Jerry's Evolving Thoughts on "new-to-me" Prime Premium

You got me curious, too. I've sometimes wondered, but never investigated. It seems like mostly northern states that require them.

So I did a search and the first site on the list turned out to be very interesting. Which States Require a Front License Plate?

In short, my impression was correct. Most northern states require them, but not all of them. (PA, for example) Most southern states don't require them, but not all down here either. (TX, for example) There are good arguments for and against front plates, so it's no wonder to me that it's so variable.

 

Also the same as @Washingtonian. The bracket, btw, has pins that locate it in those recesses in the grill so the plate is easy to center. Apparently, the original dealer in New Jersey assumed no one would ever take off the front plate in which case not pre-drilling would never be noticed. So now I have this:

 

Good thinking. I already have the countersink and was considering using it or maybe my dremmel with a tapered stone at very low speed. I have some plugs that might work. Perhaps, if I can get that offset crack lined back up, I can then drill to fit the plugs, cover it all with plastidip, and then pop in the plugs. Easier than trying to smooth over the holes.

 

I was thinking about combining the grill project with my oil change, but the all day rains kind of put the brakes on anything related to painting. So I changed the oil.

First, kudos to @Mendel Leisk for the suggestion of using the paint can opener for the plastic rivets on the plastic shield. That's the bomb!!! Thanks.

Second, the ramps I made worked great. I just pulled forward a little and slid them under the car behind the front wheels. Then backed up onto them using my backup camera and floor mark to stop me in the right place. My floor jack fit perfectly under the car and "Bob's your uncle," the front was on the jack stands.






Using the paint can opener on the plastic rivets that I washed last time, I had them off in no time flat, making it easy to do a quick visual inspection of the car's "basement." Then change the oil & filter and reverse the process to put it back on all fours. I noticed that the oil filter cap was kind of gritty and icky, so I cleaned that up and re-lubed it while I had it off.

One hour, start to finish taking my time. Pay someone to do this stuff for me? No way!! They'd have to pay me to let them do it.

 

Well, rats!! I got the grill off and discovered that the construction makes it really hard to reinforce and cement the crack. So it was a neat exercise, but I walked away with empty hands, but knowing more than I did before. Here's a blow by blow. For reference, I used the PDF that @Salamander_King provided in another thread (https://www.aioinissaydowa-arc.co.jp/pdf/technical/technical_115.pdf) and that was sufficient, but it sometimes took some effort to know exactly what to do since the pictures and explanations were not very thorough.


After taking off the black radiator cover (piece of cake), you can see and unplug the DRCC sensor.


The sensor is relatively easy to unplug, but all the plugs took some effort and did a little "snap" when they broke free, almost like there was a very mild adhesive.


Removing these four clips (2 on each side) was straightforward, but they did feel kind of flimsy. Also note that you turn them to the LEFT 90 degrees to release them. And they flex quite a bit.


You have to work in the blind to find and remove these screws. One on each side. The illustrations provided in the PDF were extremely vague as to the location.


This was the scary part! The PDF said to release the three "claws" on each side. No explanation as to which way to pry or where to pry. I pried straight down starting at the end closest to the tire.


I found the turn signals easier to unplug if I lifted the whole plug off the tab it was hanging on. See the gray part with the black inside it? That's the hanger.


Squeeze hard where my index finger is and pull them apart. Mine were stuck pretty good so I had to be careful to not damage the wires with the force I had to use. I had to pull scary hard!


And it just lifts off after removing a few more fasteners. There are 2 bolts and 4 plastic rivets holding it to the radiator mounting assembly. In the top picture, you can see the two bolts and the hole for one of the plastic rivets.


The ends with the body color are held on with 6 or 8 Philips screws and some plastic tabs. Very easy to remove and install, but it helps to have someone steady the other end as you work on it.


And then I came to the show stopper. The silver part is the back of the cracked acrylic grill. There is a lot of black plastic supporting structure and it' doesn't allow enough room to splint and glue the crack. You can see part of the crack there at the tip of my finger. I guess if I want it fixed, I need to buy one. If I do, it should go faster next time. This first time took about 2 hours to get apart. Less than an hour to put it all back.

So, color me disappointed but glad that it was fairly easy.