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Picked up my 2016 A7 this past Saturday and am extremely excited to be a part of the club. Unfortunately, the poor weather in Texas has led me to park and lock the car up in the garage for the time being. I'll be sure to share pictures once the weather has passed. I did have a question regarding the front plate though. In Texas, "by law", we are required to have a front license plate on the vehicle so when I picked up the car there was a plate on the front. I informed the dealer that I wanted it removed, which they said was no problem, but was made aware there would be existing holes present. I was wondering if there were any solutions to this. According to my SA, had I ordered directly from the factory and made a request for no plate, this would have been avoided. There was no way I was about to order from the factory and wait another few months just to have no front plate though. I appreciate all the input and am glad to officially be among fellow A7 owners.
Picked up my 2016 A7 this past Saturday and am extremely excited to be a part of the club.
Welcome and enjoy the new ride.
... but was made aware there would be existing holes present. I was wondering if there were any solutions to this.
In addition to the holes, the salesman should have mentioned the more obvious lack of trim strip. Of course that's based on the assumption that the facelift (2016) models have similar grills.
Here's a eBay listing for the pre-facelift license plate panel. Yours may be similar. Take your plate off and have a look. If it's the same you can buy the "no plate" filler from the parts department. You may also trade/buy the filler from another owner who needs a front license plate.
Congratulations! I know what you mean about leaving the car in the garage. I'm in Dallas, and we've been waterlogged for weeks. I drive mine anyway.
Not sure about how to get rid of the license plate holes. The dealer always asks if I want the front license plate installed and I tell them no. In my 9 years in TX I've only received a citation for lack of a front license plate... and that was because I was speeding. I think they will only cite you for that if they can stop you for something more major.
Congratulations! I know what you mean about leaving the car in the garage. I'm in Dallas, and we've been waterlogged for weeks. I drive mine anyway.
Not sure about how to get rid of the license plate holes. The dealer always asks if I want the front license plate installed and I tell them no. In my 9 years in TX I've only received a citation for lack of a front license plate... and that was because I was speeding. I think they will only cite you for that if they can stop you for something more major.
I got a warning for not having my plate on my Mustang once or twice, but no tickets.
To fill the holes you most likely have to replace that grille piece
I have a 2016 that came without the plate holder but since I was moving to California where it was required, I took it back to the dealer. They replaced the center section of the grill with one from another car on the lot that had the frame. They didn't charge me anything to switch it out. Apparently, it is just as insert although it can be a pain to change.
Ok. So finally went back to my dealer to inquire about removing the front plate. Got the part number for the grill insert but they don't have it in stock so it has to be ordered. Its going to run about $350. Wondering if I can find the grill insert anywhere else, possibly at a discounted rate? Thanks
Welcome to the club! got my RS7 grille replica on eBay for that much, came with a license plate holder too. Paid a body shop $140 to install.
Even though Illinois requires front plates, I haven't been stopped in a year+....
Ok. So finally went back to my dealer to inquire about removing the front plate. Got the part number for the grill insert but they don't have it in stock so it has to be ordered. Its going to run about $350. Wondering if I can find the grill insert anywhere else, possibly at a discounted rate? Thanks
Have you checked any of the online parts sources? Here's two:
AutohausAZ.com
Genuineaudiparts.com
Thanks for the info @diogenes. Just checked both websites and looks like they don't offer parts for 2016 model vehicles. I'm not sure the 2015 front grill panel is the same fitment as the 2016 model's due to the slight difference in the shape of the grill. Can anyone shed any light on whether this is the case or not? It'd be greatly appreciated