Hi. I waited a year to install the front license plate. I thought I followed the installation steps. But afterwards when I looked at the finished installation I saw that only the top strip of adhesive was holding the whole thing. I got Tesla mobile service to reinstall the whole thing. It cost me $40.
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Front license plate falling off
- Thread starter KATS
- Start date
JCtx
Member
Yep. The factory one is just stick-on.
I dropped a few bucks on the Quick Bandit plate holder. Absolutely love it - installs super easy, holds the plate away from the bumper so it won’t scratch. Well done, quality product, if a bit pricey.
JCtx
Member
Yep, I went with the license plate wrap too. Great solution.
Thought about this afterwards, but I wonder if you can attach it to those static cling sheets, like what people do with the HOV stickers, to make it removable. Not sure how well it would stick at high speeds, but if it works, would be the ultimate solution.
Thought about this afterwards, but I wonder if you can attach it to those static cling sheets, like what people do with the HOV stickers, to make it removable. Not sure how well it would stick at high speeds, but if it works, would be the ultimate solution.
puckpurnell
Member
DITTO. Got mine in 2018 and it's been awesome. Great product that woks perfectly.
You folks with Model 3s are fortunate. The Quick Bandit, which I would totally buy, is so far unavailable for Models S and X.
buddhra
Member
Unless Tony has some other tricks up his sleeve, I suspect that's always going to be the case for S and X. The QB grabs onto the top and bottom of the grille/bumper on the 3 and Y, but there is no bumper there on the S and X. Those grilles are particularly flexible compared to the 3 and Y also. It was a challenge to design our mount for them, but we made it work.
I am new to the whole wrap issue. But trying to learn.
I do not know about static cling sheets. Is that a thing? But I do know that some people are on Craig's List selling 3M paint-protection film (a form or wrap, right?) cut into small rectangles to use to allow HOV stickers (in California) to be more-easily applied and removed.
Then there is this:
which seems to be another variation on the same sort of thing.
My question: Isn't the license plate wrap in itself like paint-protection film/wrap? So is it even necessary to use something under the license plate wrap? I don't think so. It would be a classic case of gilding the lily, right? (Look it up.) Here's how I see it (please correct me as necessary):
- California HOV stickers.
- Very strong adhesive.
- Just like annual metallic, colored license plate update stickers, these are (purposely) difficult to remove.*
- Use good brand of paint-protection film/wrap (by 3M) underneath to protect auto paint and allow easier removal.
- Tesla front license plate holder adhesive strips.
- Strong adhesive.
- Difficult to remove (especially with age).*
- Consider using good brand of paint-protection film/wrap (by 3M) to protect auto paint and allow easier removal.
- License plate wrap.
- Moderate adhesive.
- It's a wrap product, so it's intended to come off more easily, correct?.
- Unless I'm mistaken, it's not necessary to use an additional paint-protection film/wrap.
* Then there is the issue of whether you even want these things to be easily removable.
*****
- In the world of F1 racing, every saved ounce is valuable. What weighs more? A car painted with primer and a matte topcoat (like Ferrari), or a primed car with a wrap finish? Probably the wrap, correct? Thicker?
- How much does full coverage wrap of an average auto weigh in total?
- The way things are going, will wrap eventually replace conventional top-coat auto paint entirely?
- How long does wrap last? Assuming proper maintenance, what does a 10-year-old wrapped car look like? Sun damage? Cracks? Fading?
- Wrap must help protect eastern cars from salt-caused body rot, correct?
He's got a prototype on the bench for the X. We've talked about it.
In the meanwhile, I've picked up The Law for our X. (Got it second hand @buddhra - sorry; didn't realize you were the genius behind SnapPlate!) It's not nearly as slick as the Quick Bandit, but it does the job. Excuse the Rudolph nose on the X; it was a picture from the holidays.
The Law - Tesla Model X Front License Plate Bracket (Auto Pilot Compatible) x7340
I've watched your videos. Good work making the best of a challenging engineering problem with the Models S and X.
I got the Quick Bandit before I even got the car delivered.
https://www.1975creations.com/product-page/quick-bandit-model-3-license-plate-mount
https://www.1975creations.com/product-page/quick-bandit-model-3-license-plate-mount
I installed the OttoSteer OttoPlate mount that uses the Tesla OEM Paton plate holder. I like that it looks stock and has a lower profile when viewed from the side compared to the “floating” options. As I have PPF film on the front bumper, I’m not worried about the physical contact. Still easy to remove to clean behind and stow for my winters in AZ.
I’m fairly new to this too. Yes, the license plate wrap is like a paint protection wrap, but I suspect it will be difficult to take off (I.e you will probably ruin the plate when it comes off). I don’t think you can easily remove it and reapply. But, I may be totally wrong about that.
The static cling sheets are available and people use them for the HOV stickers so that they are easy to remove and reapply, which means you don’t have to keep them on the car all the time. There is a thread about this, linked below:
CA HOV sticker reapplication and paint protection solution
I was thinking that you could use the same film underneath the license plate wrap so that you can remove and reapply as often as you want. But, I don’t know how strong it is, and if it would work in that particular situation.
Just when I think I've seen it all, along comes a new, clever engineering idea. But once again, only for Models 3 or Y. Tesla discrimination. Boo! (Ha, ha.) By necessity, I am still focused on license plate wrap for Model X.
DeenDeluxe
Member
I am still wrestling with this issue, so I started this thread:
teslamotorsclub.com
Front License Plate Options
There are a number of helpful discussions about front license plate (LP) alternatives. For example: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/front-license-plate-falling-off.214798/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/front-license-plate-adhesive.216109/...
teslamotorsclub.com
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