A&Q about Lotus
Q:
hi,
i recently bot an elise. the previous owner actually had the temporary registration sticker on the windshield (for a 1.5 years) and no plates on either the front or the back. what im wondering is what are other peoples experience with having a rear plate but no front plate? im thinking of just putting on the rear. i know that if you go anywhere lax your going to get a ticket. has anyone had a problem in socal with no front plate?? does anyone know what the penalty is for not having plates mounted?
A:
no problem so far in Norcal (9 months), have gotten a ticket on another car for no front plate when parked at a commuter park n ride, can't remember what it cost, maybe I fixed it and got the ticket signed off...hmmm
Jim
A:
They make front plates? Who knew...
I haven't had a front plate on a car since I moved to CA in 2002. So far no tickets, including the numerous times I've been to LAX. I will now go knock on wood.
A:
In my experience, this depends in large part on exactly where you live and drive. In San Francisco, ever since they started putting in lots of red-light cameras, DPT does issue tickets regularly. I got one on my truck a few years ago because the front plate had fallen off somewhere and I think it went away once I went to the DMV and ordered new plates. I don't remember it being a fix-it ticket per se, though.
A:
No problems so far with the Exige, but I did get a no front plate ticket in my Mustang in San Francisco a couple years ago. No other violation, I was stopped for the plate.
My 4x4 came used with only a rear plate and I got a fixit from CHP in San Mateo County for that when I was stopped for another reason (someone had stolen my registration stickers off the rear plate).
A:
No front plate and no problems. I decided to go with a tow hook instead: a real one, not the little eye bolt Lotus gives you in the tool kit. No problems yet, but the car is parked in a garage and is usually moving when its out of the garage. I've also been running w/o a front plate on my STI for just over 2 years. No problems with that one either.
A:
There was a guy in an Elise on Sunday's drive out of Marina Del Rey who hasn't had a front OR rear license plate in the last two years. He figures "I don't have a front one, why should I have a rear one?"
Ok......
A:
Some people just put velcro on the front plate and stick in on only when they park since apparently alot of those type of tickets can come from parking people.
I have no front plate and I don't know where I would put it anyway. If the front plate is permanently attached and IT scrapes on the ground, it could do a whole boatload of damage to the front clamshell.
I've heard it's like a $35 fine in California...I could be wrong.
It was funny -- when I picked up my personalized plates at the DMV (A LOTUS), the lady at the DMV counter yelled at me...."YOU HAVE TO HAVE PLATES ON THE FRONT AND BACK!!" Like she knew what owning a Lotus meant front plate-wise. Interesting.
A:
Law says you have to have one, but many don't. Depending on the city, you'll be fined differently.
West Hollywood, I got a $25.00 ticket on my Boxster S. I just paid it and still no plate on.
West LA, cop stopped me and gave me ticket (not a moving violation), which made me put the plate on my 944T, went to city hall, got inspected, paid $30, got home, took it off right away.
Exige, three months old, received lic. plate 6 weeks ago, but haven't put it on yet and won't for a few more months. Won't put the front plate, ever.
A:
if you park an a town centre a lot , or public parking lots those are the 'higher risk' places.
i don't have a front plate on my elan, had it years, norcal and socal.
didn't have any plates on my elise for the year i owned it, not jinxing anything about my current car
but people always think the reason i kept the airbag warning note on the gearstick is so regular people think its new, close but no cigar.
A:
It's the reason my car is still Arizona registered and I drive the speed limit.
If you choose to put a front plate on, this seems to be the best option (scroll down to "Front License Plate Mount":
A:
Originally Posted by Allan Gibbs
If you choose to put a front plate on, this seems to be the best option (scroll down to "Front License Plate Mount":
Wouldn't that one present the exact problem Larry mentioned above, since it sticks out so much lower than the lip? I'd be worried about it dragging it on every curb.
If you get in trouble for this, just get yourself some vanity plates and you won't mind showing them off.
A:
The Calif fine is $35.
A:
That was me until I actually had to leave the house for work. I just drove around with the dealer plate that came with the car and my temporaray registration. Decided now that I'm driving during commute hours I'd put my rear plate on. BTW - the registration sticker you get doesn't have an expiration date. So you can use that as long as you want. One of my friends that deals with registration for the DMV told me this.
I never put front plates on my cars, and I've probably gotten less then a handful or two of tickets in the past 6 years in California. I think my last ticket on the SC430 was $100 for a non-fix-it ticket a couple years ago.
Originally Posted by LARRY22331
There was a guy in an Elise on Sunday's drive out of Marina Del Rey who hasn't had a front OR rear license plate in the last two years. He figures "I don't have a front one, why should I have a rear one?"
Ok......
A:
I've driven without a front plate in California since 1974. One ticket ($25) and one warning during those 32 years. Why start putting one on the car now??
A:
I just got busted today with my WRX, got a parking ticket with a plate ticket on top of it
$25 in Hollywood
Holes in plate don't line up with the holes in bumper so "of course" I can't put it on
A:
I've been pulled over twice without getting a ticket (for anything) with no front plates driving all over the bay area.
A:
4 years with no front plate in NorCal on my MINI Cooper S. No tickets. No front plate currently on my exige. But I do have a nifty british UK plate with the same letters as my rear Cali plate. I might put that on. of course i'll probably really get a ticket then for having an invalid plate.
Cheers,
Skottoman
A:
At least in California, there are an increasing number of automated traffic systems that detect cars running red lights and speeding and I suspect in the future the DMV will, as a result, be looking for cars without front license plates more often then they have in the past. I therefore decided to mount a front plate but didn't want to: 1) interfere with the front end air intake, 2) have the plate extend below the clam shell, and 3) didn't want to drill holes in the front end to mount the plate. After checking all the techniques I decided to mount mine using the tow-hook bolt hole with a simple S-shaped bracket bolted to the dealer supplied license bracket. Because the standard license plate is too high to satisfy criteria #1 and #2 above, I decided to buy a "custom" front plate from SpeedySigns.com closely matching the standard CA plate but with the lettering slightly shifted upward and then I trimmed off the bottom to reduce the height (I didn't want to bend/destroy the official CA plate). See pictures:
A:
I was pulled over for a number of velocity-related infractions by a motor cop in L.A. but he was extraordinarily cool about everything. He was a car nut and showed me pics of his 427 Cobra on his camera phone.
He said, "Normally, I don't give these tickets to the nicer cars, but since you were driving he way you were driving, I've gotta give you a ticket for something, right?"
He handed me a ticket with no moving violations - only a equipment violation for no front plate.
He pointed out that all I have to do is zip-tie my front plate to the grill, take it to the local Sheriff's station and have them sign off on it. Then go home hand take it back off.
Seriously, that's what he said! I told you he was cool!
99% of the stuff you worry about never happens. Don't sweat not having a front plate - who knows, it may get you OUT of a ticket!!!