Model X front license plate missing ?

[Drivin]

Oh, trust me, there are many on this Forum (and elsewhere) who are exactly that "shallow". I'll probably be one of them. Why would I willingly drill holes in my $150k car?

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Oh, I don't know, maybe because it is the law?
I don't get the attitude of "oh my car costs so much, so rules don't apply to me".
Sounds like a typical 1%er attitude. Well-off people should set good examples and be good citizens.

 

[Ryan MF]

Oh, I don't know, maybe because it is the law?
I don't get the attitude of "oh my car costs so much, so rules don't apply to me".
Sounds like a typical 1%er attitude. Well-off people should set good examples and be good citizens.

It's more of a cost benefit trade off for me. I couldn't really care less about the front plate law, but if I start racking up big $ tickets then maybe i'll get it mounted.

 

[gmtom1]

Front plates are mandatory in Hawaii and I also do not have one mounted on my S. I had to sign an acknowledgement and instruction document as part of my delivery paperwork when I got my S that said I could not hold them responsible if I got a ticket. I would imagine I'll have to provide a similar signed instruction/acknowledgement for my X later this year. It's a bit more of a pain here however because I have to zip tie it on once a year to get my safety check sticker renewed.

I also am that shallow and I think the front plate ruins the lines of the S. It doesn't look as bad to me on the X compared to the S, but I'm still not putting it on. Similar to prior posts, there are lots of BMW, Corvette, Porsche and even Toyota vehicles I see on our roads without plates.

 

[Spidy]

I bought 4 magnets. 2 should be glued to the back of the pumper and 2 to the number plate. They were tested up to 300 kmh without loosing them.

I don't remeber to have seen a car without front licence plate in Europe. So obviously police stops someone frequently for that, which can be annoying.
Since people are not used to it, most would probably think it looks weird like damaged or naked.

It's not just annoying it could cost you your license in Germany and it would result in a Medical-psychological assessment. Especially if you do it frequently it becomes a criminal offense.

 

[Rdainer]

Would you mind terribly posting some pics of your solution? It sounds awesome!

I bought 4 magnets. 2 should be glued to the back of the pumper and 2 to the number plate. They were tested up to 300 kmh without loosing them.

I don't remeber to have seen a car without front licence plate in Europe. So obviously police stops someone frequently for that, which can be annoying.
Since people are not used to it, most would propably think it looks weired like damaged or naked.[/QUOTE

 

[Gwgan]

I like the magnet idea but that involves removing the front bumper cover (which I do not know how to do) and there may be backing to hold the intended screws which could prevent the magnets from holding. Has anyone actually done this on the X? A mounted front plate is required here to get an inspection sticker so if I cannot solve this soon then screws it will be.

 

[Monkey]

Front plates are required in Colorado. I've driven many cars over the years without a front plate and have never had a problem... Until recently. Two tickets in less than two years. Both parked legally on the street, one while at a meter. At the meter I returned to find a ticket on the car. The other time I returned to the car to find two cops walking up and down the street looking at all the cars and writing tickets for missing front plates, broken tail lights or whatever they could think of. I also got a warning with a new SUV a few years back. Only had it a few days and a cop going the other direction turned around and chased me down. Didn't give me a ticket because it was a new vehicle and then he tried to give me some grief over not being able to read the temporary through the rear window because the tinting was so dark.

So I suppose I'll be having the front plate bracket mounted when I take delivery... I guess I've just been unlucky with it lately.

 

[bikeandsail]

If someone mounts a plate please send a photo. Ohio also requires front plates and I have always used them before!

 

[aesculus]

Got my plates from the DMV today. The rear of the car has a simple chrome frame with 2 chrome buttons and screws. Just popped off the buttons, unscrewed the screws, took the paper plate out and remounted everything by putting the plate back in instead of the paper one. Now I have two empty holes because they did not give me 4 screws and chrome button caps.

For the front I have a black plastic license plate holder but no hardware or frame? What's up with that? If I go to the SC will they mount the license holder and plate and match the frame with the back one or am I on my own? It also looks like I will need to drill three holes into the bumper to secure the frame. I guess I should find some stainless, wide headed sheet metal screws that are about 1/2" long?

Anybody have other suggestions?

 

[Ryan MF]

Also, by chance has anyone asked the SC if they will be releasing mounting bracket for the X similar to the new S that doesn't require drilling?

 

[ohmman]

If I go to the SC will they mount the license holder and plate and match the frame with the back one or am I on my own?

SC will do it for you without an appointment. I have an appointment for my punch list/droopy door/due bill items tomorrow, so I'm just bringing my fresh plates with me. But with my S, I stopped by unannounced and showed them that I had the plates. 10 minutes later, I had a car with plates front and back.

 

[K-MTG]

SC will do it for you without an appointment. I have an appointment for my punch list/droopy door/due bill items tomorrow, so I'm just bringing my fresh plates with me. But with my S, I stopped by unannounced and showed them that I had the plates. 10 minutes later, I had a car with plates front and back.

How come you are going to put them on? I am front license plate free on 3 cars already for two years without problem. They don't really care in SoCal.

 

[ohmman]

How come you are going to put them on? I am front license plate free on 3 cars already for two years without problem. They don't really care in SoCal.

I cared a lot about putting it on my Model S. I was on the fence about it, and despite the SC having to drill holes in the nose cone, decided to move forward. Once it was done, I never thought about it again.

A couple of reasons with the X. First, I don't want to have to think about/care about a ticket. San Francisco is known to be a place where you get front plate tickets when you're parked. That doesn't need to be part of my calculus. Second, I don't care to advance the stereotype about people with expensive cars doing whatever they want.

My decision, and everyone else's is theirs. Maybe mine's wrong overall, but it's right for me.

 

[K-MTG]

I cared a lot about putting it on my Model S. I was on the fence about it, and despite the SC having to drill holes in the nose cone, decided to move forward. Once it was done, I never thought about it again.

A couple of reasons with the X. First, I don't want to have to think about/care about a ticket. San Francisco is known to be a place where you get front plate tickets when you're parked. That doesn't need to be part of my calculus. Second, I don't care to advance the stereotype about people with expensive cars doing whatever they want.

My decision, and everyone else's is theirs. Maybe mine's wrong overall, but it's right for me.

Glad you are doing the "right" thing by putting on the front license plate. Honestly, here in SoCal 30-40% of the cars lack a front license plates, it could be a Ferrari or a Prius. But if I end up getting a ticket, I might look into one of those motorized license plate things like this:

I wonder if anyone had this installed on their Tesla. But I think on the new S the plate is integrated so I don't think S owners got a choice.

 

[Skryll]

The other reason to omit the front license plate is the loss in range by disturbing the aerodynamics. I saw a post from somebody that drives about 80mph on a commute and found the range difference to be above 5%.

 

[Gwgan]

Plate required here to get inspection sticker. I’m fine with sporting one but do not want to drill into the bumper. I’d like a tow hook receptacle mount but nobody’s making one of those. For the sake of the sticker a magnetic mount would be great but I do not know how to get the bumper cover off (yet).
Please post any good non-screw solutions here.

 

[raoviv]

If I go to the SC will they mount the license holder and plate and match the frame with the back one or am I on my own? It also looks like I will need to drill three holes into the bumper to secure the frame. I guess I should find some stainless, wide headed sheet metal screws that are about 1/2" long?

Anybody have other suggestions?

I can confirm ohmman's statement, got the front license plate installed at the Sunnyvale Service Center yesterday. They will take care of the all the details, no appointment required.

 

[Uncle Paul]

While not legal, no front plate vehicles were no big deal in San Diego, however when I-15 got car pool lanes they became important for sensors to read. Now police routinly ticket for the offense.

 

[scottsk]

Well, I got pulled over by Redmond (Washington) Police yesterday for not having a front license plate - no other violation. I didn't get a ticket because I said that I would go to Tesla and get the front plate mounted. Unfortunately I drive a lot around the area and my bright red model x kinda stands out, so I suspect that if the same guy sees me again, I'm going to have a problem.

So, I called Torklift and they said that they are about 3 weeks away from having a drill-less front license plate mount for the X. So, I'll probably roll the dice for the next month and see if I can avoid a ticket.

 

[K-MTG]

Well, I got pulled over by Redmond (Washington) Police yesterday for not having a front license plate - no other violation. I didn't get a ticket because I said that I would go to Tesla and get the front plate mounted. Unfortunately I drive a lot around the area and my bright red model x kinda stands out, so I suspect that if the same guy sees me again, I'm going to have a problem.

So, I called Torklift and they said that they are about 3 weeks away from having a drill-less front license plate mount for the X. So, I'll probably roll the dice for the next month and see if I can avoid a ticket.

Why not try one of those motorized license plate things