stookster

So, I'm thinking about not mounting my front plate when they arrive from DMV.
I know most people on this board don't display front plates, but I've been hassled by cops for it before, having lived in CA all my life. It seems to provoke cops and/or give them a reason to pull you over.
I'm curious what other peoples' experience has been with this issue driving their S2Ks in the bay area?
Thx,
-Stookster

yu888

No front plate on mine...


not even a back plate!


and last but not least, a fellow S2K'er succombs to peer pressure...


Quite a few threads have touched on the subject, adn the end result always seems to be that the car looks way better w/o the front plate, its a personal choice to run with or without, so ultimately you have to decide if anity is worth the potential hassle and fine. For most of us, we keep the front plates off.

I have gotten one No Frt Plate ticket at $25 in SF.

stookster

Thanks for the info and great pics yu888 (nice color choice).
I know that its a "fix it" ticket, which means you have to correct the problem and have it signed off in addition to whatever fine the local authorities levy.
But does DMV track this info? In other words, would the penalty increase if you "corrected" it and got pulled over for the same violation again ... and so on.
Probably overthinking the matter, but I also do think it may get you pulled over more often. And my experience has been that once they stop you for the infraction, they sometimes suddenly remember thinking you were going a little fast or whatever, too. Especially if he might be having a bad day or, heaven forbid, doesn't like S2Ks.

BTW -- I agree, hands down; this car was never meant to have a front plate, peer pressure or no.

netmonkey

I have had my car since Nov. and I still have not been hassled for not having a front plate... (knock on wood). Having lived in the city for a while, I have paid more than my fair share of parking tickets. (WTF.. Polk St is street cleaned 3 times a week on one side and 2 times a week on the other... Does any other metro clean their streets as often?)

joe

dillehay

I won't put a front plate on my car when my plates show up. As I drive around and look at other cars, I've realized that a great many cars on the road do not have a front license plates [maybe 30-40% ??]. My thinking was that 1) it's a fix-it ticket and worth the chance and 2) there are so many other cars out there that go w/o front plates that it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. I don't think we'd be targets just because we're lacking a front plate. We'd be targets probably because we just VTEC'd in a 35 zone.

I hope I haven't just jinxed myself.

-DD-

huyto

The fines increase for repeated fix-it tickets for the same problem. Second fix-it will be a little higher than the first, then the third will be substantially higher so eventually, if you are unlucky enough to get more than one for the front plate, your going to have to have it on all the time =(

yu888

My $25 ticket was actually in conjunction with another $25 ticket for expired meter. While they did have no plate infor and the Vin number was not recorded right on one ticket, I decided the $25 was not worth hassling over. I've gotten 3 no-front-plate tickets over the years, but its not been a big deal...its usually the sppeding that gets me first. Oh well.

scottrnelson

One of the guys on the drive today mentioned how to get out of a ticket for no front plate. He says his bracket was damaged and he's just waiting on parts so that he can mount it properly. It's obvious from the curve of the bumper that you couldn't just bolt the plate on. Supposedly that has worked before.

As for me, I'll just be honest and say it's in the trunk and I could have it installed in two minutes if that would make the officer happy. That and some story about taking it off to wax the front and not getting around to reinstalling it.

My real goal is for the issue not to come up in the first place.

SaV

If it isn't in the trunk tell the Pig it got stolen. Latez!

dgl1

stookster: Take a look around the San Ramon Valley. Maybe 30% of all cars are without a front license plate.

dgl1