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Front license plate options?
- Thread starter Todd Burch
- Start date
Same situation with me in MA. My solution was to temporarily wire-tie the plastic bracket to the air intake screen. It's blocking the air intake a bit, but with the cold weather I don't think this will be a problem for a while, and I needed the plate installed to get past state inspection. I intend to ask Tesla Service to install it correctly at some point when the car is in for service at some later date.
I found it odd they included hex-head screws to fasten the plate to the mount. Like those who are willing to steal license plates won't have a set of Allen wrenches?
They're Torx T15. I cursed as I had to make another trip to the machine shop and fetch my Torx set.
Been driving a boxster s in California for 10 years without a front plate. Never ticketed.
When I lived in MA (Brrrrrr), I didn't have a front plate but never got pulled over for it (I did get some blatant DWBs but that's another forum altogether). I asked a police officer once and he said something to the effect of: MA doesn't require cars bought out of state to retrofit front plates, and so they don't ever bother to do anything about it. I suppose if one is pulled over and asked about it, a proper response might be something like "I got this car from another state" and then blink innocently.
YMMV, IANAL, IMHO, LOL.
YMMV, IANAL, IMHO, LOL.
Tow hook isn't for towing -it's for hoisting the boxster onto the flatbed. (Sadly an experience that I had three weeks ago, which is the impetus for me putting in a reservation on a model s. ).
Of course your point that there is no hook still holds. Model s requires a lot more effort to get onto the flatbed.
Just as an opposite datapoint, I was pulled over in the SF bay area within 2 months for not having a front plate on my car by a motorcycle CHP officer; the same officer, coincidentally, that pulled me over for expired tags just 8 months later. I had just purchased a used car and in California, tags go with the car -- the car had an expired 1995 sticker on it and I had my temp license in the window. The first resulted in a fix-it ticket and a follow-up inspection trip.
A lot of officers in IL are also pretty militant about it.
Some TMC members have used a Skene bracket ($49.99) which requires drilling less visible holes and mounts the license plate below the nose cone, as described in this thread:
Call for non-destructive front license plate bracket - Page 2
Although I really hate the idea of drilling and mounting a plate on the nose cone, I am going to do so since I figure that Tesla thought this position has the least impact on the aerodynamics and cooling of the MS.
Call for non-destructive front license plate bracket - Page 2
Although I really hate the idea of drilling and mounting a plate on the nose cone, I am going to do so since I figure that Tesla thought this position has the least impact on the aerodynamics and cooling of the MS.
Cross posted:
Used my makerbot 3d printer to create a prototype non-destructive plate holder. It's in alpha 0.1 but here's the idea. The flattened beehive area just below the nose would be great areas to mount. I devised a short expanding piece of plastic with a screw that can go into a hexagon and then expand by advancing the screw. It snugs the plastic very well into the hex. The picture below is what it looks like before it is advanced and tightened expanded.
View attachment 14049
Alpha 0.2 will have a flat surface for attaching a plate holder. Sadly, it takes about 15 minutes to print one of these with my makerbot cupcake so mass production isn't really an option at least not by me. Black printing is also an option.
Used my makerbot 3d printer to create a prototype non-destructive plate holder. It's in alpha 0.1 but here's the idea. The flattened beehive area just below the nose would be great areas to mount. I devised a short expanding piece of plastic with a screw that can go into a hexagon and then expand by advancing the screw. It snugs the plastic very well into the hex. The picture below is what it looks like before it is advanced and tightened expanded.
View attachment 14049
Alpha 0.2 will have a flat surface for attaching a plate holder. Sadly, it takes about 15 minutes to print one of these with my makerbot cupcake so mass production isn't really an option at least not by me. Black printing is also an option.
Thumper
Active Member
I am also thinking of a bracket that mounts to the behive plastic. My plan was a hook behind the behive that can be pulled forward and squeeze the plastic is in compression. The bottom of my design has a thin stainless sheetmetal portion that wedges between the painted and black plastic portion of the front lip. I'll post something when I get it fabricated. My only concern is how much it inhibits airflow to the lower part of the radiator. It is unlikely to be a problem except at extreme temps.
This is EXACTLY the sort of solution I was hoping for. I had been searching to see if someone made vinyl license plate replacements, but it never struck me to just go to a custom sign shop. Here in VT, we are approaching the legislature to ask to have a waiver for electric cars to not have to have a front plate (other states have apparently done this), since the drag is so critical to range.
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Doug,
What was the alternative mounting you came up with?
David
Are the vinyl decals technically legal in any state since the state didn't issue them? I'm sure they might satisfy the intent of the law but they could still probably get you if they wanted to since the physical plate wasn't there.
How so? I've parked dozens of times at sfo short term parking without a front plate.
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