Esquire

I bought my pro used, and it came from a state where the front license plate was required. In the front is had a dealer license plate so I took it out to find two holes drilled into the bumper. I've kept the plate on there but I want to take it off because it looks cleaner but I don't like driving around with the holes in there. Anyone have any advice to fill and repaint the holes or should I get the dealership to do that?

Also, I was thinking of removing the dealer advertisement from the back and removing the pinstripe along the side. My guess is that it's the dealer badge is held on by double sided tape. Is that easy to take off, and will it scar the paint at all? And is there an easy way to remove the pinstripe without scarring the paint?

I'm thinking I should get the dealer to do all this if it's not too expensive.

Esquire

Woah... sorry guys, I though i was in the exterior/interior thread. That's what happens when you wake up at 5:30 AM for work.

Feel free to move it to the right thread.

Esquire

FoxyMazda, thanks for the help.

But in case there is any confusion... the dealer badge is an acual badge, not just a sticker. It's a piece of plastic (or something similar) that's bonded to the car somehow.

I'm not sure how you interpreted what I said, but I just thought I'd clear things up for good measure.

funkdaddysmack

Like Foxy said, a good way to remove 'badges' is using a hair dryer to heat the adhesive, and use fising line to run along the back of the badge to peel it off. If theres any sticky stuff left on the paint, I think WD40 will take it off easily enough.

hihoslva

For the bumper holes - I'd take a stroll up and down the Home Depot aisles, and look for a plastic plug that'll fit in the holes in the bumper. If your car is dark colored, you could look for black ones - or whichever ones you get, go to an auto parts store and pick up a small can of touch up spray paint (like DupliColor) in your car's color, spray the plugs, then pop 'em in. Won't be smooth like factory, but it'll look a helluva lot better. Some cars come with plugs like that pre-installed, and if you don't put on a front plate, you live with plugs in the bumper.

Come to think of it - you might be able to get these plastic plugs made for automotive uses - sometimes called "insulation fasteners" - some have a philips head, others are plain. But they simply push into an opening, and won't come out again. They look something like this:


If you can, go to a body shop and ask for them - guaranteed they have a few thousand in a box somewhere, and will just give you a few.

As far as the pinstriping and dealer badge - you're on the right track, but there is one thing to consider:

Since your car is a few years old, the areas under the dealer badge and striping has probably NOT been affected by the UV rays of the sun. If you pull them off, the paint underneath might be a different shade than the rest of the car, because it has not weathered like the rest of the paint. Just something to think about before pulling that stuff off - you might end up looking worse than just leaving it alone.

~HH

Esquire

HH, thanks for the help.

My local body shop is not so local (half an hour away) so I'll call them to see if I can get those plugs, and if I go then I'll see if I can get a paint match too.

The dealer badge is from the used car dealership not from when it was new, so it's probably been on there for only a few months.

I'm not sure when the pinstripe was put on there, but now I'm considering about leaving it on there.

MP5s Make Ready

Just put a front vanity plate on the front.

Arkos

There's someone here that used dress up license plate bolts, ... probably in some anodized color. You might be able to find something along those lines at pepboys or autozone. You might even be able to paint them with touch up paint.

soma

I wish i lived in a province/state that didn't require a front lisence plate