Front plate
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Lakewood, CO
Front plate
Ok, I give. A "search" of the forum did not turn up the info I need.
So...How do you mount the front license plate on an '87 928? I live in Colorado and you have to have a front plate on the vehicle. I have the mounting frame, bracket, or whatever you call it. Please don't tell me I have to drill into the front bumper cover to mount this thing!
So...How do you mount the front license plate on an '87 928? I live in Colorado and you have to have a front plate on the vehicle. I have the mounting frame, bracket, or whatever you call it. Please don't tell me I have to drill into the front bumper cover to mount this thing!
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Riyadh
Mine is mounted directly on the front cover (83 S), but I agree with your reluctance to put one on the cover if it can be avoided.
On the Miata I had repainted here, there was no mount for the front plate, and I wasnt going to put it on the front cover. I tried hanging it in the front intake area, but in summer with AC on, the temp rose some due to reduced airflow. Then I found a tip - mount the plate on the lightest alloy arms you can, and hinge these on some free moving pins at the top of the air intake. On the move, it will swing up out of the airstream, but when stopped, it will be in full view, and should be ok with law enforcement.
HTH
jp
On the Miata I had repainted here, there was no mount for the front plate, and I wasnt going to put it on the front cover. I tried hanging it in the front intake area, but in summer with AC on, the temp rose some due to reduced airflow. Then I found a tip - mount the plate on the lightest alloy arms you can, and hinge these on some free moving pins at the top of the air intake. On the move, it will swing up out of the airstream, but when stopped, it will be in full view, and should be ok with law enforcement.
HTH
jp
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From: Seattle - it's not Hell, but you can see it from here!
what's the penalty in colorado for no front plate? i would take my chances and drive without it. i wouldn't drill the bumper.
front plates are the law in Washington too, but i haven't had one on any cars in like 15 years. i've gotten two tickets in that time and just pay them. F 'em, i'm not putting it on.
we just found out we have a legal loophole here in WA, if the plate is close than 1 foot to the ground (it is) or if the car wasn't structurally made to have a front plate (it wasn't) we can apply for an exemption from the state. it's already worked in court once for one of the local guys and he got out of a second ticket because of the court paperwork from the first ticket. maybe you have something like that in CO.
front plates are the law in Washington too, but i haven't had one on any cars in like 15 years. i've gotten two tickets in that time and just pay them. F 'em, i'm not putting it on.
we just found out we have a legal loophole here in WA, if the plate is close than 1 foot to the ground (it is) or if the car wasn't structurally made to have a front plate (it wasn't) we can apply for an exemption from the state. it's already worked in court once for one of the local guys and he got out of a second ticket because of the court paperwork from the first ticket. maybe you have something like that in CO.
Racer
Joined: May 2002
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From: Tucson, AZ
I think the front plate really takes away from the beautiful lines of the car. In Arizona didn't have to worry about it. No front plate.
But I have lived in Richmond VA for 11 months now and took a cue from the PO who lived in Texas (front plate required).
PO kept the front plate and a broken front mounting bracket inside the car under the pass seat. When/if stopped and asked about the front plate, show the officer the plate and bracket pieces and explained the brackets are very flimsy, break easily, and are hard to come by. Tell them you are trying to locate a replacement. He said it worked for 13 years!
I have had the unfortunate opportunity to put this to the test here in VA twice since I have been here (stopped for other offences...or just out of “Porsche spite”
. Both times the officers where aware of the missing front plate and never mentioned it. RMVIYS! (Results May Vary In Your State!)
My humble opinion is keep it off if you can.
But I have lived in Richmond VA for 11 months now and took a cue from the PO who lived in Texas (front plate required).
PO kept the front plate and a broken front mounting bracket inside the car under the pass seat. When/if stopped and asked about the front plate, show the officer the plate and bracket pieces and explained the brackets are very flimsy, break easily, and are hard to come by. Tell them you are trying to locate a replacement. He said it worked for 13 years!
I have had the unfortunate opportunity to put this to the test here in VA twice since I have been here (stopped for other offences...or just out of “Porsche spite”
. Both times the officers where aware of the missing front plate and never mentioned it. RMVIYS! (Results May Vary In Your State!)My humble opinion is keep it off if you can.
Sharkaholic
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From: Rochester, WA
Thanks for the tip on WA state having that loop hole. I bought my car in Oregon and it came with a front plate already mounted. 
I would really like to remove it, since I agree that it doesn't look all that great on the front of the car. Of course Mine does have Alaska plates, gotta check on the local laws.
I would really like to remove it, since I agree that it doesn't look all that great on the front of the car. Of course Mine does have Alaska plates, gotta check on the local laws.
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From: San Rafael, CA
Hi Folks,
I'm also in CO and have decided to do what many Porsche owners around here do: Keep the plate in the car and say that you have to get the mount from the dealer. Mine was knocked off the Boxster at the track, so it makes for an even better story as it is scuffed. I've seen a woman who bent and scuffed the front plate on her 911 to make her story more credible.
Note, the following is not a vendor announcement or anything commercial, it's simply a helpful tip!
If you already have holes in your Shark or other Porsche, you might try covering them with BumperPlugs. They have most Porsche colors and the match is great. Here's a shot of them in my 993 and Boxster:
The ugly holes are replaced by nice covers, which you can see up close and at some angles. From a few feet away you can't see them at all, keeping your Porsche beautiful. Note that they claim to fit 1989 and up Porsches, so I guess Porsche must have standardized the holes that year. On my 1988 Shark the holes appear to have been drilled by a PO, but they're small enough for the plugs to work. I'll post pictures of them in my Shark in a few days.
You can order them from:
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/esklut/plugs.html" target="_blank">Bumper Plugs Site</a>
<img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />
I'm also in CO and have decided to do what many Porsche owners around here do: Keep the plate in the car and say that you have to get the mount from the dealer. Mine was knocked off the Boxster at the track, so it makes for an even better story as it is scuffed. I've seen a woman who bent and scuffed the front plate on her 911 to make her story more credible.
Note, the following is not a vendor announcement or anything commercial, it's simply a helpful tip!
If you already have holes in your Shark or other Porsche, you might try covering them with BumperPlugs. They have most Porsche colors and the match is great. Here's a shot of them in my 993 and Boxster:
The ugly holes are replaced by nice covers, which you can see up close and at some angles. From a few feet away you can't see them at all, keeping your Porsche beautiful. Note that they claim to fit 1989 and up Porsches, so I guess Porsche must have standardized the holes that year. On my 1988 Shark the holes appear to have been drilled by a PO, but they're small enough for the plugs to work. I'll post pictures of them in my Shark in a few days.
You can order them from:
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/esklut/plugs.html" target="_blank">Bumper Plugs Site</a>
<img src="graemlins/wave.gif" border="0" alt="[byebye]" />
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Lakewood, CO
Thanks for the tips, all.
I'm not sure what I'll do. Leaning towards the double sided tape tip. A front plate on a 928 really takes away from the clean lines of the front end. I don't think CO has an exemption to the law, but I will look into it.
This last legislative session had a bill to get rid of the front plate requirement. Unfortunately it was defeated by panic mongers. "They wouldn't have been able to find the car that hit my daughter if it hadn't had a front plate!(add much seudo crying)"
I've receive warnings and tickets on other cars that didn't have a front plate. There was even one officer that threatened to have my vehicle impounded! And this was the first time he'd seen it.
Anyways...the struggle continues.
I'm not sure what I'll do. Leaning towards the double sided tape tip. A front plate on a 928 really takes away from the clean lines of the front end. I don't think CO has an exemption to the law, but I will look into it.
This last legislative session had a bill to get rid of the front plate requirement. Unfortunately it was defeated by panic mongers. "They wouldn't have been able to find the car that hit my daughter if it hadn't had a front plate!(add much seudo crying)"
I've receive warnings and tickets on other cars that didn't have a front plate. There was even one officer that threatened to have my vehicle impounded! And this was the first time he'd seen it.
Anyways...the struggle continues.
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From: SF Bay Area, CA
In the 9+ years I've been living in CA, I only had a front license plate on one car - my current SAAB daily driver - but only because I have not found a good way to make it look good without the plate. I never got a ticket, or hassled about the plate - even when pulled over for other reasons. If I ever get invited for a vehicle inspection. I'll try double sided tape...
Bay Area law enforcement apparently couldn't care less about "little" things like inoperable lights, poorly secured loads on pickup trucks, body parts missing or falling off, etc. Undoubtedly, missing front license plates fall into an even lower priority category. If you think about it - which officer would want to risk being shot at for a $10 fix-it ticket?
OK, OK, I'm being sarcastic. What I'm trying to say is that if they don't even have time to enforce the safety related laws, there is no time left for cracking down on the Millions of California front license plate offenders. No, I don't think it's not worth loosing any sleep over...
Bay Area law enforcement apparently couldn't care less about "little" things like inoperable lights, poorly secured loads on pickup trucks, body parts missing or falling off, etc. Undoubtedly, missing front license plates fall into an even lower priority category. If you think about it - which officer would want to risk being shot at for a $10 fix-it ticket?
OK, OK, I'm being sarcastic. What I'm trying to say is that if they don't even have time to enforce the safety related laws, there is no time left for cracking down on the Millions of California front license plate offenders. No, I don't think it's not worth loosing any sleep over...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Herndon, VA
Here in VA, a front plate is required. Although the car looks much better without it, (as an officer of the court) I must comply with the law.
In my case, the GT has small mounting holes on the front bumper cover. I think all USA version 928s have them. You would be able to feel them, and once you do, they are easy to see. Good luck.
In my case, the GT has small mounting holes on the front bumper cover. I think all USA version 928s have them. You would be able to feel them, and once you do, they are easy to see. Good luck.
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From: Wine Country, CA
I recently got a fix-it ticket from the meter maid. I was parked in a 3-hour public parking garage and when I came out there was a ticket for not having a front plate. No parking violations, just the missing front plate.
I should mention that I was legally parked with the front of the car inches from a concrete wall. They would have had to have walked to the front of the car and searched to see I didn't have a plate on the front of the car.
Fortunately, I had still had the plate. I re-mounted it and got an officer to sign off the ticket. He said that for California law enforcement, the front plate law is really just an excuse to legally pull a suspicious car over, or an add-on to a speeding ticket for someone who is being a real jerk.
I got my ticket from the meter maids who work on contract and need to justify their existence to the city...hence the fix-it tickets. 4 people in my office have gotten them in the last 3 months.
Summing it all up, it was a PITA, and I yanked the plate off as soon as I got home. I just don't park in the garages anymore.
I should mention that I was legally parked with the front of the car inches from a concrete wall. They would have had to have walked to the front of the car and searched to see I didn't have a plate on the front of the car.
Fortunately, I had still had the plate. I re-mounted it and got an officer to sign off the ticket. He said that for California law enforcement, the front plate law is really just an excuse to legally pull a suspicious car over, or an add-on to a speeding ticket for someone who is being a real jerk.
I got my ticket from the meter maids who work on contract and need to justify their existence to the city...hence the fix-it tickets. 4 people in my office have gotten them in the last 3 months.
Summing it all up, it was a PITA, and I yanked the plate off as soon as I got home. I just don't park in the garages anymore.