Yet another (crazy) front plate solution

[bradhs]

Magnets! Works great.

 

[markb1]

What airports give you problems with no front plate?

I've heard of it being a problem at LAX and Orange County.

 

[HankLloydRight]

I've heard of it being a problem at LAX and Orange County.

Ok, thanks. Almost zero chance I'll ever be parking there.

 

[lloyds]

Magnets! Works great.

View attachment 45271View attachment 45272

I'd be concerned about every little bump in the road and the plate falling off

 

[gnychis]

picked up the suction cups off Amazon, they work amazingly well on the nosecone. Drove dozens of miles today, didn't budge one bit. Great solution for those who want to quickly mount/unmount their front license plate.

 

[Blaze]

Worked for me also. Put it on and forgot to remove. Drove around and the plate stayed strong. Great idea.

- - - Updated - - -

Did the suction cup.

 

[JonathanD]

I've never had a front plate problem at John Wayne airport. However I've heard going through LAX without one is almost guaranteed to get you a ticket. Might be worth doing the suction cup approach and just keeping it in the frunk in case you need to pick someone up or something. That way you wouldn't have to keep it on all the time and risk it falling off, you could just stick it on prior to entering the airport.

 

[MikeC]

Thanks to the OP for this thread. The suction cups worked perfectly for my fix-it ticket.

 

[Blurry_Eyed]

I installed this low impact front plate holder: No Drill Tesla Model S Front License Plate

Have had it on a couple of months and it works great! Combination of super strong magnets and suction cups for the version I selected. I was also able to install my Washington State Good To Go pass on my front license plate with this solution. I can take off the front plate in seconds and there is no drilling involved. Highly recommend this solution (Also I would be willing to speculate that it does keep the plate on solidly even if the car is going 120+ mph...)

 

[polything]

Very nice!
however I would hate to lose my customized plate and toll road brick all together if one of the cups failed.

 

[ecarfan]

@BlurryEyed, it appears that if a suction cup fails the plate will still stay in place because of the magnets, right? But someone could easily steal your state toll transponder.

 

[RBowen]

The secret

Here's the trick: you have to believe. You have to be a little crazy. You have to go get this for $5.31:

Amazon.com: Cruiser Accessories 78410 Suction Cups, Clear, 4 pack: Automotive

Now I know what you're saying, "Suction cups? you gotta be kidding me. That's not stable, that'll fall off. That'll never work!"

Well, you're probably right. So whatever you do, don't follow these instructions. I'm not responsible for your plate falling off in the middle of the road. It's CRAZY.

But it's solid. The darn thing won't budge on my car. I drove around today and that plate is stuck like a porcupine in bubble-wrap. Like a wet t-shirt on a supermodel. Like an ICE without gas. Tomorrow is going to be an 80-mile day and I'm leaving it on there.

After that my front plate goes into the frunk 'cause (and this is the serious part) this solution is really meant for when you park at the airport and need to slap a plate on there to avoid the ticket. Or when you do get the ticket you can put the plate on, drive to the police station, and get the fix-it ticket signed.

Ok, here's what I did. I used the front plate mount that came with the car. I used three suction cups (the pack comes with four) and put them on like this:

View attachment 30933

The middle suction cup does not quite fit into the (smaller) hole. I used a 1/4" drill bit to widen that hole a little bit. I didn't even have to use the drill, just twisting the bit between my fingers was enough to shave off enough plastic to get the suction cup through the hole.

Here's the other side with the plastic fasteners that came with the suction cups:

View attachment 30934

The suction cups are solid. Thick and bendy, they seem just right.

Test #1: do the suction cups suck?


View attachment 30936

Yes, they suck!

The license plate screws that came with the MS are not appropriate to use because they are too long and meant to drill into the nose cone. So I went to Home Depot and got two items:

1. #8-32 x 3/8" Round Head Combo screws and nuts. Part #27611, green package.
2. #8 stainless washers. Part #32474, orange package.

Total cost with tax was under $5.

I only needed to use the nuts on the top of the plate mount. The bottom two holes are narrow enough that they bite without needing a nut and don't go all the way through the plastic anyway, so no risk of scratching your nose cone. Here's the front of the mount with the plate screwed in:

View attachment 30935

Mounting the whole thing on the car is easy. I cleaned the nose cone. I wet the suction cups and placed it on the car:

View attachment 30937

It sticks easily and all three suction cups have good placement and adhere completely. Removing the plate is only a little tricky the first time. The suction cups stick pretty darn well, so removal requires a careful touch. I've found it easiest to gently pry the top suction cup off first, then gentle pressure on one of the sides releases the others. I removed and replaced a few times.

Once the spit dried things got interesting. It would not budge. I drove around, just a quick 10-mile test on city streets and freeway and when I got home nothing had moved.

So, in conclusion: yes, this is CRAZY. Just to repeat: I'm going to leave it on all day tomorrow for a long day of driving, and I'll follow up here. I expect nothing will change. But again, this solution is really meant for when I need to park somewhere prone to ticketing. Otherwise I'm just keeping the plate in my frunk, next to the porcupine, bubble-wrap, and t-shirt.

Thanks for the great suggestion! It works perfectly. I ordered the suction cups from amazon and bought the stainless nuts, washers, etc from my local ACE hardware. Assembly took about 10 minutes. I tried it on my classic model S, and it seemed super solid -- but I haven't road tested it. I keep it in the frunk to use when parking in 'risky' areas. Crispy, do you have any updates on this simple fix? Thanks again.

 

[brucet999]

I'd be concerned about every little bump in the road and the plate falling off

What is that mysterious material used to hold the magnets to Tesla's nothing-sticks-to-it plastic plate holder? I bolted my magnets on.

 

[bradhs]

I dont recall exactly what I used but it definitely was not coming off. After I glued it on I used PlastiDip to keep it from scratching anything.

What is that mysterious material used to hold the magnets to Tesla's nothing-sticks-to-it plastic plate holder? I bolted my magnets on.

 

[TheLocNar]

I'd be concerned about every little bump in the road and the plate falling off

Industrial magnets. No problem. I'll be doing something similar to this to my 3.

 

[bradhs]

Long term update, this continues to work. I plan to also do this on my Model 3. (Whenever it arrives.)

 

[Crispix]

Just an update all these years later -- the suction cups have been holding up just fine. I don't hesitate to drive long distances or highway speeds with the front plate on. I'd say I slap the front plate on once or twice a month when I need to park on the street, go downtown, airport, or anywhere I know the meter maids might be checking.

I'm selling my Model S next month, just ordered a Model 3. I'll experiment with a similar solution and post back. Time flies!

 

[nomis_nehc]

This definitely is a solution for fix it ticket though, super quick and convenient.

 

[Crispix]

Fellow TMC member chronopc confirms the same suction cups suck quite well on the Model 3! Relevant post with photos:

Temporary Front License Plate Solutions

 

[Akikiki]

I've tried half a dozen different idea. Show-n-Go, J-bolts, Dodge Charger front plate mounted upside down, bungee cord, zip-ties and a few others that worked so well, I can't even remember them. Here's what I use for putting it on temporarily for my safety check.