51 01 00 (530) Front Licence Plate Holder

51 01 00 (530) Front Licence Plate Holder

All models

Situation:
Most BMW dealers use a licence plate backing panel with their company name for fitting the rear licence plate.

Effect:
The same backing panel is also frequently used for the front licence plate. Fitting such a backing panel to the front bumper is a contravention of licencing regulations 74/483 EEC as it does not meet the specification for protecting pedestrians.

Extract from EC Directive 74/483: "No protruding section of the exterior surface of the vehicle shall have a rounding-off radius of less than 2.5 mm".

The consequence is the invalidation of the German Federal Vehicle Homologation Approval and serious disadvantages for the BMW dealer in the event of litigation.

Moreover, the name of the dealership on the licence plate backing panel adjusts the height of the licence plate, so impeding the cooling air inlet and negatively affecting the cooling efficiency of the engine at high loads.

Affected vehicles:
All models.

Procedure:
Do not install a separate licence plate backing panel on the front bumper. The licence plate backing panel fitted at the factory corresponds to all requirements regarding safety, operation and styling.

IMPORTANT: To prevent rattling noises being caused by the licence plate, the foam-rubber strips in the by-pack kit must be used as backing and attached double-sided to the licence plate and to the vehicle.

All necessary securing screws and white or coloured cover flaps can be found in the by-pack kit.

Parts:
Standard licence plate backing panels and mounting components are listed according to model in the Electronic Parts Catalogue and can be ordered via the customary parts ordering channels.