Hey, folks. I know that there are a number of threads here about front license plates, but I just picked up my new RX-8 yesterday here in L.A. and I think that the front plate, when I get it, will just have to stay off--it would ruin the look of this car. Maybe this is an informal poll--who of you does, or does not, have your front plate attached, and what have your experiences been with respect to getting fix-it tickets from the cops, etc.? Thanks.

 

i would NEVER put mine on.... i do keep the dealer sticker on my windshield though. i would rather pay $10 a pop everytime i get caught and that doesnt happen often.... to date ive only got one fix it ticket for no front license plate on another car 8yrs ago, and thats was only given to me cuz i was speeding at the time.

 

I removed that bad boy as soon as I got home and (knocking on wood) hopefully I wont get a ticket!

 

I just don't get it. Why even "test" whether you'll get a ticket or not?

It is required. Period.

 

In the 10 months I've had the car (without front plates), I've had no issues in the Calabasas and Valencia area...

In my wife little appliance car with no front plates, I did got pulled over when I went to LAX.

So my advice is to avoid LAX or any other high security area if you don't have front plates. The authorities are looking for any excuse to get a closer look at you...

 

My previous car I kept the front plate in the front windsheild, still got ticketed for it once. So now with my 8 I just threw it in the trunk. I'll pay the 15 - 25 dollar ticket for it. Trust me, if a cop wants to pull you over, he's gonna pull you over. I know a few and know also that LAPD gives a **** about your rights, especially if you are Mexican like me.

 

I've had no front plate since day one
I have been pulled over twice for speeding but no front plate ticket

 

I don't have a front plate on my RX-8 (bought last November).

Before that, I had a Ford Probe GT for 10 years. Never had a front plate on it, never got a ticket for not having one.

 

No front plate since July 31st, 2003.

 

No fron plate since Feb and no problems.

 

No front plate on any of my cars.......ever. That's with 18 years of driving and 12 cars.

 

I haven't had a front plate in over 15 years and only once have I received a ticket for it and only then because I was speeding and the officer looked for anything he could give me a ticket for, ie: tint, too low, no front plate,...

 

310guy, we all know a front license plate is required but we also know its not really enforced... judging from everyone's response, it literally would take years to get a ticket for that on avg.. i like to think of it as a "style tax" & in my case that comes out to $1.25/yr

 

no plates on my 8 since i bought it in march and on my other car since 1998, no ticket ever since, i'm a happy guy

 

No front plate for over a decade and no tickets. I think it's heavily dependent on where you live. If there are a lot of cameras in your area, the local police are likely enforcing the rule more heavily.

 

2 tickets for no front plate since the day I got the car.. ONLY because I was speeding and they wrote me up for every other BS on the list... tint, tried to see if the car was too low...etc.

Maybe it's a So Cali thing... the cops here have way too much time on their hands to sit there and write up additional tickets. The last cop that wrote up the ticket took 30 minutes... I didn't complain or anything, but as he was writing it, an accident happened on the 605 down a bit from us. Nothing major... but he kept on writing that ticket, instead of going to see what happened to the accident. Hmmm what's more important... giving me a ticket for no front plate and looking up what the citation number was... or seeing if anyone was injured in the fender bender?

 

They are INTO these photo enforced intersections out here (Red Light ticket) and they need a front and rear plate to do this. Depending on where you live, some of the cities etc. are trying to get in revenue by having traffic enforcement write more tickets. The red light photo tickets are a gold mine, as one person (usually an officer who is in on desk duty, i.e., injured - not cleared for regular work) just sits and reviews the pictures - where they have all the evidence they need (front and rear pics, with license clearly in view) they mail out your ticket - which, I hear is now $370?????

At the airport, I think we pass under more cameras and surveillance than we think. "They" may not like it when they don't see a front plate. Thanks for the head's up - I'll take the company van anytime I need to go to the airport - it definitely has both plates!

 

Over here in Glendale & Pasadena they are hard core into it. I put it on all my cars now. I had a Mustang for about about 3 months and got pulled over 3X for no front plate.

 

i had my car for almost 4 months, I recieve my plate like 30 days after i got my car, **** i don't even know what my plate looks like, i don't even have time to put that thing on, so is the front, 90% of the cops here, will not give you anything if they saw your "xxx dealer" plate. it takes them time to run your register and ****, because your dealer don't register you car right away, like me for example, i got a red zone parking ticket at the 4th day after i got my car, it was like what.......$50 i guess, i didn't do anything to it, and i havn't recieve any mail from DMV yet. i think i'll keep using my "menlo mazda" plate for at least 5 more months.

 

Thanks for the input, folks. I took off the front license bracket last night--I'm safe for the time being with the temporary tag in the windshield. We'll see what happens when I get my plates, but I'm really leaning towards being a 50-year-old rebel on this one and take my chances, being cautious at the big intersections, at the airport and driving through Beverly Hills (where they scrutinize everyone). I usually don't drive in a way that attracts attention anyway. I may change my tune if I get nailed. By the way, my attorney friend in my office owns and races his Corvette with a big group of Corvette owners, and he considers himself a rebel since he's the only one in the club who actually has his front plate on. Go figure.

 

I've been thinking about this alot. I've read what I could online about what is required for the front plate. The laws talk about the back plate and it has to be 12X6 inches, visible, certain height off the ground, yadda yadda yadda. It doesn't talk about the front one that much. I was wondering if there wasn't some way we could cut the top and bottom off and just have the numbers so that it looked a little more Euro-spec. I doubt it would fly, but it was worth a thought. If anyone happens to be at the DMV in the next few weeks and thinks about it, it might be worth asking.

 

I have the best story on this:

I was parked on a public street in Pomona. Came out to the car and I had a ticket on the windshield. WTF? It was 2 hour parking, and I was only there about an hour. Must have been a mistake, or so I thought.

After reading the ticket, I discovered that the violation was for no front license plate even though the car was PARKED!

Unbelievable......

 

OK, my turn. Tonight I was pulled over by two uniformed cops in a crown vic (not a black & white). They actually saw me waiting at a red light, then made a u-turn to pull me over. I haven't had a plate on any of my cars and this is my second one. My first one was shen the car was parked and I had to pay $25 (I think). This time the weird thing is that he said I have to visit a sheriff's or CHP office to clear it eventhough LAPD gave it to me.

My dad is a cop (LAPD) and he showed me a memo last year that specifically talks about enforcing front license plate code. Some cops are really enforcing this so be careful. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do now, but I'll decide after I put it on and take it in to get in cleared.

 

Napboy, how much is the fine? I may bite the bullet after all and mount the plate if the fine is too nasty to deal with.

Robertdot, I recall that somewhere in the Calif. Vehicle Code it says the front plate has to be at least 18 inches from the ground. I suspect that it can't be altered, either. The trouble is, the 18 inch rule is probably similar to the front plate rules in other states that require front plates. Because of the 8's design, it results in the plate having to go in an awkward place on the front.

 

cops just stare me down.... ihavent had a front license plate since like day 1 and hope i never get pulled over cuz then theyll get me for my hyper white turn signals and my tinted windows and etc.... along with no frotn license plate !