Front license plate

[decan9]

Ahybody brave enough to keep the front plate off the car....I think it ruins it's looks....I have friends here in CA that have been doing it for years on 350Z's and some others????

 

[decan9]

well...that's what I get for not looking....I see this has been discussed and recussed at length! Sorry!

 

[Glashub]

Probably could get away with it here in LA what with budget cuts but it is the law that it has to be displayed and fact of the matter is I never get away with anything. Therefore a plate will be on the front of my car.

 

[Seattle Genesis]

Same here. Plates will be on the front of my car. Too much of a pain to get stopped and explain it away and risk a ticket. Not worth it.

 

[STREETS]

Nice without, but $75 ticket in CT san front plate

 

[mikec]

Places that use the red-light cameras pretty much mandate front license plates now. I still see quite a few cars in SoCal without the front plate even though it supposedly is mandatory here. Few, if any, folks seem to get pulled over for not having a front plate. But if you get pulled over for any other reason, odds are you'll also get ticketed for not having the front plate. At least a "fix it" ticket as a friend of mine received. Another got nabbed for no front plate while getting a parking ticket.

Too bad the US won't use Euro-style plates in the front - long skinny rectangles that match up to the bumper size/shape better. Most states require the month & year registration stickers on just the rear license plate so having room for them on the front plate is a waste. The current front plate = rear plate means the states need only one stamping machine instead of two.

mike c.

 

[Rambler16]

In CA you are given a fix it ticket. Cost is $110.00 if you do nothing, or you put on the plate and pay $60.00. In four years with my TL I got two. Works out to roughly $5.00 per month to have a clean look. I removed the Front bracket on the genesis and we'll see if it is noticed.

 

[NSXNEXT]

Places that use the red-light cameras pretty much mandate front license plates now.

Interesting, we have red light cameras in Philly but have no front plate reqts.

 

[Mark_888]

Interesting, we have red light cameras in Philly but have no front plate reqts.

States long ago decided whether to require front plates, and it is hard to go from rear-only to front and back required for the following reasons:

• Extra cost to the state to make them
• If the vehicle is not new, the front license plate holder is probably no longer around and would be hard for everyone to find one and install them

I think the original reason was to help law enforcement, not necessarily just for red light cameras.

 

[Mark_888]

Few, if any, folks seem to get pulled over for not having a front plate. But if you get pulled over for any other reason, odds are you'll also get ticketed for not having the front plate.

I think it would be "somewhat" difficult for law enforcement to pull someone over for not having front plates. If they see you from the front without plates, there is a good chance the car has out-of-state plates from a state that does not require front plates. If they see you from the rear, it is hard to see whether you have plates in the front.

I would think that from a budget point of view, they would ticket you if they saw you were in violation, unless they were busy with something else, simply becasue it is a good way to raise revenue for the city/county, etc.

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[GerryF]

I've left the front plates off my Genesis (1 year) and Lexus ES (4 years) here in Southern California without a problem. But the interesting related event is that I received a violation notice in the mail from City of Oakland indicating my Expedition was parked there without a front plate. Fact is my Expedition has a front plate and has never been to Oakland. Surprisingly, a letter with photos and a follow-up call cleared it up.
So, be aware some cash strapped cities have their meter maids (or whatever they call them now) out looking for any violation, including a missing front plate.
And no, I haven't put them on the other cars...will just stay clear of Oakland

 

[NOLa]

I live in a state that does not require front plates.

I was dismayed to find that when I purchased my first Genny that the front plate holder was attached and not only were there holes in the bumper for that, but there were additional holes where they had put on the dealer advertisement "plate".

It wasn't the dealership's policy, but the car I wanted had to be shipped from another dealer...I made them fix it.

On previous cars I had, the front plate holder was somehow attached from behind the grill so if it was removed they wouldn't be any visable damage.