Just get two childrens bandaids, cut the adhesive ends off & paste over the holes. Then you at Least get teddie bears or balloons on a yellow background.

Duct tape is so yesterday.

 

More and more cities are installing cameras at intersections that require the license plate to be photographed as you go thru the red light in to make the mail order citation stick. I gotta believe this is going to cause the local cops to step up enforcement of the front plate law in California.

 

Front plates look like $h!t, cant stand em, I say just get a different front bumper (gt3) and be done with it... for those recommending the front plate solution with the bolt in the tow hook location.....that looks worse than just the original front plate with bracket, at least that looks centered. Bottom line is front plate= ugly

 

Got 2 local tickets, will keep my toe hook plate on. I am actually used to it!!

 

I had ticket on previous car so on this one I installed toe hook plate and keep it all the time.
It looks different and people like it. And it does not bother me at all.

It is very sturdy BTW, I did hit cones pretty hard more than once with it and it survived just fine.

 

Yes I hear you both and getting tickets stinks, but the tow hook idea is pretty much the same as the original bracket, who cares if theres a whole in the bumper if the bracket covers it... if I was forced to put the plate on I would get the original bracket, the tow hook thing just looks so bad to me since its off center.

 

My only objection to my tow hook bracket is that it screws into the frame and sticks out so if you get a hard hit, you may bend the frame.
But, I will take my chances.

 

I had 4 drilled on mine too. Bumper plugs to the rescue

 

I disagree. I've got no problem with front plates. I suppose it depends on what you grew up on.

I didn't encounter a place where front plates did not exist until I was 17 years old and moved to Louisiana... so front plates were always the norm and look perfectly correct to me.

That said, the more square US style plates are less attractive than the narrower EU and elsewhere plates. Given that the actually legally required information CAN fit within the borders of an EU/narrow plate, I don't see why we cannot just take our plates to a metal shop to have them use the shears and trim the front plate to the smaller size. All of that state advertising crap on those plates is really pointless.

 

I fall into the camp that hates the look of front plates, but live in a place where they are required. I took mine off shortly after I got the car and discovered the same screw holes through the bumper. After looking at the size of bumper plugs compared to the holes, I decided that rather than drill out the holes so the bumper plugs would fit, I could just 'massage' most of the material pushed out by the screw back into the hole by using a common slot screwdriver. I then used touch up paint to fill the tiny remaining hole and the small flecks of paint that came off from the 'massaging'. It's barely visible now unless you look for it.

Unfortunately, after getting pulled over and hassled twice within a couple days after taking it off, I put the plate back on (though I used one of the tow hook plate mounts).

 

Well, I guess this is reason 101 not to live in CA! Just kidding, as I have visited some wonderful areas in CA. Since you are required to have a front plate "securely mounted", then I guess 4 holes isn't any worse that two. Given the current catastrophic mess called the CA economy, maybe if everyone would offer Arnold $100 for a front plate waiver.......?

 

My recent 2005 came with the front plate and I learned I had four holes too -- IMO too many for bumper plugs. A local Porsche repair shop says they can redo the bumper eliminating the holes for about $500. I like how the car looks being when you can see the soft curve of the top of the bumper. It makes the car look low.

I saw a solution on another board where the poster used a bracket that attached to the lower part of the bumper moving the plate down about 3-4 inches. Since, at least with manual transmissions, the lower middle "vent" isn't functional, this seems like the best idea to me. One of these days I may have my bumper redone use this method...or I may just quit worrying about it and drive the car instead.

 

A pic of the offset plate for reference..

 

My front plates sits permanently on the floor in my back seat. I had the dealer do my inspection without the plate there as legally required, and they didn't care. Seems like a lot of owners ask for it so they turn a blind eye.

I've been pulled over FOUR times now in the past 6 months, all for reasons not to do with having no front plate, but just so you know, I got warnings for all 4

Yeah, I'm pushing my luck ... but screw them, not putting a front bracket. I have a nice story made up for the statey if he asks, something to do with crap being ordered from Germany on back-order haha.

 

thats me as well