Front license plate holders?

[Tezzy#1]

Hi! Has anyone tried this portable front license plate holder? If so, please share details (user experience, ease of removal, does it scratch?, etc.).
Thank you!
Tesla Model 3 STO-N-SHO Removable Front License Plate Bracket

 

[Club206]

I wouldn’t drill holes in my car. Check out The Bandit license plate holder. 120 bucks and no holes in your car.

 

[mnevar]

I have the Bandit. Worth every penny.

 

[Snow Drift]

Stock mount uses tape...what's the problem?

 

[WattsHappening]

If you are looking for a temporary install solution, I think this is the best value solution. No tape, no drilling holes in the car. You do have to drill two holes into the OEM license plate holder. But once that's done, it takes 3 minutes to install and 1 minute to remove. And it will set you back $3 and you can purchase at any hardware store. Can't hurt to try.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-...5405&cjevent=acee8234d15e11e8807500980a1c0e13

 

[TW14 9LF]

See my post on what I came up with as a solution. Removable Front License Plate Mount

Keith

 

[NeverFollow]

Hi! Has anyone tried this portable front license plate holder? If so, please share details (user experience, ease of removal, does it scratch?, etc.).
Thank you!
Tesla Model 3 STO-N-SHO Removable Front License Plate Bracket

If you look under your car, you will see that the piece that is 'grey' on the picture is just a soft plastic molding.

I don't know if they screw the bracket directly into this 'grey' plastic cover
or if they removed the 'grey' plastic cover, to find some piece of metal allowing to screw the bracket to it?

Also this part of the car is very low, I already touched the curb and scratch this area,
but since this is very soft, the cover didn't get broken.
You can see in fact on the picture that there are several scratches.

The bracket seems to be even lower and very exposed. So if you touch the curb,
this will certainly damage the bracket, and will damage the lower part of the car at the same time.

 

[NeverFollow]

I was looking at the various combinations of front license mounts that I can find, and here are my observations:

1. $119 The Bandit. Do the job but I am concerned about any front impacts that would damage the louvers that they are attached to.

2. $134 The Law. Same concern, but wider bracket width (about 10 ") compare to The Bandit (about 4 ") so more stable.

3. $85 Ev Tuning. Need to drill holes, there is no details information to what the screws get drill into, prone to be damaged on a curb.

4. $100 Evannex. Wide bracket (about 12") Put the weight on the bumper, but need to use adhesive tape like the Tesla mount.

I cannot really find a winner, but I like better the #4 as it makes pressure on a wider area, a little bit like when installing a shelf on a wall.
However you need to use some adhesive tape, which is the original critics of the Tesla mount.
Also, in case of impact, the base of the grill can be damaged, since the brace touch it.

From another TMC threat, there was the mention of using suction cups instead of adhesive tape when installing the Tesla original mount.
And also from @sroh there was the mention of using two Drywall Anchors to hold the Tesla mount instead of using adhesive tape.

There is also the idea from RPM to use a $25 protection film to protect the painting when using the adhesive tape.
But honestly, you can get a full 3M Scotchgard film roll (6" x 60") for $20,
and use the remaining of the roll to protect other parts of the body, like the door sill or the trunk and rear bumper protection.

As current project, I used a 3M film and the Tesla mount, a license protection bumper, a license plastic cover, and a Fastrack transmitter.
The issue I encountered is that the whole system is a little bit heavy (2.5 lbs or 1.15 kg) and don't stick strongly to the 3M film.
So I would consider adding something to keep everything tight without damaging the painting.

 

[NeverFollow]

If you are looking for a temporary install solution, I think this is the best value solution.
No tape, no drilling holes in the car. You do have to drill two holes into the OEM license plate holder.
But once that's done, it takes 3 minutes to install and 1 minute to remove.
And it will set you back $3 and you can purchase at any hardware store.
Can't hurt to try. Drywall Anchor (3" length - 1/4" Diameter)

Using the original Tesla front license holder and two drywall anchors instead of adhesive tapes works great,

The location is a little bit lower than the original and a little bit on the way of the air flow but not really blocking the air circulation,
and but looks nicer than the original designed location.

 

[Olds442]

i'll pay the tickets. i can't stand the look of a front plate on a tesla.

i asked my service center not to install it, i was told they wouldn't. i sure hope not.

 

[NeverFollow]

I'll pay the tickets. i can't stand the look of a front plate on a Tesla.

i asked my service center not to install it, I was told they wouldn't. I sure hope not.

I understand you aesthetics point of view, However, been a little bit lower than originally make it less noticeable.
But beside avoiding getting a ticket, if you park in the street, an additional bumper protection
can save you from getting scratches on your body painting.

 

[Olds442]

I understand you aesthetics point of view, However, been a little bit lower than originally make it less noticeable.
But beside avoiding getting a ticket, if you park in the street, an additional bumper protection
can save you from getting scratches on your body painting.

View attachment 360687 View attachment 360685 View attachment 360686

yikes is that a rubber diaper?

honestly i don't park on a street or anywhere i'd need to worry about that. if i'm going somewhere with questionable parking or downtown chicago i take my truck.

 

[Glamisduner]

You can also use PPF to attach the front plate.

Not sure if this works if you already have PPF though.

Bandit simplifies things for sure that was my plan but I have not decided yet myself. Planning to get PPF soon, so I can't stick my front plate on until it's completed.

 

[NeverFollow]

You can also use PPF to attach the front plate.

Not sure if this works if you already have PPF though.

Bandit simplifies things for sure that was my plan but I have not decided yet myself.
Planning to get PPF soon, so I can't stick my front plate on until it's completed.

I put a 3M film, and taped the back the Tesla front license mount to the film.
Everything was fine, but after a week the front license failed on the floor of my garage.

I put an extra bumper in front of the license, and the extra weight was sufficient for the license to fail.
I was lucky it didn't happen while driving.

I still have the film on my bumper and I circled it on the picture below:

 

[Glamisduner]

I put a 3M film, and taped the back the Tesla front license mount to the film.
Everything was fine, but after a week the front license failed on the floor of my garage.

I put an extra bumper in front of the license, and the extra weight was sufficient for the license to fail.
I was lucky it didn't happen while driving.

I still have the film on my bumper and I circled it on the picture below:

View attachment 360858

so the tape didn't hold? The way you have it now looks like it is blocking airflow to the radiator?

 

[TonyPham]

View attachment 360360

I was looking at the various combinations of front license mounts that I can find, and here are my observations:

1. $119 The Bandit. Do the job but I am concerned about any front impacts that would damage the louvers that they are attached to.

2. $134 The Law. Same concern, but wider bracket width (about 10 ") compare to The Bandit (about 4 ") so more stable.

3. $85 Ev Tuning. Need to drill holes, there is no details information to what the screws get drill into, prone to be damaged on a curb.

4. $100 Evannex. Wide bracket (about 12") Put the weight on the bumper, but need to use adhesive tape like the Tesla mount.

I cannot really find a winner, but I like better the #4 as it makes pressure on a wider area, a little bit like when installing a shelf on a wall.
However you need to use some adhesive tape, which is the original critics of the Tesla mount.
Also, in case of impact, the base of the grill can be damaged, since the brace touch it.

From another TMC threat, there was the mention of using suction cups instead of adhesive tape when installing the Tesla original mount.
And also from @sroh there was the mention of using two Drywall Anchors to hold the Tesla mount instead of using adhesive tape.
View attachment 360411

There is also the idea from RPM to use a $25 protection film to protect the painting when using the adhesive tape.
But honestly, you can get a full 3M Scotchgard film roll (6" x 60") for $20,
and use the remaining of the roll to protect other parts of the body, like the door sill or the trunk and rear bumper protection.

View attachment 360413

As current project, I used a 3M film and the Tesla mount, a license protection bumper, a license plastic cover, and a Fastrack transmitter.
The issue I encountered is that the whole system is a little bit heavy (2.5 lbs or 1.15 kg) and don't stick strongly to the 3M film.
So I would consider adding something to keep everything tight without damaging the painting.

View attachment 360416

@NeverFollow thanks for the reference to The Bandit! Because it's mounted higher, there is more flexibility if something were to impact vs mounted lower (force is more direct). Check out this post by @RayK, photo credit also by @RayK, thanks!

Model 3 Front License Plate Bracket DIY

"I went with The Bandit, mainly because it seemed to be a very simple installation and I had to correct a fix-it ticket. It was as easy to install as the OP's video shows. It has enough "give" so as to not break the grill it's mounted to but not so much that it will impact the bumper (unless it's a major collision). I was up in San Francisco last week and parked in what I thought was a fairly secure lot (Mason O'Farrell Garage). When I got back, I was greeted with this:"

 

[Tezzy#1]

Hi! Apologies for posting so late; work definitely got in the way of my personal life this week! Thank you for all of the good information and suggestions. I am going to do some more research on the recommended products and take a look further into this. I am not a fan of front license plates on certain vehicles (such as Teslas!), but a product that will be possible to remove and re-install quickly without causing damage, holes, etc. would be ideal.

 

[StealthP3D]

I can't believe people are mounting their front plates over the one, relatively small grill on the Model 3 used for cooling the batteries in hot weather (and to make the Air Conditioning more effective and efficient).

I don't want to hear any owners who have blocked the center airflow to be complaining about warm weather efficiency or a hot cabin next summer! There's a reason OEM mounting location for license plates never disrupts the air flow to the heat exchangers/radiators. Less airflow means you need a bigger radiator to achieve the same effectiveness. This could even shorten battery life by causing the batteries to be a few degrees hotter on hot days.

 

[wise82guy]

Installed my Bandit on Friday - absolutely love it so far. Excellent from end to end, including even the shipping materials and instructions. Incredibly easy and intuitive install (aided by design to make it so simple). Highly recommended.