, and I wanted to take it in to have a clear bra ordered for it, like I had on my Accord.
There are two 13mm bolts underneath, that connect to the recessed part of the lower grille. No problem there. Just like the Accord. Put the bolts right back in the holes, and all is concealed and well.
Went to remove the plate holder, and...it's still on. Has to be another bolt someplace. After removing the plate from the holder, and looking closely, I see it...
There's a self-tapping screw that fastens the center of the holder to...the front bumper. "No..." I say to myself..."they couldn't have..." But they did. Removing the screw and the holder reveals...a 1/8" hole, right in the center of my bumper.
Since front plates are required in my state, and they had done PDI on my car before I arrived to drive it, the dealer considered themselves blameless. After all, the manufacturer had included that screw and instructions to put it there, did they not ?
Seems to me that common sense would tell you not to screw through a bumper cover, but hey - that's just me, apparently.
So now, before having the bra put on, I get to visit my local body shop, and see what they'll charge to fix this - if they can fix it. I also have a hybrid-exclusive paint color, so that'll be hard to procure and take longer for them to color match it. I'll also have to wait 45 days before I can have the clear bra installed - all the while taking my chances with rocks, etc, chipping off the paint, as Hondas are notorious for in the last few years.
Aaaauuuggh!
