Customer's Photos
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On this page we're putting together a collection of photographs of vehicles fitted with our plate brackets. These have all been provided by customers who have taken the time to e-mail them to us along with their comments. Some are in slide-show format.
As we continue to receive feedback, we'll add material to this page, so drop by occasionally. If you'd like your vehicle to be shown here, please contact us via this link.
Customers' vehicles with our brackets and/or number plate covers.
- BMW Z3 - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers (Rear bracket adapts small plate to full size Euro mounting)
- Ford Fiesta Gen 6 - Custom Brackets without covers
- Ford Mondeo 2008 XR5t Hatch - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
- Ford Territory 2009 Facelift - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
- Holden Astra AH SRi - Sharply Curved Front Custom Bracket without cover
- Jeep Commander - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
- MGF - Multi-Fit Brackets without Covers
- Mercedes-Benz W123 - Multi-Fit and Custom Bracket with Prestige Covers
- Mercedes-Benz W204 - Multi-Fit brackets with Prestige Covers
- MINI D - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
- Porsche Boxster 986 - Custom Brackets WITHOUT screws or covers
- Porsche Boxster 987 - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
- SAAB 9-5 Aero - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
- Skoda Octavia RS - Custom Brackets without covers
- Suzuki SX4 Hatch - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
BMW Z3 - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
Geoff had bought new number plates for his BMW Z3 and was keen to fit them much more neatly than his original plates. The photo to the right shows the rather messy fitting to the BMW's sharply curved nose. Below, with the plate removed, we can see the extra sets of holes that have been drilled during the vehicle's life to fit various different number plates. (The manufacturer's mounting points are the two lowermost holes.) Note also the damage to the paintwork caused by years of having the number plate grinding dirt against the nose of the bumper. The next photo shows Geoff's new plate fitted with our bracket and a Prestige cover. The plate now fits neatly with the curve of the bumper but is spaced away from the paintwork by polyurethane bumpers. The bracket uses the two manufacturer's mounting holes and the number plate is attached to the bracket without needing to drill any extra holes.
The Z3 has a whole batch of factory mounting holes (along with some extras!) on the rear panel which leaves it looking a little messy if you're fitting a smaller number plate, as in Geoff's case. Here we choose to provide a full size Euro bracket to cover all the holes. We incorporated fittings for the smaller plate in this bracket. We used the innermost factory holes to mount our bracket as these allow the mounting screws to be hidden behind the new plate. It also means the outside holes are not damaged unnecessarily; something a future owner may be thankful for. Thanks to Geoff for providing these photos.
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Ford Fiesta Gen 6 - Custom Brackets without covers
Danny wanted full size Euro plates on his Ford Fiesta Generation 6, but came across a problem when he looked at fitting them. At the front, the Fiesta has four mounting points, with two at the rear. All of them are in the character area of the plates, not in the corners.
At the front, he could have screwed the plate into the plastic bumper at the top corners, but that would mean a future owner (who may want to fit a smaller plate) would be left with messy holes on show. At the rear he could either drill holes in the middle of the the plate, or drill into the boot lid! Neither choice was acceptable, so Danny asked us for help. The upper photo on the right shows how the number plate fits with our standard style of Euro bracket. The number plate screws to the bracket in the top corners and is supported along its lower edge with a special tape. The yellow arrow in the lower photo shows how the attachment screw holds the plate to the bracket with the bracket supported clear of the plastic bumper; there is no danger of the bumper being damaged. The red arrows show approximately where the mounting screws would be if the plate were simply mounted directly to the factory points. Danny sent us some excellent photos along with one of our best reviews! In part it reads: "Hi Philip . . .The product is fantastic, relatively easy to fit, even for a novice like me thanks to your detailed instructions, and best of all it looks absolutely superb, very happy I went with the silver finish. . ." The full review is linked here. |
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2008 Ford Mondeo XR5t Hatch - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
Thanks to Rakesh for these photos of his 2008 Ford Mondeo XR5t Hatch.
You can't actually see our brackets. They fit unobtrusively behind the number plates and serve to avoid the necessity of drilling (or punching, if you're a dealer!) holes in the number plates to allow them to fit to the manufacturer's mounting points. (Note the old plates shown inset.) Click on the images to see more detail in the full-size photos. The number plates on this vehicle are now just a smooth, solid extention of the vehicle itself. |
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2009 Ford Territory Facelift - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
Keith supplied us with these excellent photos of his 2009 Ford Territory.
Here you can see our bracket fitted to the front of Keith's vehicle in readiness for the number plate and cover to be attached. In this particular case, we used the manufacturer's mounts at the top of the bracket and added additional support with two extra mounts below these. We calculated the positions of the extra mountings to allow for the possibility that a future owner may wish to fit a slimmer number plate. If this were the case, the lower mounting points would still be behind the plate and could still be used for extra support.
The second photo shows how neatly the bracket fits; following the contour of the vehicle's grille. With the cover and number plate fitted, the end result is neat, secure, and will remain rattle-free for many years.
The rear of the Territory presented a challenge, as the reversing camera only just cleared the standard number plate without the extra width of the cover we wanted to fit. We designed a special bracket that allowed slightly more clearance, and Keith neatly modified the cover to fit around the camera. Note: We design and manufacture one-off solutions for the same cost as our stock brackets. This means anyone can afford to have a perfectly fitted number plate. |
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Holden Astra AH SRi - Sharply Curved Front Custom Bracket without cover
The Holden Astra AH SRi has a 'pointy' nose very similar to the HSV Astra VXR*. Our customer, Ian, wanted the number plate to fit neatly in the space provided, following the sharply curved profile of the bumper, but didn't want to damage the car by drilling extra holes, or damage the plates to make them fit the supplied mounting points. Ian chose to mount the number plate without a frame or cover. We think the results are very pleasing. Ian sent us this comment: "Hi Philip The plate was received in good order last week and fitted well. I'll send you a pic soon. Thanks again Ian" A few days later we received the photos shown here. * We have details of a bracket fitted to a HSV Astra VXR on this page. In this case we fitted a Prestige (acrylic) plate so the bracket was unable to adopt the sharp curve of the bumper.
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Jeep Commander - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
Lee sent us some photos of his Jeep Commander after he'd fitted our Custom Plate Brackets and Prestige covers. We used the manufacturer's mounting points both front and back. At the front particularly, this meant the number plate mounted neatly in the centre of the bumper, instead of hanging down below the bumper as it did previously. Here are Lee's comments: "Hi Philip, received the custom plates this morning and have installed the complete plates, front and rear. They look real good with silver Jeep Commander and the shiny black surrounds. They were very easy to install with no problems, the hardest part was to remove the old dealers display plates. The number plates of ASDP which is White lettering on a blue background, stand out with the clear cover over them. I do believe that the cost is worth every cent to protect the custom plates and to ensure security of those plates attached to my company vehicle. Again, great job that makes my vehicle look that little bit different."
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MGF - Multi-Fit Brackets without Covers
Thanks to Alice from New Zealand who provided us with these "before and after" photos of her grey MGF. Alice fitted new Euro plates with our LAKIN Multi-Fit brackets.
The photo above shows the front number plate as it was when she bought the car. On the right is the new Euro plate fitting neatly into the space provided.
Left and right are the before and after photos of the rear of the vehicle. The plates are fitted without number plate covers as they are illegal in New Zealand.
Alice sent us an e-mail (see below) shortly after fitting her new plates. "Plates received and fitted. I'm absolutely delighted with the results, particularly for the back plate - photos attached. Seeing plates on the car that are the right size and properly fitted is the perfect finishing touch. Having the brackets & screws in black makes it look so much better!" |
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Mercedes-Benz W123 - Multi-Fit and Custom Bracket with Prestige Covers
Peter wanted to fit a Euro plate to the back of his W123 Mercedes-Benz 280CE, but the slimmer plate was going to expose holes that had been drilled into the mounting panel before he became the car's owner. He asked us to design a bracket which would allow him to attach the number plate using the vehicle's genuine mountings but without drilling holes in the middle of the plate, which at the same time would cover the unnecessary holes in the vehicle. The front bracket was more straightforward, so Peter opted to use one of our Multi-Fit brackets to fit the slimline plate himself. With the old plate removed, the original fittings were exposed as shown in the second photo. He decided where he wanted the plate to sit, in relation to the bumper, and drilled the appropriate holes as shown below. At the same time, he formed the bracket to match the curve of the front bumper. Peter sent us these photos with the following comments: "Hello Philip. I have finally been able to send you photos of my installation process... I'm sorry there aren't any "before" shots, as I had already removed old plates & returned them to Vic Roads prior to having a camera available. Hope you can use these shots. I am very pleased with the outcome of the fittings and am sure they will enhance the value of the Benz when (if) I do sell the unit in the distant future. Again, my thanks to you & your team."
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Mercedes-Benz W204 - Multi-Fit brackets with Prestige Covers
Didi bought two of our LAKIN Multi-Fit brackets and Prestige covers to fit her special number plates to this very nice looking Mercedes-Benz C200. She very kindly e-mailed these two pictures for our web site along with this comment.
"The brackets and covers have just arrived, well packed and the covers are an excellent fit for the plates. With all the instructions so clear there should be no problem fitting and I should be mobile again quite soon. Many thanks for your very pleasant service, it has been a pleasure dealing with you." |
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MINI D - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
Justin ordered a front and rear LAKIN Custom Plate Bracket and Prestige covers which we managed to get to him a day or so after his new MINI D arrived from the dealership. He had arranged that they NOT screw his front number plates to the car, so the mounting area was pristine with no extra holes or damage. The rear plate was screwed into the factory mountings through the middle of the plate as you can see in the photo to the left. It was also fitted with a cover (removed for the photo) which could only be fitted by bending up the corners of the plate.
On the right is the new Euro plate fitted (no holes through the centre!) with a Lakin Custom Plate Bracket and a cover. The photos don't really show off our brackets of course, as they are almost totally unobtrusive. They support the plate and cover while hardly showing themselves at all. Justin sent us an e-mail: "Just wanted to let you know the brackets arrived on Friday and they are fantastic! The plates make the car look brilliant, and the plate brackets finish it off perfectly. I will send you some photos in due course. All in all I am very satisfied in the quality, fit and finish of the product."
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Porsche Boxster 986 - Custom Plate Brackets WITHOUT screws or covers
Peter had bought new a set of Queensland Slimline Euro Theme plates for his Porsche Boxter 986 and wanted to fit them without drilling any holes in the plates...or any extra holes in the bodywork! Working from photographs and dimensions supplied by Peter, we designed a pair of brackets to fit his requirements. It's a few months down the track now, and, out of the blue, we received a mass of photographs showing some 'before' and lots of 'after' shots. Peter didn't say much, but allowed us to add the pics to our site. We've chosen some of the most detailed images to show how the brackets fit. The first two pics show how the original plates were mounted. Below are similar views of the new plates fitted to our brackets.
The following photos show different views of both ends of Peter's vehicle. Note that neither plate has been screwed to its bracket. We supplied special brackets fitted with Waterproof 3M Command™ Strips. The tabs are embedded in special slots in the edges of the brackets. They can be fished out with a pointed tool if the number plate needs to be removed at any time. The curve of the brackets matches the curve of the body - most noticeable at the front, of course. We provided the front bracket with short legs to space the assembly away from the body. In the event of minor knock, these may well prevent damage to the body by the edges of the plate.
Generally, we advise attaching number plates with screws in the corners. However, many Euro plates are supplied without pre-drilled holes and occasionaly we're asked to provide brackets similar to these. The Command™ Strips bond agressively so, provided you check the plates for security once in a while, there is very little danger of losing them. At this point, we're not able to supply covers with this system. We think these plates look great as they are!
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Porsche Boxster 987 - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
We hadn't worked with this particular model Porsche Boxster when Rob first approached us. With his help with measurements and photos of the existing mountings, we designed and manufactured the brackets shown below. Rob kindly provided us with these "before and after" photographs.
Rob e-mailed us this review: "Well after all the fiddling around measuring and taking pictures, my plate brackets arrived very quickly. I must admit I did sometimes question why I was spending all this time and $200 on something that will not likely be seen again (as did my wife)!. After fitting the brackets I question no more! These are truly an excellent piece of engineering – if not OVER-engineered. 4 screws for the rear bracket? This is more solidly fitted than the rear bumper. But in all seriousness, after trawling the photos, diagrams and YouTube videos on your web site I did expect an improvement in the number plate fitment, however until I actually fitted them I had no idea what an improvement they would make. I’ll stop rambling and just let you look at the before and after pictures. Pay particular attention the alignment of the old front number plate and how beautifully the new plate lines up on the bumper (I’m certain Porsche never intended for a number plate to be screwed to the front of the Boxster, but if we have to do it this is certainly the only way). Also pay attention to the nice holes punched in the centre of the old rear plate. As for my wife’s scepticism, I’m sure she’ll be asking me to order a set for her Audi Q5!"
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SAAB 9-5 Aero - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
Norbert's plates were looking a bit the worse for wear, especially at the front, so he'd decided to replace them with a set of white on black personal plates. As the original fitting was pretty shoddy (see in the photos above) Norbert took the opportunity to attend to that at the same time.
We provided the front bracket with mounting holes to match those that had been previously drilled into the car. At the back, of course, we used the threaded holes provided by the manufacturer. Our customer had decided he wanted the plate raised at the front to fit more neatly with the line of the bumper. He gave us the measurements we needed to make sure the plate sat at the correct height. It should be less prone to being damaged on its lower edge now.
Norbert kindly supplied us with these 'before' and 'after' photos.
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Skoda Octavia RS - Custom Brackets without covers
Here are a couple of photos Garry sent us of his number plates mounted on his new Skoda Octavia RS. Garry chose not to have covers so you can just notice the bracket behind the plates. Note his comment below:
Garry wrote a review for us: "A few weeks ago you supplied front and rear custom brackets for my new Skoda Octavia RS. I am thoroughly impressed by the quality. The fit was perfect and the finish is spot on too. My only criticism or suggestion would be to make the plate a few mm larger than the number plate. It seems a shame to have such a nicely finished product hidden behind a tin numberplate." |
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Suzuki SX4 Hatch - Custom Brackets with Prestige Covers
Matt wanted to fit slimline white on black personalized plates to his Suzuki SX4. The Suzuki is supplied with relatively sound mounting points front and rear. However, at the front the bracket doesn't extend wide enough to support the edges of the plate. It also leaves the bottom half of the plate completely unsupported. In the photos below, you can see how the Custom Plate Brackets fit to the original mounting holes and support both front and rear plates over their whole areas The rear bracket for this particular number plate size needed to be positioned very accurately as 'bumps' in the car body were at the very edges of the top and bottom of the plate.
After he'd fitted both new plates, Matt e-mailed us this review along with a link to many photographs he'd uploaded: "Philip
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"Before and After" videos. If these won't play in your web browser, you can find all of our videos on YouTube. |
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2002 Mitsubishi Magna TJ, Front Plate Only. |
| 2002 Holden Barina XC, Front and Rear Plates. |
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Video editing by Langmaid Studios, Tasmania.
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