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:
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:
The suction cups are solid. Thick and bendy, they seem just right.
Test #1: do the suction cups suck?
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:
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:
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.
