captain911

Just tagged a 2012 CTT in Maryland and they require both front an back license plates As the P!G came from Texas, it does not have a front license plate bracket.

Wifey just got stopped for not having a front tag on the car.

Any suggestions on mounting a license plate but not butchering the front of the P!G?

Thanks.

Tim

deilenberger

There are mounts that screw into the tow-hook receiver in the bumper. $$. Problems I have with those:

• I'm OCD - off center isn't good for OCD people
• They stick out far enough they're certain to get bashed when people are parallel parking
• They stick out far enough that I know I'd bump my shin on it walking around the P!G in the garage
• They're easy for someone to unscrew and walk away with the mount $$ and the plate
• If you frequent automated car washes (what can I say - I'm old and the Cayenne is big) - it looks as if the whippy front brushes will have a field day with the mount and plate.

The alternative is the factory mount. Requires two holes into the front bumper. Unless you get a guy installing it (my dealership offered to do it for FREE!) who mounts it about 1.5" off-center. It's like he had no clue. And it was really obvious. So I now have 4 holes in the front bumper, 2 that the dealer made, 2 that I made - all hidden by the plate mount luckily. Since I don't think NJ is going to give up on front plates - I suspect it will remain there for the remainder of the P!G's life with me.

One thing even with the factory mount - go to Autozone and look for a steel backing plate that captures the two vertical edges of the plate. If you don't - and if like me you sometimes frequent automatic car washes - the ends of the plate will come out of the carwash very nicely folded outwards. You don't even have to be OCD to see that's not right.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get lots of advice about not putting a plate on and putting it on the dash and good stuff like that - or telling the LEO who pulls you over some bogus story about why it's not on the bumper.. but I'd rather not have any interaction or reason for an LEO to notice me or pull me over - so mines right where NJ wants it.

Old German Saying: "Happy wife - happy life!" - sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

wkearney99

I have a US Millworks mount and it's quite nice. I got the version that has removable clips to allow taking it off for a car wash, or whatever. Use a big torque wrench and it ain't EVER coming out by someone twisting the license plate. I have my EZPass transponder mounted it to it. I used the tamper-resistant kind of screws (in stainless to avoid corrosion).

My one complaint? It uses imperial screw threads for mounting your plate to it. On a car that's entirely metric otherwise... Heh.

Rennline also makes a similar sort of thing.

To address the concerns, it does not stick out such that parallel parking would damage it. It does leave the plate edge exposed and this could present a shin-biter problem in tight quarters. I'm thinking an aftermarket plate face-frame would smooth that out. But I've yet to hit my leg on it so I haven't bothered.

CarGuyNVA

My opinion....just get the factory mounting plate installed in the specified location. As mentioned, only two small holes drilled in the front bumper cover (pre-marked from the factory), mount the plastic bracket, mount the plate, done. And it looks fine, low and nice and centered...like it belongs there.

I don't care for the off-centered brackets that attach to the tow hook mount either. And in VA, like you in MD, you need the front plate. Besides, it allows me to display my really cool carbon fiber 'Porsche turbo' license plate frame up front!

Mark in Baltimore

I agree on the off-center mounting issue. To me, it solves one problem and creates another.

This is the best solution I've seen: https://skenebrackets.com/ Love to know if there are even better ones out there.

BenCD

It could have been you that recommended the US Millworks to me as it is what I've been using.


http://www.usmillworks.com/


I have not even put the plate in the holder as we are required to have the front plate here in MA. I just keep forgetting to put it on after I go through the carwash.

captain911

Thanks for the replies.

I'm leaning toward the US Millworks model in white since the P!G is white. I looked at the skene backet but you still have to drill into the back of the bumper.

Per the pics on the US Millworks website, I looks like it sticks out kind of far from the bumper. Glad to hear from wkearney99 that it does stick out all that far.

Like deilenberger, I am somewhat OCD about it and would prefer to have it centered on the front of the car.

(Should just use two small, black cable ties and some double sided gorilla tape and attach it to the lower front grill and bottom bumper. Ha-ha.)

Funny how my 993 has never had a front plate on it and I have never had an issue. (Probably just jinxed myself.)

BenCD

The white mount is (sort of hard to see as it is so small in the picture) on the lower passenger side tow point.

I like the US Millworks one as it is made very well and the plate comes off by two small S/S cotter pins and sits solidly when it is mounted. The mount doesn't stick out too far and one can angle the plate to follow the sweep or contour of the front of the vehicle. It also does not block the front parking/distance sensor or the fog light.

I have not run the plate at all. I "forget" to put it back on after the carwash. I leave it in the back, ready to put on in case I ever get asked about it as it takes seconds to install. Drop it in, slide the two clips in and done.

cdog533

DON'T PLAY BY THE MAN'S RULES! Keep the plate in the garage.

They'll run out of tickets before you run out of money.

BenCD

Right on. Keep speeding and going over the speed limit too. Nobody does 75mph in a 65 mph zone, everyone is doing 80+.

deilenberger

The government buys them all the tickets they care to issue. Do you have unlimited funds? LEO's have very long memories.. and if they think someone isn't showing them the respect they expect - chances are - they'll find you again and again..

deilenberger

Mebbe it's just me - but the stub of the mount sticking out of the tow-hook hole to me looks no better than simply having a plate mounted in the factory Porsche mount.

Needsdecaf

None of these options.

Use 3M trim adhesive double sided tape. I have mounted several front plates this way and it's a great solution. You have a lot of leeway in how you mount the plate...I have mine with the top edge flush with the top of the top of the bumper. Plus, the plate curves with the bumper. It's a very minimalist and clean look.

The car has survived 4 years and almost 60k miles with the same tape and it's not moved a millimeter.

BenCD

It has been months and I don't notice it at all.

When it comes down to it, no one cares if your vehicle is dirty or clean, or if it has a plate on the front or not, or if the mount is there or not.

The only person that cares is the person who owns the vehicle. I sure don't care.

skiahh

This.

It's an SUV, not some slick sports car that needs its clean front end. The vehicle is big enough that a plate on the front disappears into the front view.