When Angel, my new Model X, arrived Christmas eve, she had no place to mount the front plate and no screws had been provided for the rear. I knew Washington State law requires both front and rear plates so I immediately began some research and found what seemed like the best solution for the front plate and ordered it directly from EvanNex--"The Law" front license plate bracket. It arrived a few days before the new plates. It was not cheap--over $138.
While I had to lie on the ground for some time, installation took only about thirty minutes. The Law bracket seemed sturdy enough but it only held the plate from the lower edge. I decided to give it a try--I now regret that decision. I also realized that I would need better (safer) screws to attach the front and rear plates to the car, but no one (not even the dealer) knew what screw sizes to use. I made an educated guess and ordered some on Amazon based on an invalid assumption but they were too large and got a "no-return" refund.
Next, I went to my local Tacoma Screw store (seriously, an entire store dedicated to screws) and ask them to help. They were thrilled to be of assistance and found that their 085-013-2 (#10 self-tapping security screws) would work for the back (although they were a bit long). I think a 1/2" or 3/4" would be better but those are harder to find. I also saw that some of the "star-pin" screws had poor reviews as the pin was too short to prevent a normal star bit from removing them--that's why I chose the unusual "two-hole" security screw.
Once everything was installed, I was happy--until I took Angel for her first bath at the local automated Brown Bear carwash. I discovered the front plate had been badly bent and the bracket bent forward by their over-enthusiastic brushes. Not good. I have not decided whether or not to keep the front bracket as I don't have a better solution, but I have ordered a steel plate to back up the (very) thin metal license plate to try to prevent this from re-occurring. My concern is that the Law bracket attaches to the plastic grille under the car and might permanently damage the grill if overly stressed by external forces. My other worry is that the license plate now blocks air from entering that grill to some extent. That also might not make Angel happy in the long term.
Frankly, I think Tesla has dropped the ball in this case. It should have provided a factory hard point on which to mount a front plate and worked it into the design of the car. They should have also provided mounting screws for the rear. When you pay upwards of $98K for a car, one would think...
While I had to lie on the ground for some time, installation took only about thirty minutes. The Law bracket seemed sturdy enough but it only held the plate from the lower edge. I decided to give it a try--I now regret that decision. I also realized that I would need better (safer) screws to attach the front and rear plates to the car, but no one (not even the dealer) knew what screw sizes to use. I made an educated guess and ordered some on Amazon based on an invalid assumption but they were too large and got a "no-return" refund.
Next, I went to my local Tacoma Screw store (seriously, an entire store dedicated to screws) and ask them to help. They were thrilled to be of assistance and found that their 085-013-2 (#10 self-tapping security screws) would work for the back (although they were a bit long). I think a 1/2" or 3/4" would be better but those are harder to find. I also saw that some of the "star-pin" screws had poor reviews as the pin was too short to prevent a normal star bit from removing them--that's why I chose the unusual "two-hole" security screw.
Once everything was installed, I was happy--until I took Angel for her first bath at the local automated Brown Bear carwash. I discovered the front plate had been badly bent and the bracket bent forward by their over-enthusiastic brushes. Not good. I have not decided whether or not to keep the front bracket as I don't have a better solution, but I have ordered a steel plate to back up the (very) thin metal license plate to try to prevent this from re-occurring. My concern is that the Law bracket attaches to the plastic grille under the car and might permanently damage the grill if overly stressed by external forces. My other worry is that the license plate now blocks air from entering that grill to some extent. That also might not make Angel happy in the long term.
Frankly, I think Tesla has dropped the ball in this case. It should have provided a factory hard point on which to mount a front plate and worked it into the design of the car. They should have also provided mounting screws for the rear. When you pay upwards of $98K for a car, one would think...
