Hi guys,
When I got the 430 from IL, it already had a front plate mounting bracket on there (IL requires front+rear plates). I don't like the front the plate mounting thing as I think the car looks much better without it. I went to remove it, but instead of holes drilled at a flat angle, they were protruding outwards a lot...to the point where I don't think I could just plug them in and have it look good.

My current thoughts are:
1) Find some sort of plug that would cover it + look inconspicuous. It is a bit optimistic though as they do come out a good half inch or so.
2) Get a custom europlate for the front. I've always liked the europlate a lot, but am not 100% sure about fitment and such. If I were to go this route, I would probably have it say "NEED4SPD" or something like that (avoiding anything too douchy lol). If anyone has had experience fitting a europlate on please chime in.
3) Don't bother and leave it the way it is. I wouldn't mind it too much, but would rather do options 1 or 2.

For reference here is my front as is now:

 

I had the same thing on my LS from Washington. It was uglier with the license plate bracket removed than with it left in place. The cheap solution is to put a maize & blue front plate on your car.

Since I had some other scrapes on the bumper, I had it refinished and made the holes disappear.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...and-clean.html

 

Hi CG -

Am assuming Michigan DOESN'T require a front plate or you wouldn't be considering other options. Here in California, as opposed to tinting where there's a little more subjectivity as to getting pulled over, it's an automatic ticket (read: revenue source) if you don't have both front and back plates.

Also glad to see you not wanting to get too clever if you keep the front plate frame. Imho, a Lexus doesn't lend itself to high school verbiage on there.

You might check w/ your Lexus dealer as to a local body repair guy and how much it would be to have it filled in. You might try a couple of black rubber plugs just to see how it looks but doubt if you'll like it. Personally, think you're 100% correct in saying it looks much better w/o anything but it could be costly to get that clean a look.

Btw, there's always option #4 and that's to put the matching Michigan front plate back on. Might just be the lesser of the evils ;-)

Good driving -

 

Considering where I go to school...if I did that my car would get torched faster than a plate that said "$MONEY$$" lol

I really like what you did. The dealer that I went to included a pretty good respray of front and rear bumpers in the sale price (I got mine for $25.2k before taxes with CPO). The paint itself looks fantastic and free of stone chips since I keep a huge distance when I drive.

Where did you go to get all your paintwork done? That shop in Brighton? How is it holding up? I have some misc scratches and scuffs that I would like taken care of. Prev owner was an old guy and he probably just parked as close to the store entrances as possible (don't blame him, just saying).

 

Thanks for the suggestions! Yeah I really do prefer the clean look with nothing there. MI does not require a front plate (one of the few things I like about MI lol). I am probably going to go to that same body shop Caddyowner used and ask them how much it will cost to plug it and paint the small areas (I really can't justify a full respray since the dealer threw in a front+rear bumper respray before car was delivered)

 

I had my paint work done at Lawrence Auto Body in Brighton. You'll talk to Kate, one of the owners, to get the estimate. Her husband, Larry, and son work in back. Kate is a former insurance adjuster, so she knows cars. (She's also the former mayor of Brighton.) She drives a 2000? LS400 they fixed up at the shop.

Mewhee's suggestion is a good one. If you order a vanity plate in Michigan from the Secretary of State, you can get a second one at the same time for a small amount more. (Gotta keep Michigan Prison Industries busy!) My 81 vette had a front plate indentation molded into the bumper, so it really needed something there. I put my second vanity plate there, C3 RV, with a clear cover to keep it clean.

 

You might want to try these:

http://www.bumperplugs.com/

 

Neat!

Who knew such a thing existed

 

I like this idea quite a bit, probably the cheapest solution. My only concern is that the holes do protrude out quite a lot. I saw in the ad of someone getting rid of the protrusion. While it might go great, I have a feeling that it might also have a chance of going pretty wrong (that and the plugs aren't cheap as they should be at $25 or so). For those reasons I'm kinda leaning towards a Euro plate at this time.

I most likely will check out that shop in Brighton first to see if they can do anything simple to make it look good. I saw 1 photo where the 430 was a British one with a proper front mounting bracket and everything. If I can't properly plug up the holes, I may try and go this route. Any opinions on this? Yes, no? I have always liked the look of them as it does make your car more distinct and unique. I have yet to see a Lexus or Toyota with euro plates in the road, so I am a bit hesitant as well.

 

I like the maize and blue idea best, check out keytechniques.net. Click on Mr2 and scroll down to bumper plugs

 

I got the aerotech plugs and plugged the holes. The key is to first use a razorblade and cut the part that sticks out flat. You then drill the hole to the size in the instructions (IIRC, 1/4") and push in the plugs...no glue needed.

 

Drilling the holes part is what I am apprehensive about. I only have one chance and I want them to line up perfectly. I am probably going order a set of plugs though and see if I can do anything without too much alteration. When you say cut the excess bit off, do you have to sand it afterward? I might have that body shop Greg told me about take a look at it.

 

Call Kate about doing the plugs for you. BTW, they should have the right paint match for you from my car.