Brought my '21 NX to the car wash to clean off the winter road salt & grime. Car came out sparkly. But my front license plate was completely mangled. It was bent from the bottom and sides - totally bent over to the screws. We are required to use a front plate in Massachusetts, and Lexus uses only a cheap top-half bracket to mount the plate to the front grille (and a rattly rear bracket, but that's a separate thread). I know other owners have had similar issues. I found this thread:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nx-...size-help.html

Which suggests using this metal mounting plate:



Behind the front plate as a stiffener, and a decorative metal frame around the front of the plate. The thread doesn't really say if this solution works though. Does anyone have experience with this idea? Does it work? Any other ideas?

I'm going to try to flatten my front place on my workbench with a rubber mallet. Hopefully it won't look awful. My car is essentially brand new (bought it last Aug and only 6k miles). I'm glad it was only the plate that got bent and not an actual part of the car. I can always pay an RMV fee and replace the plate. But I'm disappointed Lexus/Toyota. Cheap part. Though perhaps better than my daughter's new Honda HRV, where the front plate is just screwed into the plastic bumper.

 

I had the same problem going through an automated car wash, so this is what I use. Works great to add more support behind the plate and in front of the cheap half bracket.

 

Thanks! Does it rattle? There is a whole other thread about adding a silicone frame to the rear plate to stop the rattles. Hoping I’m not adding rattles to my front plate to stop the bending. Also looks like I’m going to have to order up a replacement plate from the Mass RMV. One of my bolt holes got pretty twisted. That’s another $60 bucks & I think six weeks wait.

 

No, it doesn't rattle from what I can tell. But you can opt to put nuts and bolts on the bottom two holes to fasten the license plate and the support frame together since the bottom two holes don't connect to the bracket.

 

i have front license plate assembly for sale if u want it. check marketplace. Perfect shape

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/market/963195

 

I had the same issue in car wash and used a license plate bracket and hasnt happened since.