I live in a state where you don't have to run a front plate. Purchased the car in a state where they don't require a front plate. The dealer installed the plate bracket with 4 very large rivets just to put their advertisement tag on the front!

Anyway I took the bracket off and to my disappointment the holes are very large and there's no way to fix them without painting the entire front bumper. So I modded the factory bracket because you couldn't even put a chrome frame on it. A little dremelling and now I can use a chrome frame. To me it still looks bad from the top and sides. I did find another tag bracket for the HHR but must not be for the SS. It conforms nicely to the top but isn't shaped to conform to the bumper. You can't see the mounting points from the top or side. It must just be made for a LS/LT. Anyone have pics for their front license bracket on an SS? Different from mine?

 

Thats pretty stupid of the dealer. I would have refused to take the car if they did that.

You may be able to get some plastic plugs and paint them the same color at the hardware store. A little glue and you may be able to casually close them up without noticing them too much. I've seen this done numerous times by the GTO crowd in removing the spoiler.

 

Just have to add my comment that the dealer was incredibly stupid, what a jerk, drilling holes in YOUR car for no reason! The HHR SS is one of several cars that looks really nice with no front plate. That said, the smooth plastic plugs painted body color will at least make it so you are the only one that will ever notice the holes.

 

I told the dealer if they drilled into my bumper to put the plate on, they would be buying me a new bumper or taking the car back. I live in a state where we have to have a front plate, but I have been running without one for years.

 

my state does require the front plate. i dont have one on my ss and dont plan on installing it. when i got my car it was missing the front bracket and still is. i thought for sure when i went to pick up my tag they would have some idoit installing the front bracket but they didnt. i made them order me a bracket anyways simply becasue it was an option on my sticker that i paid for. if i was you i wouldnt have signed for the car untill they fixed it. my guess is that now they are not going to fix it.

 

I had already sold my other car or I might have had the option to refuse. Plus this was the only one decked out like I wanted for several hundred miles. I wanted it anyway and it was a really good deal. I'll figure something out to make it look better. BTW can't plug the holes there way too big and there are four of them!

 

same crap happened to me...they put the brkt on the front but i couldn't flip out on my dealer as they had to trade for it and i don't want a repainted cover so i'll just live with a front plate for now.The worse thing is it came from a state that also doesn't require a front plate as my state doesn't either.

 

My front bracket looks the same as yours. Four large head rivets and not really possible to install a separate frame because the plate slides into the bracket so there's a rolled-edge/hem feature around the sides and bottom.

I agree with what others have said here though... if you can find the right size plugs and paint the heads to match, it may look just fine. It does stink that the dealer did this though

 

my dealer did NOT drill, and even asked me if I wanted them to. I told them no, of course, so they had me sign a refusal form to take them off the hook. I just moved to CA this week (and picked up the car here). I'm pretty sure we require front plates, but I'm going to play dumb for now.

 

Was the bracket on ther when you first looked at the car?

(wondering if they mounted it to your car or their car).