Perhaps you could instruct the court to put it on VW's tab?









(I had to)

FYI, clerical errors are not something the judge will let you win on. Best bet here is to win on a default... meaning requesting trial by written declaration first. If that fails, request trail de novo, then request extension. By the time trial rols around, hopefully it'll be at a time when officer is on vacation or transferred and he won't show up. Thus you'll win by default.

You probably won't win.

Personally, I wouldn't have popped my hood. He would have asked and I would have said... "mmmmmm no thanks officer."

Also get a tow hook plate breh, it's cheaper than multiple tickets.

He beat you though, you might luck out in court if he doesn't show or get it reduced.

Why didn't you have a front plate?

An officer can force you to pop your hood if he has what he considers a reasonable suspicion that your car is modified. Running without a front plate is probably enough to make him think you have other changes. Modified wheels. An aftermarket exhaust. Stickers. Speeding. He can pick on you for any of that. I don't think it's reasonable to pick on a car by model, but any other reason is probably fair game.

I think you'll find (if you pay attention) that your luck with the police gets worse and worse the more laws you break.

Speaking as one who has beaten tickets before^^^^This is the way to go:party0030:

This is why I run a front plate, gotta avoid this hassle.

I don't run my front plate, but i keep it in the trunk. I also have a picture of my plate on a Grimmspeed tow hook mount.

So when I got pulled over, I showed the cop both, and the price on the Grimmspeed website.

"Sorry officer someone stole my Tow-Hook mount"... Worked

While that worked that one time...
You still got pulled over for no plate and they can still give you a ticket.

Got out of another when I first bought the car too, still had dealer plates. Told the sheriff that the dealership had forgot to include the front plate kit.

So still could get a ticket but it was never mentioned any other time I was pulled over for speeding etc.

I'm not a big fan of casually lying to police. I also don't run a front plate. I will, however, probably do so when I get my vanity plates. Then again...

I did get a local ticket from Santa Barbara parking patrol. On the back of the ticket there was a clause about correction. Took a picture of the plate on my car and sent it in with a $15 dollar "administrative fee" and all was good.