Are some dealers really this stupid?

[Stang#5]

I bought my 2020 in Utah but I live in another state, and they asked me if they should put on the front bumper lic plate holder. I said please NO! Thank God they didn't because nothing makes a car look worse than a front lic plate. In my state, if the bumper holes aren't drilled then you don't have to have a front lic plate at all.

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[hws52]

I think its more the salesman then the dealer. My salesman that I have dealt with for over 15 years has always asked or stated, "You don't really want the front plate bracket or dealer decals, do you?". I live in Ohio and am glad that I didn't have then mount the front plate bracket now that it's no longer required.

 

[DaveB]

Yeah, because dealers in CA don't do stupid shit. Kidding. By the way this dealer is in Indiana. None of the cars on his website have this so maybe it was a one off. They do have a nice FJG Mach 1 on the site with a $2205 ADM.

https://www.andymohrford.com/new-Plainfield-2021-Ford-Mustang-Mach+1-1FA6P8R06M5550616

I just happened to see the mach 1 today when I was over there looking for parts....my shop is right next door

 

[WaltA]

I bought my 2020 in Utah but I live in another state, and they asked me if they should put on the front bumper lic plate holder. I said please NO! Thank God they didn't because nothing makes a car look worse than a front lic plate. In my state, if the bumper holes aren't drilled then you don't have to have a front lic plate at all.

I tend to agree. A vehicle, especially an "aerodynamic" sports car with a front plate, is one of those point and laugh things.

Thankfully, we don't have front plates here in PA.

 

[Deleted member 35644]

So many people that post responses to license plate threads say their state doesn't require a front. My relatives in FL and NC enjoy this as well. I wish Texas would join the 21st century. I don't have a front plate installed, but I still wish they weren't required.

 

[Elp_jc]

I wish Texas would join the 21st century. I don't have a front plate installed, but I still wish they weren't required.

Indeed. I haven't had a front plate for 30+ years here, and never a ticket so far (just warnings), but darn highway state troopers, with apparently nothing better to do, harass me often just for that, and it's annoying. That's why I don't pass them anymore, even if they're going way slower than 80; I made better progess just tagging along behind them, than getting pulled over for 20+ minutes. Even when I've gotten a speeding ticket locally (just twice in 3 decades), the cops didn't even mention the lack of front plate; it's just the state troopers. The last 2 consecutive round trips I made from El Paso to Austin was the first that I wasn't pulled over at least once in 2 trips. Maybe they're getting nicer. Ha ha. But I always carry the front plate in the trunk, along with double-sided tape, to install it right there, if they threaten to get me a ticket. But since I don't have a warning on any of my current vehicles, I don't expect that to happen before a warning.

 

[I Bleed Ford Blue]

My dealer cross threaded my oil drain plug in with an impact. It took all my might with a breaker bar to get it backed out. There were burrs of metal stuck to the plug and inside the pan. I called the dealer to let them know what happened and that I expected them to buy me a replacement oil pan and drain plug. The service manager accused me of cross threading the plug while removing it. So the answer is yes. And sometimes it's a level of stupid so astounding you wonder if there's any hope for our species.

I think it's more of a case of if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit. They hope we are stupid enough to believe their lies.

EDIT as of July 1, 2020 Ohio has joined the states with no front plate.

 

[Johnnybee]

I complain about it but truth be told, I'm old, helps me find my car in the parking lot.

I'm lucky, I only know of one other Royal Crimson convertible in the Toronto area, and it's a GT, so my car's pretty easy to spot in a parking lot.

 

[Elp_jc]

Oh, and talking about dealer stupidity, many dealers here (TX) do something even worse than slapping a sticker: Drill the front bumper to install a front license plate bracket. And this is even stupider when we're basically neighbors with NM, which doesn't require a front plate. Why not wait until car is sold, and customer asks to install the bracket? I was considering 3 new 2020 Kia K900 VIPs (heated/cooled power rear seats, etc), basically like an S-class, which are super rare, and discontinued in 2021, and all 3 had the damn bumper drilled, so I won't buy one. So stupid. Okay, rant off. Ha ha.

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