Front License Plate Question

[mcaden]

My state, Maryland, requires you to display a front license plate. My own informal and very unscientific survey of cars suggests that about 8 of 10 Maryland drivers comply with this requirement.

My dilemma - I either (a) don't want to mount the front plate and go bare or ( want to display a Europlate.

Can any of you share your experiences either going bare or with the Europlate? E.g., tickets or warnings.

Also, if I purchase a Europlate (I think they really go with the car) do they mount in the standard plate holes on the front bumper?

As always, many thanks for your response.

-Marc

[Napes]

I live in Arizona so, I don't have an answer to your question as they are not required here, but, if you end up deciding to go without a front plate, Audi makes some nice plugs that perfectly fill the holes in the rubber strip. Once installed, they hardly show and could be easily removed if the need arises. The P/N is 811 807 167.

Bob Napier

[VenturaTii]

My state, Maryland, requires you to display a front license plate. My own informal and very unscientific survey of cars suggests that about 8 of 10 Maryland drivers comply with this requirement.

My dilemma - I either (a) don't want to mount the front plate and go bare or ( want to display a Europlate.

Can any of you share your experiences either going bare or with the Europlate? E.g., tickets or warnings.

Also, if I purchase a Europlate (I think they really go with the car) do they mount in the standard plate holes on the front bumper?

As always, many thanks for your response.

-Marc

I havent had a front plate on either of my cars I drove here in CA. '03 Turbo Passat (that was tastefully modified) and the 2 yrs I have had my Tii. I think sometimes it depends on the cop, the car...ect.

I had a Jetta when I moved to IL (front plate required) and I put my old Spanish plate on front and was stopped 2xs in 3 weeks (I lived on the same street as the police station) but when I had my Passat the front was never drilled (requested it that way due to the Votex front air dam) and was always without a plate for the remaining 3.5yrs I lived there, never was stopped!

Sometimes I think nothing is less noticeable than something that is incorrect...at least to police, that is.

[JerryC]

I've driven my tii with no front plate for over 10 years and never been stopped. I try not to drive in a "noteworthy" manner, as well. Drive with the traffic flow, save the wild stuff for the track or autocross.

I suspect the license plate is just another thing for a cop to ping obnoxious drivers with, otherwise most cops don't care enough to pull you over for just that. If your tags are expired, you're driving without a seatbelt, and your headlights are off in the rain (funky California law) it could add up to a fairly fat ticket, so do what you're supposed to do. It's no big deal.

[BillWilliams]

I have a Euro plate on the yellow car that I have driven in MD since 2000 and never been stopped. I even run a Euro plate front and back o the orange car and have not been bothered.

But an old gray hair guy in an old car is not a cop target, I think they will stop you for no seat belts before they would bother you about the front plate. I would not be flying around with no front plate.

[Pancake]

I'm in Oregon (front plate state), and it really depends on the car and (honestly) age/appearance of the driver. I've run no front plate on my 85 Supra, a full on plate delete on my E30 325i, no plate on 86 RX7, and no plate on my 76 02.

I got grief from cops to no end about it on the Supra, but that was also in a small town that actually made most of it's money from persecuting college students (Monmouth, OR); also, that was back when I was 19-23(ish). I've never gotten a front plate ticket in any of the other cars, despite having been pulled over in both the E30 and Rx7 more than once. I think a big part of this is anymore I look like "a responsible guy in his mid 30's", so the officer comes into it with a totally different mindset. Also, not living in a place where the city is dependent on traffic citations has a huge part of it's helps.

Basically, it all comes down to where you live, how old you are, and how you drive. If you could even be remotely taken for "a punk kid in a old Euro hotrod", don't do it.

[mcaden]

In light of the above responses, I feel like I need to give up my age now - I am 40 y/o.

[Guest Anonymous]

Can you describe what "responsible" looks like specifically?

[Pancake]

Now you know that's one of the fuzzy concepts that's hard to describe and really depends on where you live. I would guess most people who own 02s would qualify (even the 'punk kids'). Most of the time, I'm dressed for work (nice jeans, button up shirt, my "nice" BMW hat if I'm not driving the 02, etc), plus I look like I'm in my mid 30s (I'm 28) and don't have a big chip on my shoulder/cop an attitude when I get pulled over. It just really changes the officer's attitude about things. Front plate, along with illegally tinted taillights or exhaust work (both the E30) never even comes up.

You want a profile of how to get pulled over in even the nicest clean car driving legally, check out the whole Honda FWD crowd from the late 90s. You know, the ones who tried as hard as they could to emulate the Fast & the Furious?

[Jim_75Sahara]

I wimped out and put a plate on the front since Ohio law requires one. I don't think that they get very agitated over the front plate unless you drive like a total doofus. I have always had to have a front plate, so I have never tested the police with any of our vehicles.....

[3elements]

California is also a front-plate state, but I recently switched to a Euro plate anyway, same number as the back plate.

Logically, it's defensible - the number on this plate is easier to read than the "legal" one, and any cop could run the number and get the reg info on my car. Legally, however, I know it's an excuse for any officer to stop me at any time if they want to. Hasn't happened yet.

I keep the legal plate in the trunk, under my toolbox, and will offer to zip-tie it on on the spot if I ever get stopped.

[BarryA]

cases the police/state trooper/highway patrol officers make a snap decision based on a) driving behavior, vehicle appearance, and c) driver appearance.

Be 18-20 years old & drive a loud, radically lowered Civic with a body kit, black windows and coffee can muffler like you're auditioning for Fast & Furious III and every cop within a mile radius is going be on you like white on rice.

Be late 20's or older & drive a mildly modified BMW, Volvo, etc, that's not absurdly loud and is obviously well kept, don't be too offensive in your general driving habits and stay within 15-20 mph of the speed limit and your odds of being hassled go way down.

I was talking with a guy who's a California Highway Patrolman at one of the EuroSunday events a couple of months ago (drives a hotroded, sleeper late model Volvo) - he said "my personal threshold is 20 over - I usually won't bother anybody that's not going faster than that as long as they're not doing anything stupid" (his quote, my italics).

[Mike Self]

the Air Force base, so local gendarmarie are used to seeing no front plate. Since I have an '02-related plate and holes in the front bumper, I leave my front plate on...

mike

[JackF]

The 72's front plate sits comfortably under the front seat and I too carry tie wraps in case needed.

No way I can put a front plate on the turbo. I'd have to rage against the empire on that one

[SteveJ]

I live in the Bay Area, and I HAVE been ticketed for no front plate. All my cars have front plates. I went as far as to spend the extra $50 to get the cool side mounted plate for our new MINI Clubman.

Hey, if you gotta wear one, it might as well be cool.

The CVC says you have to have a front plate. My take is I don't want to give the police any extra reason to stop me.