Front License Plate Location
 

I can't seem to recall any pictures showing a definitive mounting point for a front license plate on the FR-S, which is of relative importance to me since I live in a state that requires plates front and rear. Has anyone seen anything? If not, can anyone locate the tow hook mounting location on the front bumper? I can't make out a block-off for it anywhere, and I was hoping to potentially use it to mount my plate on the side of the massive front opening, a bit like the MS3 below.

http://www.rhoplate.com/images/Mazda_2010MS3-01.jpg

Thanks

EDIT: Forgot to specify U.S. plates, since I have seen mounting kits for Euro/JDM spec plates.

Once again i'm glad i live in Florida lol

If it comes down to it looking poor, I'll just throw my plates onto my dash and tell cops I just registered the car and am waiting for a mounting kit, like with my RX-8. Haha.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2387

You must not have looked very hard.

i now live in a one-plate-state, so i don't care. :D

Of course not it is easier to make a new post vs searching

Not gonna work when you registered 4 months before the citation. Cops aren't idiots.

having it displayed on the front window is good enough

Wrong. (most states that I have lived in that is illegal)

Its illegal here in the DC area, but if you have one of those FOP I support the police stickers on your car.... cops might look the other way. Honestly I like the way it looks with the front mount. No need to even make it go off to the side like older JDM style.

Notice you are from CA. Not sure if you are trolling.

"5201.**License plates shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued so as to prevent the plates from swinging, shall be mounted in a position so as to be clearly visible, and so that the characters are upright and display from left to right, and shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible. The rear license plate shall be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 60 inches from the ground, and the front license plate shall be mounted not more than 60 inches from the ground...."

http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc5201.htm

Hard for the license plate to be securely fastened to the car and be clearly visible if it is on the dash in the front window.

http://forum.freeadvice.com/parking-...ca-224921.html

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...nt-f-cali.html

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-s...questions.html

http://g35driver.com/forums/southern...shield-ca.html

You can be like Steve Jobs and roll without license plates!

+1 Front plates ruin the look of cars.

Huh... I guess I'm the only one that likes the front plate on the car Lol be kind of nice to have the black ones like on the prototype cars.

I hate NJ's plates. It's like someone decided to use urine as our state color.
http://www.15q.net/us3/nj98.jpg

You obviously have ZERO idea how he got away with it :thumbsup:

How dare they make that mistake! Urine is the state SMELL!

:happy0180:

Seriously though - I can see where the plate goes, but does anyone have any idea how the bracket attaches to the car? TX requires the front plate, but I run without. I don't want some over-zealous Scion dealer drilling holes in my pretty bumper!

I haven't been hassled. Anyway I have it secured there, and its below 60 inches off the ground so, seems to fall within the law to me.

talk about trolling, did you read the threads you posted?;


"There's nothing in there that specifically says you must bolt your license plate to the front of your car. You could have the license INSIDE the car, attached to the dash or the window - even the sun visor! - and still be completely in compliance with CVC5201."

It is illegal in CA to put in front windshield. Those links show you that many have been pulled over and ticketed for this. The plate has to be mounted on the front of the car. Inside the cabin counts as the middle of the car and is therefore not in compliance to your state law. Sorry.

Secondly it looks ricey to have the plate in the window besides being illegal. YMMV.

Just going to have to see what SCION goes w/ for a bracket

Same here from Houston! I don't want the dealer to make those ugly ass holes in my bumper. That said even we live in a two plate state it's kinda of odd to see a lot of corvettes, camaros, mustangs and such not even have holes in the bumpers and no front plate to be found. I rolled with my front for almost a year and im guessing they really don't care too much. Even had a bug get pulled over for speeding and the cop didn't even harp him for having no front plate.

Please read the link you posted;
http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc5201.htm

Mine is attached to the dash inside the window. You seem to fail to understand the plate mounted anywhere inside the cabin has to be in the front window, so it is visible, otherwise it is illegal.

Here are the laws;
CVC5200: When two license plates are issued by the DMV for a vehicle, they shall be attached to the vehicle for which they were issued, one in the front and the other in the rear.

CVC5201: License plates shall at all times be securely fastened to the vehicle for which they are issued so as to prevent the plates from swinging, shall be mounted in a position so as to be clearly visible, and shall be maintained in a condition so as to be clearly legible. The rear license plate shall be mounted not less than 12 inches nor more than 60 inches from the ground, and the front license plate shall be mounted not more than 60 inches from the ground.



mines has velcro to attach. Anyways it doesn't look ricey at all, having a front plate makes the car look like crap and blocks my fmic.

Your plate is not fastened to the front of your car as stated needs to be done "attached to the vehicle" yours is placed inside vehicle. Different than being attached to the car. Secondly, "one in the front" yours is in the middle of the car since it is currently in the cabin. Don't believe me? Go to your closest police station or CHP station and ask them to look at your car.

well hopefully I stay unnoticed.

good to know im not complying.

Gonna remove mine at the dealership. Dgafffff

when you order yours, remember to ask the dealer to not drill holes into your minty front bumper.

I think in CA you have to do more than ask. You have to sign some paperwork that gets them off the hook :thumbdown:

Sun doesn't reflect off your windshield? That would make it hard to read (ie not clearly visible) quite often even if the rest was legal (which its not). No one has cared enough to ticket you for it yet.

I'd suspect (hope) that they are mounted via a bracket that attaches inside the bumper and not via drilling holes in the bumper cover.

I am going to say it will be this :
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h1...z/DSC02601.jpg

the typical holder
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/data:...bjapJJKo//2Q==

The last several cars I've owned have had a similar bracket that mounts right on the bumper like that. The best was actually the Corvette though, because the bracket basically mounts with a few circles of two-sided tape. (Not only does that not damage the bumper, but a lot of people would mount the plate to the bracket, and then expose the tape and just get it dirty and throw it in the back. Then if you get questioned regarding no plate, you can show the cop and say, "yeah, it just fell off and won't stick now, and I haven't got the new tape").

Another nice option was the E36 3-series, which had a removable bracket, and BMW would sell a $30 trim piece that mounted in its place and provided a clean look.

Wow looking up some Subarus it looks like the Subaru method is to screw it into the bumper cover.

Sucks for those who live in a front plate state :(

Saw that. Point out exactly where a bracket is shown in any of those pictures please.

I asked for a definitive picture showing something more than just a novelty plate screwed into the bumper, as I desperately don't want to drill holes into the bumper where it's painted.

Also, point out the tow hook location. I must be blind to that as well.

I'm not new to forums. Stop patronizing me.

Asking the dealer not to drill and actually having them remember is going to be the trick...

Another scofflaw in Texas here...20 years w/o a front plate. I see plenty of cops and their civilian cars w/o plates, so why should we bother? Only hassled twice in those 20 years too.

"Supposedly" Texas is reconsidering the requirement as we speak.
.
.
.
Sign this while you're at it:
http://www.petitiononline.com/txplate/petition.html

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attac...8&d=1322426403

Tow hook on the left side of the front bumper, that little circle pops out to reveal a tow hook. It's incredibly obvious, I don't know how you missed it.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attac...4&d=1322426625

Look closely at the license plate, you will see a black plastic insert/bracket behind the plate, it's hard to see but it is there. It looks like it pushes against the grill to keep the plate straight up and down.

Oh wow. The plate covers the bracket entirely. There might be hope that it isn't screwed into the painted area.

Tow hook isn't in an ideal place either. Why can't it got through the grill... Oh well.

Thanks for that. I guess I missed the tow hook because I'm use to it being in the smile on my RX-8. I've completely stopped looking at painted areas for it.

I can definitely get a License Plate Relocation Kit made up asap after the car comes out for you guys:

http://www.grimmspeed.com/catalog/pr...roducts_id=218

And to confirm, Subaru generally drills holes in the bumper(ouch). You can however tell them not to do it and use the relocation kit.

Justin

yeah good idea ... if they dont drill holes I'll buy ur kit...
but since I am in California... chances are they'll be pre-drill
at the port((hopefully NOT))

They shouldn't do it at the port in case that dealer trades the car to a dealer in some state that doesn't require it. I thought that's why most dealers drill the bumper themselves.