I know this is trivial compared to some of the problems being discussed here but I would appreciate any feedback from other owners. I just got my new license plates for the 2007 Prius I bought last week. When installing them, I noticed two depressions (dimples?) in the rear hatch door where the lower part of the license plate sits. My 1999 Camry has soft rubber plugs in this same location. They serve to keep the license plate from touching the panel where it might scratch the paint or cause a rattle. This leads me to believe that someone along the line failed to install the rubber bumpers on my Prius. Am I correct in this asumption or is Toyota saving money these days by not providing the rubber bumpers? If so, why bother dimpling the panel?
Yea, I didn't have rubber plugs either. I ended up using weather stripping to attenuate the vibration/clatter that was caused by the license plate and frame when I closed the hatch.
Same as Evan. My 2005 has a couple of depressed spots that look like they should have some sort of pad, but the didn't. Again, like Evan, I used some thick foam weather stripping I had around, between the bottom of the plate and the car. It prevents the frame bolts scratching and keeps the plate from vibrating and causing noise. If you don't have any scrap weather stripping, I know you can buy little self-adhesive rubber or vinyl feet, like to put on the bottom of a vase to prevent scratching furniture.
Smart thinking! It's good to re-use and re-cycle. I gussied up my license plates with plastic covers, after removing the dealer advertising, so had little plastic bolts at the bottom holding the cover and plate together. The foam strip keeps everything solid.
I took my dealer advertising plate holders and installed them backwards, as they still hold the plate just fine. No ads on my car or clothing.
Our rear licence plate is held in with a perimitter style black metal frame (looks nice) but Toyota uses only two mounting screws. Most plates have four holes. I purchased some black rubber plugs (at PEP Boys) that acted as bumpers on the underside and a small black dot where the lower screws would be. It looks good, mounts firm and does not ratttle, even when closing the trunk.
Hmm... I haven't received my license plates yet. When they ome in, I pick them up at the dealership. Do you think it's worth a shot to ask them to put something there? Has anyone tried that?
