i dont know why this keeps uploading upside down but there...
Front plate @ delivery?
Curious... As I've now seen two different setups locally at dealerships..
For those of you in places that require front plates... Are your cars arriving at the dealership with the plate bracket pre installed? Or are your dealers installing them?
Are your rivets into the bumper itself, or into the black mesh grille?
Anyone in a front plate location, who's car came without a front bracket attached already?
One dealership had the bracket riveted into the black mesh area, and on had it riveted through the painted bumper area itself.
I have requested nothing to be attached to mine, but.... nobody has been able to tell me if they are coming pre attached from the factory or if it's being done in the dealership.
For those of you in places that require front plates... Are your cars arriving at the dealership with the plate bracket pre installed? Or are your dealers installing them?
Are your rivets into the bumper itself, or into the black mesh grille?
Anyone in a front plate location, who's car came without a front bracket attached already?
One dealership had the bracket riveted into the black mesh area, and on had it riveted through the painted bumper area itself.
I have requested nothing to be attached to mine, but.... nobody has been able to tell me if they are coming pre attached from the factory or if it's being done in the dealership.
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i dont know why this keeps uploading upside down but there...
Are you from New Zealand???View attachment 124
i dont know why this keeps uploading upside down but there...
That's reassuring. I like it, I wonder if it's regional? Or just certain dealerships? Definitely seems like a lot of people are of the opinion they come bracketed..new delivery at my work... we will be installing the plate bracket during pdi, same as my sales managers st.....
You can bet I'll be camping out when I find out mine is coming in on a truck... just to sneak a peek and make sure mine stay's plate free.. lol
I've been hounding my poor dealer like crazy about it.
mine came with one from factory because it was a special order. Dealer ordered it that way because of NY laws 
Yeah.. Hey Ziggy? Was that bracket-less ST or any bracket-less ST for that matter.. dealer stock? Or.. Customer orders with no plate option selected?
I'm satisfied that not all will come with a bracket installed at the factory... As I've seen it myself, and you've posted a photo... But still at a loss for how to ensure it arrives that way... and what's causing some to show up bracketed.
I'm satisfied that not all will come with a bracket installed at the factory... As I've seen it myself, and you've posted a photo... But still at a loss for how to ensure it arrives that way... and what's causing some to show up bracketed.
thats the second one we got and both came from factory bracket less... like i said before every vehicle we have got delivered, we have installed the brackets during pdi, even ford escapes, lincolns, the few focus st's we've had... im not sure if its a regional thing or not and my manager doesn't seem to know either.. we just get them that way? lol and a front plate is mandatory here so i dont see how it would be factory installed for just certain regionsYeah.. Hey Ziggy? Was that bracket-less ST or any bracket-less ST for that matter.. dealer stock? Or.. Customer orders with no plate option selected?
I'm satisfied that not all will come with a bracket installed at the factory... As I've seen it myself, and you've posted a photo... But still at a loss for how to ensure it arrives that way... and what's causing some to show up bracketed.
Front plate brackets are all dealer installed, they never come from Ford that way.
If you order a car and don't want the plate bracket installed be sure you have it in writing on your paperwork that way so they don't install it during dealer prep.
If you order a car and don't want the plate bracket installed be sure you have it in writing on your paperwork that way so they don't install it during dealer prep.
Mine was on my car the day it came off the truck. It was on before the dealer did the PDI
Actually it does appear that at least the Fiesta does come that way, I've worked n Ford dealerships for 20+ years and used to do PDIs and the plate brackets always came in the trunk but I just went back and found a pic I took of the first Fiesta ST we got while it was still on the truck and it did have the plate bracket on it.Mine was on my car the day it came off the truck. It was on before the dealer did the PDI
The old saying holds true, you learn something new every day.
.
Now we just need to find a good way to cleanly fill in and cover up those plate holes
Drilled out the rivets last night on the plate bracket. 1/4 drill through the center will do it. Becareful though as the bracket is also clipped into the upper grill. I just took a hacksaw blade (just the blade) and sawed through the little tabs that stick into the grill. then used needle nose pliers to remove the remaining plactic tab that was stuck in the grill. I felt that was safer that just pulling them out.
I'll use 1/4" plastic plugs that I'll paint match to conceal the little holes.
I'll use 1/4" plastic plugs that I'll paint match to conceal the little holes.
My dealer confirmed that front plate bracket was installed during PDI for their Fiesta ST. And mine is flagged to be left off.
It comes on the car when delivered - check out the introduction section, you can see it on there in my post. You dont need to hacksaw the top clips off, it just pulls off the grille after you drill out the rivets. I tried removing the radiator diffuser panel hoping to gain access behind the grill but the diffuser, black, is part of the bumper. Go figure.
Yeah, I saw yours with the bracket attached on the truck. Excellent color choiceIt comes on the car when delivered - check out the introduction section, you can see it on there in my post. You dont need to hacksaw the top clips off, it just pulls off the grille after you drill out the rivets. I tried removing the radiator diffuser panel hoping to gain access behind the grill but the diffuser, black, is part of the bumper. Go figure.
I don't know why it seems to be different for some people. But some cars are definitely arriving without brackets attached prior to PDI. Someone who works for a dealer has already gone through the trouble to post up photo's showing as much.
Can't seem to get any definitive answers as to why, or what dictates this difference.
Wonder if its the non-required states that are the ones getting them installed at PDI
The photo's Ziggy posted with no bracket installed, were from a front plate requiring province. I'm in BC and have seen a car with no front plate, and my dealer says that theirs was put on during PDI.Wonder if its the non-required states that are the ones getting them installed at PDI
However, even people who claim to have deselected the front plate option, are still getting them with brackets installed as they arrive on trucks.... (I am wondering if this is an issue, where... dealers are mistakenly putting the order through with the front plate option selected?. and just telling the customers they ordered without? ) I know I personally sat there to enter my order in the system.. and personally made sure the front plate option was not selected for my car.. I'll definitely try and get to the dealer when it arrives on the truck and snap up some photo's.. To verify whether or not my car shows up pre drilled or not.
Remains a mystery for the time being. It seems weird that it would be completely "random" so I am betting there must definitely be something that dictates whether this happens during PDI or prior. I can't imagine some guy sitting around flipping a coin as every car passes by deciding whether to slap a bracket on or not.
I am wondering... if you do intentionally select the bracket option upon ordering... Would it get installed @ factory, or is it put in the trunk?
If everyone who's had one installed, has ordered without... Maybe for legal reasons, those opting OUT of the bracket are ironically the ones getting it installed @ the factory. Rather than put in the trunk.
I know when I ordered my Camaro, (GM product so perhaps not relevant.) I did the same thing and deselected the front bracket.. This got my bracket put in the trunk upon delivery... I zip tied it to the grille upon delivery so that the dealer wasn't responsible, as they wouldn't let me drive off without one attached.... so that I could sort it out with an alternative solution.
Mine came with the plate installed from the factory, it even shows up on the window sticker. We drilled out the rivets and now there are two tiny holes in the bumper.
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