I'm posting this here, because I do not believe there is a real answer and it may provide a modicum of amusement. Since getting the '08 Prius in -- well -- '08, there have been about four-to-six (not sure exactly) times that we find the front license plate is bent upward from the passenger side. It almost looks as if someone tries to rip the plate off by grabbing the bottom left hand corner of the plate and pulling upward and to the right. The angle of bend never reaches more than about 40-60 degrees. I usually shake my head, pull off the plate, put it between two pieces of scrap plywood, run it over with the car and replace it. My wife swears she never runs over anything and there never seems to be any related bottom damage. We live in the country and I thought that perhaps some critter was doing it to try to eat bugs off the plate, but we have never had that issue on other cars and if it were a critter, it is a long-lived one -- ten years of this. If figure if she had "run over" one of those concrete parking space blocks, the entire plate would be bent up from the bottom, or more likely, bent inward. Only other thing I can think is someone is messing with her....but for 10 years and only 4-6 times? I do know she got pretty upset with me this morning when she came into the house and said my plate is bent again and I replied "What the f*** do you keep doing?" .
Since it happens so seldom, what are the chances the car is pulled up over one of those blocks but not centered on it? A passenger gets in which lowers the right side of the plate on the curb and then the car reverses out of the spot? Just a blind guess on my part.
Could happen turning either way or backing up straight if that is the only part of the plate making contact with the top of the curb.
Smear some of this Tree Tanglefoot® Insect Barrier protects against gypsy moths, cankerworms, weevils, ants, caterpillars, moths and cutworms on backside area affected by these rare events. If a human is involved they will have a heck of a time getting it off their hand. I assume author is not mean enough to use novichok instead
Does this car go through a drive-through car wash? If so, have you checked the plate immediately after? The Brown Bear car wash here can do that to my spouse's unframed front plate, though pulled up from both lower corners. Before that, a different tunnel carwash actually took the front plate completely off my '86 Accord. I didn't notice it until home, called, and it was in their pile of 'acquired' plates. They gave me a generic steel frame that their machine wouldn't rip off. We haven't had any problems with plates surrounded by a frame or bracket, even plastic.
I would vote that it's some hoodlum. Being in the country though, they have to commute to do you harm. I've seen rear license plates bent in a similar fashion here in Arizona where we don't have a front plate requirement. Some punks with nothing better to do. They appear to single out the Prius as a target of their disdain. I've been the victim of theft of the black plastic rear wiper mount cover, which is on the list like BMW and Mercedes badges and other pilferables. Where are the parents...
Thanks for all the responses. Think we may have solved the mystery. Wife said that on a rare occasion, she turns super sharply into a somewhat steep driveway at her office.....very rare. And, when she does, sometimes she hears a scrape. She thought it was the bottom of the bumper, but I checked all the under car plastic, etc. and no scrapes are apparent. Now, we think it might have been the plate....
Maybe she said it happens when she leaves the driveway -- would that make a difference....I don't know, so many years of only half-listening....yeah, I know....evil Steve.
