I was circling my car trying to assess the next worst eyesore, and noticed the front (black plastic) licence plate holder.
It had a crack in one top corner and had the appearance of being melted as though someone had placed something hot on it.
In pondering, I have concluded it probably was actually crumpled, after being hit in a parking lot/street parking situation.
But the (PVC?) plastic was oddly bent.
Removing the thing (four screws, two under plate, two on bottom), I noticed the plastic was thick but looked like it could be heated.
First I tried a hair-curler/straightener. But this simply could not heat the plastic up enough to soften it.
Next, I used a propane torch, sitting it on the bench and moving the plastic quickly and briefly over the flame. This worked well.
You have to be careful not to over-heat it, it will catch fire.
But with a series of passes, I was able to remove most of the bends and kinks from the plastic cover, and press back together the cracked spot. I used a pair of pliers to bend and push the plastic.
The crack could be rejoined, but I have learned from experience that attempting to remelt plastic breaks is not reliable and usually ends up in overheating and ruining a component. So this time I was satisfied with closing 90% of the crack and I will fill the rest with Black Goop.
When I removed the plate to get at the plate-holder, The little white (nylon?) square 'nuts' that snap in and provide threads for the screws just fell apart.
So I opted for metal nuts and bolts. Problem is, you can't get at the back of the nut/bolt deal when the holder is mounted on the bumper.
So I put the bolts in backwards and tightened the nuts on after installing the holder. I am not too pleased, because the bolts are too long, and can snag clothing and hurt legs. I may saw them off, or go and buy proper retainer-nuts/bolts (nylon?) later.
I hope this helps others who may have noticed that the licence plate-holder takes a pounding in the parking lot, instead of the bumper (maybe that would be good if the plate holder was cheap).