Why do people keep those stupid dealer frames on the car? OK, so we know you bought it from Joe Blow's Rip Off Honda in Boofoo, MT. Why should we care?
Some people think they're required for structural integrity- I went to the DMV a few years ago with a a very good (and very intelligent) friend of mine who got a new car. The conversation went as follows when we were putting his license plates on:
Me: Just out of curiosity, why are you putting the dealer brackets on your new plate?
Him: Can you get the license plate on the car without the brackets?
Me: Yes.
Him: Are you sure? Will it scratch the paint? [This was an 02 Civic, so the plate was mounted right on the painted part of the trunklid)
Me: Yes. Those brackets are strictly for advertising purposes to let everyone know where you bought your car.
Him: Oh, OK, I won't do that then.
Evidently his parents were always under that impression too (and these are reasonably smart people), so I'd imagine that's the case with a lot of folks.