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Front Plate

8K views 36 replies 25 participants last post by  PCA1983 
#1 ·
It finally happened. I got pulled over for not having a front plate installed on my Boxster. Here in Maryland, we're required to have both front and rear plates. When I purchased the car, I told them not to install the front plate, as I didn't want those holes drilled into the front fascia. It's just such a detraction aesthetically. I was pulling into our town and came up behind an unmarked state trooper car. I recognized it as such. He turned right at the intersection, the same direction I had to go and he immediately pulled over and waited for me to pass. I knew right away what he was doing, as we only are about 3 miles from WV where front plates are not required and he wanted to verify I was running a Maryland plate. I go by and the lights immediately come on so of course I pull over. He was pleasant enough, asked for license and registration, said he had stopped me for not having a front plate. Comes back and hands me a warning. That was it, he didn't say a single word other than "Here's a warning".

I have a license plate bracket that I ordered (the brand of which I can't remember at the moment) that installs by drilling the holes under the facia, but damn, I really don't want to have to install it. I'm sure if I get pulled over again, I'll certainly get a ticket. If it's comes with no points, I'm almost tempted to just take my chance and pay the fine.

What to do....

Anyway, that was my adventure for the day.
 
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#3 ·
I was in the exact same situation..... didn't want to drill holes in my front bumper. I ordered a bunch of after-market "no drill" plate mounts.
I tried 3 of them, and did not like any of them. In the end, I gave up and mounted the OEM license plate bracket. IMO, it doesn't look that bad.
Now I have peace of mind and have 1 less reason to get pull over by The Man.
 
#4 ·
That was it, he didn't say a single word other than "Here's a warning". ... I'm sure if I get pulled over again, I'll certainly get a ticket. If it's comes with no points, I'm almost tempted to just take my chance and pay the fine.
In 2013 there was an attempt to change the law to one plate. It failed. In 2015 there is another attempt to change the law. https://legiscan.com/MD/text/HB61/2015 My guess it will fail again.

A missing plate is not a fix-it ticket, like a blown out bulb. It is a real traffic violation. No points are assigned. It's a $70 fine. You can look it up here. http://www.courts.state.md.us/district/forms/criminal/dccr090.pdf.
 
#5 ·
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#6 ·
I also did not want holes drilled into the front of my GTS. I have a millworks tow hook mount for the front plate. It is comes with a small white bracket that matches my white car and threads to the tow hook socket, no drilling required, and I can easily put on and remove the plate by sliding it from the bracket. You might want to consider it.

I admit the whole assembly is still unmounted, in the frunk. I haven't quite got around to installing it. I doubt a trooper is going to pull me over anytime soon with the kind of wicked cold weather we've been having here of late.
 
#8 ·
Correct. The tow hook mount will interfere with the front parking sensor.
The car will beep like crazy every time you turn on the engine.


I have front parking sensors so I suspect that any tow hook mount will not work...correct?


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#10 ·
The OEM front plate bracket was installed on my 981 BS at delivery even though I gave specific instructions to leave it off. I was not a happy camper.

Now, after nearly two years, I don't even think about it. I had an offset tow hook mount that I was planning to use but, after seeing it on the car, I didn't like the way it looked at all. My front plate is on, and I have no worries about being stopped for the plate violation .. which here involves a $250 fine plus two points on your license.

The small holes that are drilled in the bumper cover can, at some point, be plugged or simply filled at any body shop for very little money.

Front plates are a hot topic on every car forum I've ever visited. In real life though, the majority of owners just comply with their state laws and have them put on. Either way, it's simply a matter of what you feel comfortable with.
 
#12 ·
i am working on a new mount that will lower the plate into the fake center scoop and quickly detach using Dzus fasteners. I do run a front plate locally in NY but I take it off for out of state and trips on the NY Thruway...I like to think of it as more of a challenge for the laser cops.
 
#13 ·
It finally happened. I got pulled over for not having a front plate installed on my Boxster. Here in Maryland
BFM - buy a lottery ticket. I live in MD as well
Move to P.G. County... here, I'm pretty sure that if there's no gunfire, the cops don't stop. :helpme:

Well, so much for my prospects of becoming County Executive
 
#14 ·
I have been ticketed a couple of times in NY. One by a meter maid ! It is a $50 fine I look at as a cost of doing business. I now keep the plate on the passenger footwell and put it up on the dashboard when I think I might have a problem. Another thing I do is when a cop is driving the other way I waive and it seems to redirect their vision (and yes I do waive with all my fingers).
 
#16 ·
I would wager in the near future all states will require a front plate. The plate readers are becoming a big thing in law enforcement.
.
 
#19 ·
I would wager in the near future all states will require a front plate. The plate readers are becoming a big thing in law enforcement.
Except where they've been deployed and taken out of deployment. The Boston police department no longer uses them. Massachusetts may have laws heavily regulating their use passed soon. They still make for great LIDAR targets though.
 
#17 ·
If you don't want to drill holes, and if you don't have front parking sensors, I also suggest the US Millworks solution. It's what I've done. I currently only pop it in for inspections and long trips. Easy install, works perfectly.
 
#18 · (Edited)
I finally bit the bullet and went ahead and installed the front plate. I had purchased the Skene Design bracket and used that. Here's a couple of pictures:

Automotive exterior Bumper Auto part Vehicle Car
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Automotive design Supercar


The Skene Design is pretty flexible in that you can slide it up or down almost the entire height of the plate. This ended up being the least objectionable (IMO) position.

I'm not one to flaunt against the law, so in the end, one less thing to worry about. The nice part is that if they ever do pass the law in Maryland to go with just the rear plate, or I move to somewhere it isn't required, it's only two small screws under the front bumper in the black plastic to remove it.

Thanks for everyone's comments. Very much appreciated.
 
#33 ·
You picked the best location for the plate! For the life of me I don't understand why people would mount it higher, right in the middle of beautiful flowing bumper...

I'd also trim the plate on top a little and install it at angle, so it *completely* fits inside of that opening. There is a huge thread about plates somewhere here.

I finally bit the bullet and went ahead and installed the front plate. I had purchased the Skene Design bracket and used that. Here's a couple of pictures:

View attachment 55663 View attachment 55664

The Skene Design is pretty flexible in that you can slide it up or down almost the entire height of the plate. This ended up being the least objectionable (IMO) position.

I'm not one to flaunt against the law, so in the end, one less thing to worry about. The nice part is that if they ever do pass the law in Maryland to go with just the rear plate, or I move to somewhere it isn't required, it's only two small screws under the front bumper in the black plastic to remove it.

Thanks for everyone's comments. Very much appreciated.
 
#22 ·
Glued six super magnets to rear side of front bumper cover and then put six matching magnets on the back side of the factory plastic plate mount. Put thin insulation behind plate magnets to prevent magnets from indenting the bumper cover. It can be seen with difficulty in my gallery photos. Holds well. No chance of coming off below 100 MPH. Can pull off easily for show and on for driving.

Note Florida has gone to cashless toll ways and takes pictures and sends tolls (not tickets) via mail to drivers who don't have Sun Pass. CA is looking to charge drivers a per mile on CA roads because fuel economy has gone up and electric vehicles have reduced gas tax paid and roads need repair. Front plate requirement's are only going to increase.
 
#23 ·
Well, I too didn't want to drill holes in my front in my '11 CS I got from Alabama, and finally figured if I did have to have a plate, I'd go with something that at least fit the car.

Vehicle registration plate Motor vehicle Automotive exterior Auto part Bumper

VA too requires front plates. My 25 yr. old son had a Europlate on his Audi, and has never had a problem. My nearby buddy with an '09 CS got one. Went thru a State Police roadblock - they told him as long as the letters/numbers were the same as on his rear, and the stickers were up to date - he was good to go. I've been stopped by State Troopers TWICE for the tag on interstate....first one loved it, took pics, bid me to have a great day. 2nd one wasn't sure, gave me a warning.

THEN, I loan the car to a good friend and he gets a ticket for failure to display front tag!

It's not a moving violation here, so I'm staying with the tag until it's proven to me that it's not ok.

You may think of trying the same thing with MD tag - get the same colors as your regular tag, use current stickers if you use them - and then sweet-talk any cop who troubles you with "I thought they were legal!" - unless you know otherwise.......

You can get the tags here: Custom American Europlate
 
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#32 ·
You may think of trying the same thing with MD tag - get the same colors as your regular tag, use current stickers if you use them - and then sweet-talk any cop who troubles you with "I thought they were legal!" - unless you know otherwise.......
Plan to, mine has been in the garage until I can trim it to fit the opening on my car. MD does not have stickers on front tags, only rear -- so it's a little easier here.
 
#26 ·
Love the Europlate. Great idea. Better to be 1/2 a rebel then not one at all.


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Ok, Virginian's.....our attorney who is taking the case of the "improper display of front plate" before a judge this Thursday told me that as he sees the law after studying it, in our state even a piece of cardboard should be legal if the characters that are on the vehicle registration are displayed and the month and year stickers are current and it says Virginia or VA. He will not be arguing that before the court, but will argue that the plate I am running is NOT illegal by the wording of Virginia statute......I'll update what happens after the trail............
 
#28 ·
Ok, for all you Virginians - judge dismissed the case. Atty. showed him the VA code, and showed him a pic of my plate (same one as above).

Judge said, "Sure looks like a Virginia plate to me.......Trooper, doesn't it look like a Virginia plate to you?" "No, your Honor."

"Well, from my view, the law isn't clear enough for me to make a knowledgeable decision on this matter, so the case is dismissed." He then advised me to talk with someone at the DMV to see if it was indeed a valid plate. As I was not the one being tried, I said nothing......but here was my thought:

"No thank you, your Honor. I'm going to let some low-level government bureaucrat who knows nothing about the law tell me his interpretation of the law and my plate? No way. Your Honor." Is it worth it to try to contact someone in the DMV legal dept, if there is one? Nope.

In my mind, at least in Virginia, a precedent has been set, at least by one judge. The law isn't clear enough to rule that the Europlate is illegal if it is exactly as on the registration and the month and year stickers are current. I think I've got a good argument if stopped in the future.

My only concern about keeping my Europlate would be being pulled by the same trooper in the future as I'm frequently in his area, and my standing before this same judge personally. But then, even if found guilty, The fine is $25 plus court costs, totaling $87, but it looks like it is a 3 pt. violation.

I think I hate the look of a VA plate on my Cayman S enough to take the risk........
 
#30 ·
I finally caved after 12+ years of no front plate. I ordered a Skene front bracket. The site spec'd extra short for a 991 but I think a short or medium would have been better. Mounting is not tough but a bit complicated if you are as fussy as I am about symmetry. I also drilled a second hole in the Skene base and installed a second screw. If I did remove the bracket it would be impossible to see where the mounting holes were drilled unless you got down on your knees, put your eyes *below* the sight line of the front opening AND had a flashlight. And like was already mentioned - I know longer experience the slight tightening of sphincter muscles when I see a police car coming toward me or passing me....

i still prefer the naked front bumper but I'm kinda likin the peace of mind.
 
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#31 ·
Looks like I have to stop by after some time to check out how it looks ;)
 
#35 ·
Bolo - DEAL! Only I'm no hero......just your avg. Porsche Cayman lover......I'm by that area frequently - when am I likely to see the beautiful Sapphire Blue Boxter S with SUMR BRZ on it? I can look for you.......

GN
 
#36 ·
Best part is it's all true! But aren't the best stories the true ones?

But the best story I've ever told is 5 years long, rated 5 stars on its forum, over 200 pages, 2,100 replies and over 183,000 views.......too long to read, but covers everything about my finding, buying, restoring, and forever tweaking my 1972 Triumph Bonneville T120V motorcycle.....

'72 Bonnie - from finding to buying, to fixing up, to riding... - Triumph Forum: Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums

On page 34 of this forum: Classic, Vintage & Veteran - Page 34 - Triumph Forum: Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums

GN
 
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