Spagolli94

So I've finally come to a deal on the lease of a new 2015 IS350 F-Sport. The dealer didn't have the exact color I wanted, so they had it shipped from out of state. In PA, we don't need a front license plate, but the dealer sent me pics of the car on the lot, ready for delivery and it has a front bracket installed by the original dealer.

I'm not sure why the original dealer would've done that. One would think they would wait to see who purchase the car, and where they lived, to determine if they needed to bolt the front bracket on the car.

Anyway, the dealer has offered to install some bumper plugs. I had these on an old 330i and they weren't awful, but noticeable. However, with the mesh grille on the F-sport, I'm wondering if the bumper plugs might be pretty much invisible and thus a non-issue.

I'm going to look at the car (and hopefully take delivery) tomorrow morning. I told the dealer I'd make the decision about the plugs at that time. The dealer seems to understand and agree that as this is a brand new car, I want it to be perfect. If I hate the plugs, we have two options. One, switch out the front grille with another, pristine grille from an IS350 on their lot. If that's not doable, locate another car.

Both options seem like a huge pain for plugs that might be barely noticeable. Am I being crazy? The last thing I want to do is go tearing the front bumper off a brand new car, just to get rid of a couple tiny plugs hidden within the mesh.

Assuming the plugs aren't god awful ugly, do you think I should just let it fly? I guess it all depends on how noticeable they really are. Has anybody else been in my position? What did you do?

JDR76

It's pretty typical for the bracket to be installed prior to purchase.

Me personally, the plugs wouldn't bother me and I would accept delivery. However, this is your car, and your money, so just be sure that it's as perfect as you want it to be. Take a look at it and if you don't like the looks of the plugs, work with the dealer towards a solution. It sounds like they are willing to work with you.

Good luck!

HanaleiISF

I have to admit I had to read this title twice....

Spagolli94

I'm going to take delivery. The plugs are so tiny and blend in with the mesh. If I wasn't looking for them, I'd never know they were there.

This car wasn't the original one they were going to order - that dealer trade fell through. Turns out this car has an MSRP $600 higher than the other car, but the dealer is going to honor our original deal. So yes I'll have tiny plugs, but I'm also getting $600 in options for free.

Dark9t316

When I bought my car, I told them in advance that if they drill holes in the front, I will NOT take delivery. ****? Yes but when you're paying this much for a car, it has to be perfect for you.

itsjdmyo

i agree...ultimately, it would depend on what state you live in, for the dealer to confirm if front bracket for plate would be installed or not. beset option is for them to leave it up to the purchaser of the vehicle to make that decision. when i bought my 3IS F-Sport, the bracket was left alone and in my trunk. needless to say, it's still sitting in my trunk

Spagolli94

The last two posts are technically correct, which is why I was worried. Here's what happened...

I knew they were going to have to order a car from another state. So I went to my local dealer to drive a car on the lot before giving them the green light to order the other car. After my test drive, I told them I would think about it on the drive home and let them know either way.

When I arrived home, I sent them an email telling them to go ahead and order the car along with some questions and requests, including - no front bracket.

Literally 5 minutes later, I got a text from the dealer with pics of the car on their lot. They ordered it before I gave them the green light and before they knew my "no front tag" request. Today, I learned why they jumped the gun. As yesterday was the last day of the month, I think they decided to give it a shot, order the car and hope it arrived in time for my test drive. If it had, I could've driven the actual car, and likely purchased it yesterday - the last day of the month. In fact, today, my sales guy said, "too bad you didn't buy the car yesterday as I wound up a half car short of my quota for a bonus."

So that explains why they ordered the car prematurely before waiting for my final decision and receiving my no front tag request.

The dealer looked into replacing the front grill. Huge job. They did offer to try to locate another car for me, but I never pursued this path. I guess if I was really ****, I could've demanded another car.

But when I showed up this morning, the plugs are so minimal that you really need to look for them to see them. AND, the car I got has $600 worth of extras that weren't part of our deal, yet the dealer honored the price from my original deal. There's a good chance that if they found another car, it might not have had these options. So I made a judgment call to take my free $600 in options and deal with the plugs.

If anybody else runs into a similar situation, don't worry. The plugs are very, very small, blend in with the mesh and really aren't a big deal. And I'm very very **** when it comes to this stuff. I was trying to point them out to my girlfriend and she was like, what are you talking about. I literally had to get down and point directly at them for her to see them.

Overall, I'm a happy camper.

Randre19

Are the plugs black? I tried to get plug for my grille months ago and the dealership I called had no idea what I was talking about. When I explained to them what they were for, they wanted an obscene amount of money for them.

itBurnsISF

The 2 small holes in the huge grille are barely noticeable unless you're looking for it. I wouldn't sweat it.

Spagolli94

Yes, they are black and about the size of shirt buttons. They are very simple in that they work just like thumbtacks. I think there is a website for them, something like bumperplugs.com.

They offer paint matching but in our case we just need black so I would think they would be pretty cheap.

If, over time I feel the plugs bother me, I guess I could consider filling the holes with a couple dabs of black epoxy filler stuff.

silvaIS

iTrader: (2)

what are these $600 of options you referring to?

Randre19

http://www.bumperplugs.com/index.php...&product_id=85

Randre19

$35 for bumper plugs seems steep. Gonna try to get them from my dealer for free.

Spagolli94

I know - $35 for two pieces of plastic seems crazy. I think this is because they are color matched. However, as we just need black I don't see why they are $35.

I just posted pics of my new car in another thread. If you look closely, you might be able to pick out the plugs.