Hi all we are getting our car next week and I remember there was a thread about extra holes being drilled to put the plates on, but I think it was mentioned that we should ask for the plate to be stuck on instead of extra holes drilled, can someone put me right on what to ask them to do as I can't remember, front/back not sure.
thanks

was this not on the pandas? or are they doing the same on the 500's?

Thats why I mentioned it 3 times but Only realised when I got the car home that there are two plastic screw covers on each plate!!!!To be honest I havent double checked that they are hiding screws and not just there because the actual number plate already had holes drilled in it ready but seems odd!!Cant remember whether its the front or back that doesnt have the holes in the right place but know that someone will be able to tell you! whether you manage to get them to stick the plates on tho ...who knows , my attempts dont seem to have worked!!

andy armitage said:

can someone put me right on what to ask them to do as I can't remember, front/back not sure.

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There are four pre-drilled holes in the tailgate for the rear plate to be fitted. Most dealerships will ignore these and just stick the rear plate on.

There are dimples (for want of a better word) in the front bumper that should be used as a guide for drilling the front plate and screwing it on (front plates are far more likely to fall off if only stuck on) but as they are only drilling into plastic it doesn't matter where they put the holes.

Thanks for that Scrogg so what you are saying is I don't need to worry about it or even mention it to them? They wouldn't drill more holes in the tailgate would they?

More than likely - looking at the Panda owners, they tend to ignore the pre-drilled holes and go straight in wherever they like.

I havent yet seen a 500 on the road with properly fitted rear plates, all have 2 screws just drilled into tailgate If you are unlucky enough to have your dealer do this, remove the plate and just paint inside the drilled holes to cover the bare metal they will leave, then put them back on.

metal panes should never be drilled into if i bout new car and that had been done i would demand a new tail gate to be fitted

i have seen number plate drilling just mm's from wring harnesses within the boot

i always stick the rear plates on most cars i pdi apart from puntos and bravos as they have plastic rear bumper mouldings for the plate

as for front i just drill 2 holes in the centre of the plate taking into account were the letters are meaning i get the white plastic cap over a white area of the plate

like this



i think it looks very neat the way i do it using the dimples in the car as a guide would mean drilling through letters and so on

i also use a couple of sickies on the front firstly to hold the plate wile i put in the screws
and secondly to stop the plate taking on resonance from the air rushing over it and causing a noise

If only all Fiat techs took that much trouble, wed be very happy peeps

have just been out and checked mine!! Yep, they drilled two new holes in the back!! This is after 3 times mentioning to the dealer that I wanted them stuck on:bang: Realistically what damage could it cause? Dont want to go in guns blazing if its not a major major issue, altho I am not happy about it, I cant see them giving me a new tailgate!!

nuovapanda said:

If only all Fiat techs took that much trouble, wed be very happy peeps

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its a valeters job

T14086 said:

its a valeters job

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Depends on garage.
Kirkcaldy it's valeters, Dunfermline it's techs.

T14086 said:

its a valeters job

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The Beast said:

Depends on garage.
Kirkcaldy it's valeters, Dunfermline it's techs.

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I'm surprised there's a Service Department in the land willing to pass up the opportunity to charge Sales c.£25 to fit a set of plates.

hi there, does anyone know where i can find a pic with the screws drilled properly compared to being done 'wrongly' i guess. im hopefully getting my car soon so is something i can look out for as im still confused what all of you mean that it's not being done properly. thank youu

slimgimli said:

have just been out and checked mine!! Yep, they drilled two new holes in the back!! This is after 3 times mentioning to the dealer that I wanted them stuck on:bang: Realistically what damage could it cause? Dont want to go in guns blazing if its not a major major issue, altho I am not happy about it, I cant see them giving me a new tailgate!!

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Any perforation of the layers of paint and and corrosion protection opens the door for rust.

Of course you won't actually see the rust behind in the middle of the numberplate probably untill the thing falls off years down the line (less if you live in a coastal environment)!

Very shoddy practice by the dealer IMO

Vic20 said:

Any perforation of the layers of paint and and corrosion protection opens the door for rust.

Of course you won't actually see the rust behind in the middle of the numberplate probably untill the thing falls off years down the line (less if you live in a coastal environment)!

Very shoddy practice by the dealer IMO

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I'm pretty sure that it's plastic both ends and I think peopel are getting a little anal over this numberplate sticking v screwing business.

I would only be enraged if the plates were drilled on wonky and I have seen this on new cars (not Fiats) with a fairly local Ford dealer being the worst offender.

Nero500 said:

I'm pretty sure that it's plastic both ends

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Front bumper is, tailgate isn't.

Scrogg said:

Front bumper is, tailgate isn't.

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Yes, realised that just after I'd posted

Nero500 said:

Yes, realised that just after I'd posted

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Good job I quoted you before you had chance to edit out your mistake then! :devil:

I realise it is not a 'major' thing to some people but it was the fact that I had asked 3 times for something not to be done and they went ahead and did it, altho after speaking to the dealer it seems to maybe have been a misunderstanding as I had wanted to put my own plates on and he thought I was referring to those. Also mentioned the paint chip that had tried to be touched up and he didnt know anything about it, is ringing back tomorrow about that and sorting out the drilled holes. The car didnt arrive til 6pm friday and I picked it up 1pm saturday so maybe a rather rushed pdi job and wasnt checked over as well as it should have been??