My New Prius Came Today! I'm Pissed! Help!

Do you see another Sandy Beach color Prius on the lot?
If so, ask the dealer to switch the bumpers before you will take procession of the car.
If not wait for another one.
BTW, Sandy Beach is a hard to find color.

 

It sounds like this car was originally delivered to a jurisdiction that requires two plates while yours requires one. I suspect your option is to pass on the car. NJ has front plates so this is a non-issue here. IMO you are over-reacting but it is your money & your car. If you don't like it, don't take it.

 

Even without the license plate frame, doesn't the license plate itself have to be bolted onto the front bumber in the same holes? Does your state require front and rear license plates?

I remember when I was looking at new 2007 models w/o license plates there were 2 small dimples in the front bumbers ready for drilling out for license plate bolts.

So if you don't want to advertise your dealers name you can ask that the license plate frame be removed, but the license plate itself would have to stay.

Marvinh

 

You're being too picky, just put a NY Yankee plate there and all will be fine.

 

Isn't there little plugs (colored) that cover the holes where the plate bracket is mounted to? If so, it wouldn't be a problem taking it off and placing the plugs back in.

 

It would be a deal breaker for me. I hate front license plates--the car looks so much cleaner without one. When I buy a car, I specify that I do not want the front license plate or bracket installed. Even though they're required in CA, every dealer has accommodated my request--in fact, many say they only install them if the owner requests, since so many people don't want them (I'd say 1/3 - 1/2 of cars here don't have front plates).

 

Don't accept it. There will always be another.

 

I've used bumperplugs on several cars (Porsches used to come from the factory with the front plate mounting holes pre-punched). Great quality, but they are the lesser of 2 evils. See pic below.

 

In California, auto deposits are fully refundable by law. You might want to check your local laws before you broach the topic with the dealer.

 

Ask yourself, "What would Lucy Montgomery do?"

 

The problem could be solved by replacing the front bumper cover. You would probably have to be willing to walk away if they won't do it.

 

ajoyce,

:welcome: to PRIUSchat.

At the risk of appearing insensitive, you are being too picky. If the car
has the options you want, get the bumper plugs and move on. :car:

For the most part, we all have a special affection for our Prii.

That said, it is just a car. Like it or not, the rest of the world, yes,
even the rest of the cosmos, couldn't care less about your front bumper.

Once on the road, your car will be subject to the vicissitudes of life in
the real world:
* dings and dents in the doors from dolts in parking lots
* scrapes on the front bumper and hood from rocks and pebbles
(the paint seems rather soft)
* pits and maybe a crack in the windshield (the glass seems rather soft)
*scratches on the lower body from pebbles and rocks thrown up by
your own tires
* other not so minor damages/insults resulting from contacts with
shopping carts, light poles/and their support wires, very high curbs,
small and largish animals and birds, falling branches, trash of
uncountable kinds on the road, being "keyed," etc.

And then there's the possibility of a collision or other accident...

In the long run, what possible significance can there be to two small,
symmetrical bumps on the front bumper?

Of course, you can avoid these inevitabilities by locking you car in a
nitrogen filled cave... (You'll need to run the car for 45-60 minutes
every two weeks or so to keep the batteries charged.)

You'll save even more money on gas, tires, and insurance too.

 

this is terrible , done put a plate on the front ,, it wasn't there when the mileage rating were developed i thing it messes with the air flow,, it a dealer thing