Poll: Love or hate your front plate bracket on refresh MS

[T3SLA90D]

Trying to see what most MS owners do with front plate bracket on refresh Model S to help me decide what to do with mine.

 

[Nosken]

I didn't like it on my older Model S because of to drill the nose cone, seemed sacrilegious. So, after a fix it ticket, I installed "The Law" bracket. I actually like the look of it facelift with the bracket, and it is attached by adhesive.
I contacted TorkLift and they confirmed that my bracket from my 2015 will work on the facelift.
Torklift Central | The Law - Tesla Model S Front License Plate Bracket-Aluminum (Auto Pilot Compatible) X7283
Mine will be removed when I get XPel, so I may just use my old "The Law" bracket instead of reattaching with adhesive.

 

[idealsol]

My wife has made a game of seeing how many Tesla's here in California ( front plate required state ) don't have a front plate

She noticed at a Supercharger that no one there had a front plate and has been watching since
Her thoughts are 8/9 of 10 don't have a front plate

In general, expensive cars seem to have a much higher rate of non-compliance in our area

 

[theslimshadyist]

Removed it in less than 10 minutes and used a hair dryer to loosen up the glue. No damage or residual glue, everything came off smoothly!

 

[NikeWings]

My wife has made a game of seeing how many Tesla's here in California ( front plate required state ) don't have a front plate

She noticed at a Supercharger that no one there had a front plate and has been watching since
Her thoughts are 8/9 of 10 don't have a front plate

In general, expensive cars seem to have a much higher rate of non-compliance in our area

I stopped at a SC last week coming home from San Diego, and everyone backed in had no front plate. And then the local city police pulled into the parking lot and cruised by us. I felt like a sitting duck in a quota hunt, and just slouched in my seat playing with my phone. After a few seconds they passed, and when I looked up everyone was staring at each other and we all started laughing. Those cops must have been licking their chops! I won't be going back.

 

[drshan]

Its terrible. Removed it today. Security bolts were tough but got off. Hair dryer helped.

 

[croman]

I don't really love the plate, so I didn't vote that way but I also think its not really a big deal. The car looks so damn sexy. The front plate really is a non-issue. Its required by law in my state and I think everyone should just comply with the law. Its a social justice issue that laws are enforced in such a biased, classist, racist manner. I'd rather save my thumbing of the law for when it counts for more than vanity such as protesting injustice.

 

[Peteybabes]

i recommend this company: http://www.hidetheplates.com/

 

[Patrick W]

One other option: "Don't really care". That's me. (Not a car guy)

 

[ZAKEEUS]

Anothe vote for don't really care.

 

[whitex]

Another don't care here too. Don't love it, don't hate it, keeping it.

 

[proxy]

At first I was sure I'd remove the license plate, even thought I'm in California.

But the more I evaluated both approaches on the road, I began to feel the license plate balances the front.

The front of the new Model S actually seems like it was designed in such a way that accounted for a plate on the front.

Model 3 seems to reflect that approach even more.

 

[JClu]

+1 don't really care, kept it and don't ever have to worry about the license plate ticket.

Does anyone truly think "Ugh that Tesla is so atrocious with that front license plate?"

 

[jbush74]

The key is you have to find something cool looking to put into it. I found something on Amazon, looks perfect on the car. I'm telling you all what it is though, I have the only one I've seen on the road (and no, it isn't something tacky like a plate that lights up, just a cool vanity plate)

 

[TD-3]

Truly can't stand it but I'm too scared to pry it off! I got the bracket/bolts off no problem but that damn tape is really stuck on there. I was pulling hard on the honeycomb piece and really warping the bumper to the point I called it quits. Ranger is coming by tomorrow to address a weather stripping issue so I'm going to ask for his help. We'll see how that goes...

Can whoever damaged their bumper elaborate on what happened and whether it was serious? Thanks!

 

[andrewkc]

I removed mine, I did not like the fact that it was secured by uncommon bolts. However, it's a great design as it does not leave drill holes.

 

[TD-3]

Truly can't stand it but I'm too scared to pry it off!

Went for it today and...success! I used vice grips and really pulled hard on the bottom corner. After 1/3 of the tape peeled off, the whole piece popped off. Left a ton of tape on the bumper but nbd to remove.

Many thanks to OP for the poll. Due to the stats I realized there was low risk of damage. Otherwise I might not have attempted it. Super happy.

ETA: Now I can change my poll response!

 

[Mr X]

+1 don't really care, kept it and don't ever have to worry about the license plate ticket.

Does anyone truly think "Ugh that Tesla is so atrocious with that front license plate?"

Yes. Every time I see a Tesla with a front plate I say that looks so ugly with a front plate. Also if its a facelift I say how stupid the LED lights look because they are so dim. Don't know why Tesla still hasnt fixed that

 

[bob_p]

For my 4 year old P85, I didn't install the front plate, even though it is required in our state. In the first year, I was pulled over twice for no front plate, though I suspect that was because the officers were only using that as an excuse to see the car (at that time, there were very, very few Tesla cars on the road). I still expect to get pulled over and get a warning because I don't have the front plate.

We placed an order for a new 100D, and after looking at the test drive cars at the local Tesla store, I'm leaning towards having the front plate installed. While it does impact the front view of the car, it doesn't look as bad as putting the plate on the cars with the nosecone, and I don't think it's worth continuing to look over my shoulder to get pulled over for the missing plate.

Plus, Tesla seems to have done a better job with the front plate mounting on the refreshed front ends, than with the original nosecone cars.

 

[TexLaw]

i recommend this company: Welcome to Hide The Plate!

I advise against going for this option if you're in Texas. Just having this sort of thing on your car is a Class C misdemeanor for the first citation (up to $500 fine), and it's a Class B for subsequent citations (up to $2,000 fine and/or 180 days).

You probably won't be hauled in for a first offense (though there's no guarantee), but you can just about bet on it for a second or later offense. Cops usually don't want to fool around with a missing front plate if there is nothing else to write you up on or you're passing through a speed trap sort of area. However, cops and courts REALLY don't like the plate hiding devices. I got that from a friend who is a police officer.