Okay, so I get home from the dealer and start really looking over the car. Besides the cleaning rag I found in the back seat, I find this thing in the boot:
It's made from a black plastic-like material. About 13 1/2" x6" and 3/4" deep. Its' flat on one side (the top) and and its like a tray with sides on the bottom.
On the top it says "JAPAN PLINTH FIXING HOLES" between two little square indentions.
Below that it says " NAS PLINTH FIXING HOLES" between two large round indentations.
A little calendar is molded into the back. February 2002 through Jan 2003 have been punched out with a small point.
So, what is this thing and what is a PLINTH? It wasn't on the list of MINI options. I wonder if my PLINTH has been fixed, but judging from the calendar, its been fixed many times.
Any ideas? Could i sell it on e-bay?

 

we definitely NEED to see this thing.

 

I wonder if my PLINTH has been fixed, but judging from the calendar, its been fixed many times.

WTF, are you serious?
amazing!

 

Yeah you gotta post a picture.

Japan has some weird stuff going on over there. Maybe it is some new kind of ****.

 

I'm serious. This thing was in my boot when i got it home. I'll try to take some pics tonight, but I just have my son's crappy little digi-cam w/o a flash. The thing is all black, so if the images don't come out, I'll have to use my camera at work tomorrow a.m.

 

I have one of those. It's a front license plate bracket. Do you live in a state that doesn't require front plates? If not, perhaps your dealer was lazy and just screwed the plete directly on the car?!

 

hahahhaha.
funniest thread all day!

 

Mexibeetle:
Thanks. Looks like that's it. It has little clip-like appendages in the back which could fit somewhere under the grill vents. I didn't try 'cause i'm not req'd to have a front plate and i don't want anything hanging there.
Anyway, here's a crappy pic of the front.

I'm so relieved. The cockroaches out in the garage were starting to gather around this unknown object and turn little bits of twigs into tools.

 

And to make this thread complete, here's a photo of the bottom (and my son's big toe).

 

I am still going with japanese **** of some type.

 

Yep, my license plate braket is slathered with plinth as well. Calendar's all poked too.

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2004 MCS-CR/W-Sport Pkg-Cold Pkg-17" R99's-bonnet stripes-PIAA

 

To verify that a plinth is indeed not Japanese ****, I submit the following definition from the American Heritage dictionary:

NOUN: 1. A block or slab on which a pedestal, column, or statue is placed. 2. The base block at the intersection of the baseboard and the vertical trim around an opening. 3. A continuous course of stones supporting a wall. Also called plinth course. 4. A square base, as for a vase.

ETYMOLOGY: French plinthe, from Latin plinthus, from Greek plinthos, tile, plinth.

So, not only is it an English word, it's apparent that some of us Americans actually use the word, though I'd never heard it mentioned in polite conversation! Looks like someone from Bavaria picked the least-common word out of his English-German dictionary!

 

Architects use words like that regularly ... like 'balustrade' instead of 'handrail' ...

... but i do use 'plinth' and 'escutcheon' to describe parts of cars - only because i've seen terms like that for years while searching Mini and BMC parts books ... although they do now seem somewhat old-fashoned; if you go ask for a 'plinth gasket' now, you'ld probably get the same reaction you'ld get if you asked for a 'muffler bearing' ...

But there is also the english/american language diference: like calling a piece of trim a 'door' just 'cause you have to take it off to get to something else ...