Front License Plate attachment - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Well, I got a ticket going through Orange County the other day. The irony is I was coming back to San Diego after going to traffic court for a mandatory appearance I had been given for going 92 MPH....through Orange County. Moral of the story: Set your cruise control to 65 MPH through Orange County on I-5! They have speed traps set up everywhere! But enough of that sad tale (anyone got a good price on a radar detector?)--the cop also decided to give me a fix-it ticket for my missing front plate. Yay! Does anyone know of anyone that makes a mount that fits in the tow hook hole on a Porsche? The Z guys have these and it's pretty nifty. I don't plan on drilling holes in my front bumper and if something like this doesn't exist, I'm going to have to rig something up to get the ticket cleared.

While I have no helpful leads, I will say that I feel for you. Getting ticketed on the way back from a court appearance monumentally blows. I spend alot of time in the OC and I'll agree that cops up there need more to do. I've also noticed a whole rash of new stop-light cameras. Get the V1 already, it's like ideal for Californians!! I'm still running without a front plate on mine, lord knows the fix-it ticket is inevitable.

I got a ticket 14 months ago in Orange County on I-5 while driving my Eclipse. 72 in a 65. He just wanted to pull me over because I fit the profile of a young asian driving a lowered import. My car looks stock other than being slightly lowered. I was pretty pissed off, but I went to traffic school for that one as it was the easiest option. Then last October I got a ticket going through Orange County at 92 in the Boxster. Okay officer, you got me, fine--I should've remembered what dicks you were out here. Since it was more than 25 over the speed limit, they slapped me with a mandatory appearance, so I had to drive back up to the courthouse. This one on the way down, I was driving with the flow of traffic. They had one guy with a radar calling shots. I saw two other people pulled over by two other cruisers. Who knows how many more CHP officers were looping back around for another chance to pick off some more people. It's all a big money machine for Orange County and it frustrates me like nothing else. How do you fight something like that!? What politician is going to fight against a guaranteed revenue stream? Now I have to go get some high-dollar lawyer to fight this ticket because I don't want the extra point on my record--the insurance will be insane. Thanks Orange County, way to Serve and Protect.

What is the extra charge for no front license plate in this state?

HUMMMM 92 on I-5 and the cops are "dicks" wonder???

The thread for the tow hook is probable a standard metric thread. You can buy a long bolt, put a plastic pipe sleeve over it, fasten it to a license plate frame, and ... voila! There you are. Easy on; easy off. Good luck!

Hi, Good Point. Of Course, there's always the option which no one has mentioned, namely : Comply with the Statute and Mount your Front Plate. That's a Sure-Fire way to avoid such unpleasantness. But, take a Step Back and look at it from the Cop's point of view. He doesn't know if it's just some Kid trying to look Cool or if the Car is Stolen or running without Plates. In today's age, those are Valid thoughts for a Cop to have. Plus, most Cops don't drive Porsches, by making yourself conspicuous, you may just be pushing his Envy Button and that can't be good. I wish I could muster greater sympathy for you, I really do. But you ignored the Law and you got caught... There it is... Good Luck!... Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Wow Jim, that was mighty low of you. I went ahead and took the first two tickets gracefully, and now that I'm griping about getting a third ticket from CHP in Orange County you guys are going to admonish me? Thanks. I love this place. Maybe you guys live in some strange world where you don't drive over the speed limit and I'm some kind of demon for doing so. I'm not saying that the cop was not within his rights--like I said, I got caught for going 92 and that was well justified. The reason I say Orange County cops are dicks is because OC is well-known for having more stringent cops. I never get ticketed in San Diego, which is where I do nearly all of my driving. The police down here seem to have more important things to do than hassle commuters. The reason I'm pissed off about this last one is because they set up a radar trap for the sole purpose of generating revenue for the county. They were picking off people that were moving with the flow of traffic, not targeting people that were driving recklessly, racing or what not. Maybe you're just in a grumpy mood or something, otherwise I can see no other reason for telling me something as obvious as "well, if you'd follow the rules you wouldn't get ticketed". I mean, way to kick a man when he's down. I come on here asking for ways to mount a plate without drilling holes in my bumper, I vent a little steam about getting some tickets and y'all are so supportive. Nice community. As for your arguments about the front plate (which I wasn't crying about--as SD987 said, it's inevitable and we all understand that I'm sure), the cop came up behind me. The front plate had no bearing on his decision to pull me over, nor did any profile of the thirty-year-old behind the wheel. He just pulled me over because the guy with the radar on the bridge said "Hey, get that guy." Had it been you in your boxster in that group of cars, they would have pulled you over too.

Not to mention driving in SoCal is way different than anywhere I've ever been. The thing that frustrates me the most is the inconsistency. 50% of the time the freeways flow at 10mph and the other 50% the time they flow at 85mph, making it litterally dangerous to drive the speed limit. Our freeways are bi-polar.

If I remember right isnt there a spray that you could use to make your license reflective incase of a camera at a intersection?

The CHP are essentially traffic police. That is their main function, so it is pretty difficult to fault them for issuing speeding tickets to cars that are exceeding the speed limit. Does that make them "dicks''; well, I have coffee with a number of CHP guys most every day. To a person, they seem like fine guys to me. Given the crap they have to deal with (scraping accident bodies up from the pavement, getting shot at, etc.) I think they maintain their sense of humor rather well. I am with Jim on this one, don't do the crime if you can't do the time. To be fair, I speed from time to time. When I get caught, I get caught. Suck it up, life is short!

Hi, I am not at all in a Grumpy Mood. And, I still believe you are a Fine Fellow! And, I did say I was Sorry that I could not be more Sorry for you... Most of us, including me, are guilty of some infraction on the road from time-to-time. If you acidentally get pinched because you were over the limit without realizing it, that's one story. But, if you act reckless, or as in your case, make a conscious decision to ignore the Law by not affixing your Front Plate, whining about it later because they got you seems a little bit silly. You were playing the Odds in a Game which will catch up with you someday. It is unrealistic to believe that eventually, you wouldn't get nabbed .. this was simply that day. But, in all sincerity, I hope you come through it OK! Agreed, most States, Counties and Municipalities are putting greater emphasis on generating Traffic Revenues to shore-up Budget shortfalls elsewhere. But, that's even more reason for a Driver to give the Authorities as little Cause to cite you as possible. I hate Front Plate Laws, I agree with you that they are silly. But, I don't get to make that decision, and apparently, neither do you. If you think it looks Bad on a Boxster, you should see what it does to the appearance of my Lotus Esprit! This is a Car Enthusiast Forum. Our purpose should be to promote FUN, SAFE, LEGAL, Driving Practices. I'm not sure we should be running threads about Street Racing, Removing Emissions Devices, Adding Non-DOT Devices, etc., or otherwise dodging the Laws. People will make all those decisions on their own without any encouragement from us... Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Alright guys, let me try this again: 1. I'm not complaining about the front plate law! All I asked abouit was how to go about mounting it without using the screw holes! 2. I'm not complaining about getting caught for speeding! I fully understand those--I speed a lot and so when I get speeding tickets I understand it's my fault. 3. I'm grumpy that I got three tickets from Orange County CHP--I rarely ever go through Orange County. I haven't had any tickets in San Diego in four years. 4. I got a ticket on the same day I left traffic court. Tell me that I'm not allowed to gripe about that! 5. I am pissed off about the cops setting up a trap solely for the purpose of gathering money for the city like glorified meter maids. I'm not sure WHY you guys keep feeling the need to tell me "well, you did the crime, now do the the time." Can't you just let a guy blow off some steam rather than nannying him about it? Does it NOT bother you that the CHP are out there grabbing commuters in a round-robin fashion? I'm pretty sure you guys understand me, but if we're trying to build a sense of community, I think ragging on me about this is detrimental to that. The lesson is "Time to slow down/get a radar detector", not "You Should Have Expected It, Moron". To address another off-topic, but interesting point: Trying to pin a car enthusiasts web forum down to being by-the-books legal in every aspect would kill SO much conversation. For instance, any discussion about aftermarket exhausts and/or intakes could be considered dodging the law, since most of them do not have a CARB EO number and would be illegal in California. Other than that, I'd still love to hear from anyone here that has any ideas on how to mount a license plate on my car without drilling holes in the bumper cover.

Wow, the CHP must be a profit center. A lot of people here run without the front plate. the penalty is peanuts compared to the prices we pay to own and run a Porsche. Think RMS. Tires. Brakes, etc. The police here won't bother with little stuff like that unless someone is driving recklessly. CHP's may be different. Heck, CA is like another world. 92mph is not automatically reckless in my book, depending on the circumstances. Like ESLAI points out, some days you find yourself with Camry's, F-150'S and Caravans at 85mph. I'd bet I'm safer next to Eslai at 92mph than I am next to Joe Citizen driving a Volvo and on his cell phone at 65mph.

[QUOTE=eslai]Alright guys, let me try this again: 4. I got a ticket on the same day I left traffic court. Tell me that I'm not allowed to gripe about that! QUOTE] So you sat in a courtroom for some period of time, paid a fine... and then did the same thing? Tell me I'm not allowed to make fun of you for that! What's the word for someone who does the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome? Hey, I've lived in both San Diego County and Orange County. If you passed a cop in San Diego at 92 mph and he didn't ticket you... he wouldn't be doing his job. Even if "everyone else" was doing 85, that's still seven mph over the speed of traffic... and 27 mph over the posted limit! And you're shocked that he had the audacity to cite you for this? Yeah, I've gone over the legal limit. Yeah, I've been caught in "speed traps". One time, I was cut out of herd of a bunch of people exceeding the posted limit, and yeah, I was the only Porsche in the group. Coincidentally, I was also in Arizona, and had the only set of California plates in the group... and do you know what? When it came right down to it, there were all kinds of reasons to think he was being "unfair". But the bottom line, no matter what the excuses were, I was actually guilty of doing what he had accused me of doing. Sure, he "should" have cited everyone else... but even if he did, I would have still ended up with a ticket! A mature person accepts responsibility for his own actions.

OKAY, let's just lay this to rest. Look, I accept my responsibility and it's my fault for writing my initial description of the tickets in the manner I did, since you all seem to be focusing on the 92-in-a-65 bit. I seem to have put you all on the defensive as well over the "OC cops are dicks" thing. I was going nowhere near that on the way down to San Diego this time--are you kidding me!? You think I'd blaze down the freeway when I just got done paying a fine? This is also a nation-wide forum and opinions will differ. You guys are all right and I'm wrong. I was expecting a different level of empathy than what I received. What was I expecting from the internet? Whoops. Now please leave me to attend to my butt-hurt wounds. I won't let you guys burn me again, I promise. Oh, but does anyone have a suggestion for me about the license plate mounting!?!

eslai, let me be the first to tell you that. "We luv ya man!" It's all good!! Be safe. Love & repsect your parents and your spouse, and if you have kids, get that extra kiss and hug each day...you never know when it will be the last one.

Gee, I kinda liked him better when he was blazin down the freeway after just paying a fine. As for the front plate, i use duct tape when I have to. Double sided sticky tape works too.

Unless someone has revoked the laws of physics, I know of no way to "affix" to the bumper without some form of hole in the bumper. Candidly, if you buy the Porshce mount kit, and buy a quality plate trim, it doesn't look THAT bad and you do get used to it. Now, if you park in Carlsbad and the meter maid catches you without a plate, you get a $50 ticket. Even I got pissed at this but then again, I KNEW I was supposed to have one, so I sucked it up and paid. BTW-We do NOT think you are a MORON. But you were whinning a bit! Stay with us, we are a good group of guys! And girls too!

I don't really think there is a cop's point of view on front plates in California. "Some Kid trying to look Cool" - If that was criminal, we'd all have done time. "Car is Stolen or running without Plates" - Lack of plates does not indicate anything is amiss in a state that requires new plates upon change of ownership and dealer purchases. Similar to the CHP, the DMV is another criminal organization operating in the fiefdom known as California. The constant reissuing of plates rather than just keeping track of who has what freakin plate creates a situation where it's less of a hassle to drive around with no plates then it is with only one. But stamping out new plates gives California's oversized prison population something to do. It also saves the USC-grads-cum-meter-maids the hassle of having to walk the ten feet to look at the rear of the car when they're writing tickets. No one likes to walk in California. Eslai, call over to Pioneer, maybe they have an idea.