[azmiller1976]

Question I am wrestling with the dealer on to have addressed. If the X5 is being deemed to have CPO status, shouldn't these holes from a license plate be addressed, they are holes on a $50k luxury car is my take away. Whether you live in California or not, they are still holes when selling a used vehicle on a Mineral White M Sport Extended Shadowline trim. Any thoughts or experience with this, do I or should I have any leverage to have this corrected, new trim piece, a cosmetic credit? I appreciate any prompt input being that this is time sensitive. Thank you so much!

[LDT]

Visit https://www.bumperplugs.com It's an easy fix, color matched and actually looks decent. Bumper plugs somewhat look like they could be parking sensors. I would not allow this to be a deal breaker.

[Luftpost]

Were those license plate holes there when you went to look at the car? Did you take it for a test drive? Do they show up in the dealer photos?

I think it's completely unreasonable to haggle over something like this, that could potentially cost you $34.95 + shipping.

Besides, I am sure there is something else wrong with the car that you have not even noticed yet, that costs considerably more than a couple of plastic plugs, worth arguing over.

L

[azmiller1976]

Thank you for your input I do appreciate it. I am out of state (that does require a front license plate), and I saw there was a license plate on the car after they posted the pictures on the website and sent me photos prior. No, I hadnt test drove it yet, for what that is worth in regards to posting about holes on a front bumper. What transpired, I questioned whether or not the plate had hooks that prevent the owner from having to "DRILL HOLES ON A $74k LUXURY CAR" , so to avoid having to question it, but apparently the owner DRILLED. Curious, why would you think there is something else wrong with the car?

[azmiller1976]

From the link that would work great, thank you for sharing that much appreciated that is a sigh of relief, it would have been nice for the dealership to lend that advice, their response was why am I asking and then followed up with there is nothing we can do, and when they didnt allow for any kind of cosmetic credit, thats when I got concerned. Thanks again for your input, I will do just that and get the plugs!

[Luftpost]

Originally Posted by azmiller1976

Curious, why would you think there is something else wrong with the car?

Well, it is a preowned car, so there is bound to be something else.

I bought mine out of Texas (front plate required), and I live in Florida, which does not require a front plate. I too have holes that need fixing.

L

[697105e1]

If you want to be a diva and demand perfection, then you should get a new car.

Even then, I have a feeling you’ll still find some problems.

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by azmiller1976

Thank you for your input I do appreciate it. I am out of state (that does require a front license plate), and I saw there was a license plate on the car after they posted the pictures on the website and sent me photos prior. No, I hadnt test drove it yet, for what that is worth in regards to posting about holes on a front bumper. What transpired, I questioned whether or not the plate had hooks that prevent the owner from having to "DRILL HOLES ON A $74k LUXURY CAR" , so to avoid having to question it, but apparently the owner DRILLED. Curious, why would you think there is something else wrong with the car?

Just for accuracy, there are no holes drilled when the front license plate holder is installed, it is just screwed in. The result is similar though.

As far as CPO is concerned, keep in mind it is mostly a marketing tool. While you do get an extra year of warranty it does not mean it is a perfect/like new vehicle.

[Photographer918]

Sure, there’s a fix - the dealership could source and reinstall a front license plate bracket to make the holes disappear. Would that be better? I picked holes when I removed the front plate bracket from my car….

[F83G05]

lol! Your lucky you only got 2 holes, I had 4 and had to buy 2 sets of bumper plugs. Not the dealers responsibility, just buy the plugs, forget about it and enjoy the new ride

[azmiller1976]

Hello, oh most definitely there are always give and takes on used cars, I never made a big push for have this issue never hurts to ask the dealer if they have anything they can do or even suggest. They did neither. There is more to the story but I will spare the detail. In short, they advertised a vehicle for sale as CPO. When asked for the CPO Service report they stalled on getting it to me. When asked before signing it was later determined by them the car was never CPO. If you know how that process works, you know that is a major issue and creates a serious trust issue with buyer and BMW Corporate. When the report was finally completed "2 days" later the tire tread was at 4.5 mm when the advertisement said they replaced with new, kind of get where this was going, there were 3 other critical issues with the car they refused to address, or even explain what happen, so I bailed. The trim was only a part of the issue but was curious on future X5's front bumper so I thought I would ask the forum. Thank you for your input much appreciated. Ps - Kevin Hunter, ROCKS!

[azmiller1976]

You know I totally agree it really isn't the dealers fault at all, and I am good with that. That trim piece is only $240 from GetBMWparts and only takes 30 minutes to replace so I am good with that as well if needed. Thank you for sharing that picture I really do appreciate it!

[azmiller1976]

I would get a new car but new X5's are not what I want, I want the pre LCI version. I did get some good information from the posts to move forward so thats why I put the post out. Thank you for your input.

[M a r t y]

Originally Posted by azmiller1976

Question I am wrestling with the dealer on to have addressed. If the X5 is being deemed to have CPO status, shouldn't these holes from a license plate be addressed, they are holes on a $50k luxury car is my take away. Whether you live in California or not, they are still holes when selling a used vehicle on a Mineral White M Sport Extended Shadowline trim. Any thoughts or experience with this, do I or should I have any leverage to have this corrected, new trim piece, a cosmetic credit? I appreciate any prompt input being that this is time sensitive. Thank you so much!

License plate holes suck! That's why the non-hole approach to plate holders developed a decent market but if the car you're looking at already has them, than it is what it is. It's certainly not a CPO covered item as its not a mfg defect.

[tooloud10]

I actually agree with the OP--I mean, I wouldn't want unnecessary holes on my new/used car either. For a buyer in a state that doesn't require front plates, this is really no different than a few random holes anywhere on the body of the vehicle, which nearly anyone would find unacceptable for a CPO vehicle.

[M a r t y]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

I actually agree with the OP--I mean, I wouldn't want unnecessary holes on my new/used car either. For a buyer in a state that doesn't require front plates, this is really no different than a few random holes anywhere on the body of the vehicle, which nearly anyone would find unacceptable for a CPO vehicle.

Except these are not random holes, they are intentional specifically placed holes for a purpose. The fact that the purpose is no longer required doesn't matter since once a hole is made, it's always there.

I agree with you that I wouldn't want unnecessary holes in my car but the OP is not the original owner so you get what you get when you buy a pre owned car. Fortunately there are a couple ways of dealing with them.

[tooloud10]

Originally Posted by M a r t y

Except these are not random holes, they are intentional specifically placed holes for a purpose. The fact that the purpose is no longer required doesn't matter since once a hole is made, it's always there.

From the OP's perspective they absolutely are just random holes in a car they're trying to buy; the fact that they served a purpose for the previous owner doesn't change anything for the next guy.

I mean, by that logic a few holes in the middle of the dash to mount electronic equipment would definitely serve a purpose to the guy that drilled them, but anyone buying that car on the used market isn't going to pay the same as they would for one without the holes.

I agree with you that I wouldn't want unnecessary holes in my car but the OP is not the original owner so you get what you get when you buy a pre owned car. Fortunately there are a couple ways of dealing with them.

Yeah, I'd just tell the dealer that not replacing the part is a dealbreaker.

[azmiller1976]

Thank you TooLoud10, thats exactly how I looked at it. Fortunately it is a simple DIY. I think California BMW dealerships need to consider incorporating that cosmetic credit or a parts voucher, if the buyer asks about the holes, its a write off for them and only makes them look good and makes the transition happen. Thank you for your input.

[azmiller1976]

Exactly they do suck, more so on the gloss black with a white surrounding (Mineral White, or Alpine) vs Black metallic. Fortunately the trim is relatively inexpensive. But unfortunately the deal went south the dealer aggressively pulled a bait and switch with the CPO certification and other non compliance issues, so I bailed. A lot of time wasted, not happening again, I have my negotiation tool box ready next time. Thank you your input really do appreciate everyones time!

[GREENPUS]

Originally Posted by azmiller1976

Thank you TooLoud10, thats exactly how I looked at it. Fortunately it is a simple DIY. I think California BMW dealerships need to consider incorporating that cosmetic credit or a parts voucher, if the buyer asks about the holes, its a write off for them and only makes them look good and makes the transition happen. Thank you for your input.

I live in Illinois which requires a plate on the front. Don't assume the dealer is going to drill holes for the front plate. My BMW dealer does not drill holes unless the buyer wants the plates mounted when purchased new. I've said this before, I love my dealer If I bought a used car or CPO, I wouldn't even ask about the holes in the bumper. It's just part of buying used

[brandofo]

Originally Posted by azmiller1976

Question I am wrestling with the dealer on to have addressed. If the X5 is being deemed to have CPO status, shouldn't these holes from a license plate be addressed, they are holes on a $50k luxury car is my take away. Whether you live in California or not, they are still holes when selling a used vehicle on a Mineral White M Sport Extended Shadowline trim. Any thoughts or experience with this, do I or should I have any leverage to have this corrected, new trim piece, a cosmetic credit? I appreciate any prompt input being that this is time sensitive. Thank you so much!

To answer the OP question of should this be fixed under CPO inspection, does it give you leverage in a used car purchase negotiation, do you deserve a cosmetic credit? The answer is no. If you look through a CPO worksheet you will not see front license plate holes as a reason to fail CPO inspection.

They will just sell the car to the next guy if this is a deal breaker for you. If you are buying a used car and the previous owner was legally required to have a front plate, you can expect to see these holes drilled. That is different than the poster who equated this to a previous owner drilling holes in the interior dash for a phone mount. One was a legal requirement. The other was not. In any case, the dealer disclosed the condition of the front bumper and it is up to you to decide if that car is worth the price. I am sure if you asked for a $30 discount to close the deal to cover the cost of bumper plugs they would agree to that.

I did a lot of used car shopping this year looking for a CPO X5. I realized you can't be that picky shopping on the used market. It is hard to find a unicorn X5 and even if you do, it may not be the right price, and the dealer may not have any reason to lower the price due to high demand. If you want to spec your perfect X5 I would recommend buying new. They are offering great deals 10%+ off MSRP and aggressive financing rates. That is what I ended up doing.

[M a r t y]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

From the OP's perspective they absolutely are just random holes in a car they're trying to buy; the fact that they served a purpose for the previous owner doesn't change anything for the next guy.

I mean, by that logic a few holes in the middle of the dash to mount electronic equipment would definitely serve a purpose to the guy that drilled them, but anyone buying that car on the used market isn't going to pay the same as they would for one without the holes.

Yeah, I'd just tell the dealer that not replacing the part is a dealbreaker.

I get what you are saying but in terms of license plate holes, do not agree. Mounting front plates is mandatory in many states and although there are a number of methods to do that, a dealer will take the path of least resistance and many owners will too or they just don't care.