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Hawaii Safety Check Sticker Placement
- Thread starter solar powered
- Start date
I'm planning to do what I did with my previous cars, put it on a small sheet metal plate that hangs from the rear bumper.
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
@solar powered, I made a plate bolted it to two long steel strips that I got at City Mill. Then I mounted to the lower hard plastic (mine is chrome colored, some are black) on the bottom of the rear of the car. It draws your eyes to it on the back, and I don't particularly like that. But I could not think of a better way. I didn't want it on the bumper. I saw one on a plate that was attached some how to the right far end of the license plate, but it looked odd that way.
I heard O'Reily's had a sticker mounting plate. But three I went to, didn't have them. Could not find one of Amazon either.
Sorry, I wish I had a better answer for you.
I heard O'Reily's had a sticker mounting plate. But three I went to, didn't have them. Could not find one of Amazon either.
Sorry, I wish I had a better answer for you.
dsmith2189
Active Member
I got the bracket they sell at checkers/o'riley that mounts behind the plate. It only holds on with one of the License plate screws, so it does pivot slightly if not tight. It fits it's purpose 99% but I am thinking about finding/making another similar bracket with a two license plate screw hold point.
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Had this type of plate on my M3 and I'm going to try and get it again for my MS. Works great, but like dsmith said, the screw/bolt on the frame needs to be tight for it not to slip. Also, keep in mind that some safety check places refuse to do it when the sticker is on the plate - they claim it's illegal and the sticker must be mounted on the bumper. I haven't had the patience or energy to go research the city ordinances to find out one way or another, but I had mine on the M3 for 4 years (and a couple of pull-overs from HPD) and the officers never even said anything about it.
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
gmtom1 got me thinking about the statutes regarding safety inspection stickers. Here's what I found in just a few minutes. 2011 Hawaii Code, DIVISION 1. GOVERNMENT, TITLE 17. MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES, 286. Highway Safety, §286-26 Certificates of inspection. About half way through paragraph (e) of 286-26 (e), there's a single sentence discussing location. "A sticker, authorized by the director, shall be affixed to the vehicle at the time a certificate of inspection is issued." I suspect this is covered again in another statute, but I have not seen a different reference via Google yet. The way I read this, its more about the sticker is to be attached to the vehicle at time of inspection, than it is about where on the vehicle its to be attached.
Having seen the picture ddruz put up here, I like his way better than how I have mine. I am going to look again for that plate like he is doing his. I can always return to my safety inspection station and for a minor fee, they will put another on mine, "since I lost mine where it was".
@Akikiki - Thanks for researching! After reading the citation, I now remember the argument I had with the service dept. regarding my safety check being on the plate - they claimed that putting it on the plate doesn't constitute "affixing" it to the vehicle, since you can remove the metal plate and move it from car to car. Although I disagreed with them, they ultimately refused to give me the safety check and I had to go elsewhere. They claimed that the City could revoke their safety check license for violating the rules. Aside from the my opinion that the safety check program does nothing except make $$ for the city & dealers that issue them, the idea that I have to attach it to my bumper to prevent me from moving it from car to car to avoid paying the $20 fee is ridiculous. Ok, end rant here....
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
I am a newbie to the forum. Just purchased an orphan MS (it's supposed to ship this week) and have found the info here to be very valuable. I wanted to chime in on the safety sticker discussion. The applicable legal provision is Hawaii Administrative Rules § 19-133.2-24(b):
After the certificate of inspection is signed, a two-part inspection sticker shall be affixed by the inspector upon the right, most nearly vertical portion of the rear bumper of the vehicle or on another appropriate place, such as, a special bracket installed horizontally under the right portion or center of the rear bumper or a bracket attached to the rear license plate oriented either vertically or horizontally where the sticker can be clearly viewed by a person who is fifty feet behind the vehicle. The rear window or license plate is not an appropriate place. If the bracket on the license plate is attached to the top or bottom, it must be oriented so the stickers are displayed horizontally with the month sticker on the left side of the year sticker. If the bracket is attached to a side of the plate, the bracket must display the stickers vertically with the month sticker affixed in an upright position above the year sticker, which also must be affixed upright.
For my current car, I purchased both the license plate bracket and bumper bracket at O'Reilly Auto Parts on King/Punahou. I ended up using the license place bracket. My service center reluctantly put it on for me because they cannot get the stickers to stay on the lower plastic portion of my bumper (mine fell off less than one month after I purchased the vehicle), and I would not let them put it on the paint.
After the certificate of inspection is signed, a two-part inspection sticker shall be affixed by the inspector upon the right, most nearly vertical portion of the rear bumper of the vehicle or on another appropriate place, such as, a special bracket installed horizontally under the right portion or center of the rear bumper or a bracket attached to the rear license plate oriented either vertically or horizontally where the sticker can be clearly viewed by a person who is fifty feet behind the vehicle. The rear window or license plate is not an appropriate place. If the bracket on the license plate is attached to the top or bottom, it must be oriented so the stickers are displayed horizontally with the month sticker on the left side of the year sticker. If the bracket is attached to a side of the plate, the bracket must display the stickers vertically with the month sticker affixed in an upright position above the year sticker, which also must be affixed upright.
For my current car, I purchased both the license plate bracket and bumper bracket at O'Reilly Auto Parts on King/Punahou. I ended up using the license place bracket. My service center reluctantly put it on for me because they cannot get the stickers to stay on the lower plastic portion of my bumper (mine fell off less than one month after I purchased the vehicle), and I would not let them put it on the paint.
Welcome jatk, and thanks for the input regarding the registration / safety inspection stickers!
What config is your orphan Model S?
What config is your orphan Model S?
Akikiki: given the comments about twisting safety check mounting plates w/only a single bolt hole, I'll make a plate like yours. For alignment purposes, how far apart are your license plate mounting bolts? I'll make slots, but it would align better if I knew the approximate bolt hole spacing. Mahalo!
Another option if you like the license plate mount style, is to put a piece of double stick tape to the plate on the area that's behind the license plate frame. I found that this, combined with a tight screw/bolt, generally kept my stickers straight on the car. I only had to change the tape once a year when I took the plates off to put on the new registration sticker & safety check.
@nanimac - if you don't mind sharing, how much did your 14-50 outlet cost to install, and who did you use?
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
solar, Here's some bad pictures of my safety sticker plate that I made. I like ddruz's approach and I am going to explore.
I hated drilling a couple of holes in the lower plastic panel.
Akikiki, I misunderstood--I thought that you had mounted your safety check stickers like ddruz's. Thanks for your post #968. I think that I will try to make something like ddruz's mounting plate also.
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
Safety Inspection Sticker Mounting method
I didn't want my Safety Inspection Sticker on my bumper. So I made a bracket and mounted it to the bottom of the car. I didn't like this method but it was the only way I could think without putting it on the bumper. Then ddruz showed us how he did his (Reply #945). I liked how he did that. I didn't know we could do that. So, I started thinking of a way to produce the same effect but not use a metal plate. I found some PVC sheets on Amazon. Opaque White Polyvinyl Chloride sheets 12" x 24" and ordered it.
I drew a pattern using my tag and added a tab to the right for the stickers. I took several sheets to a shop and asked them to cut the pattern. After they cut the patterns they warned me the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene sheets would not allow the stickers to adhere to the plates. I am trying to find some paint that will stay on that sheet. In the mean time, I painted the tab on the PVC plate where the stickers will go. Here's pictures. Next step is to go back to my inspection station and talk them into replacing my existing stickers on the underside mounted bracket and put new stickers on the plate mounted behind the tag. I'll let you know the outcome on Saturday.
Yes, the plastic plate from the full size 12x24 inch sheet is the entire plate that fits behind the tag and most is covered by the tag. Yes, the tab is my solution to a metal tab sticking out and risking working loose. I used white because that's the MS's color. Less risk to an odd color showing around the edges of the tag.
I had three different sheets of PVC like material. Drew the pattern on one, and tool all threee to Min Plastics just off Dillingham @ King to cut them. I matched the tag to screw holes on the car and drilled them a little larger for the Torx head screws that came with the MS. The sheet was 3/16" thick and I didn't need longer screws. One of my sheets is 1/4" thick and I think it is thick enough.
I didn't ask Min Plastic for a quote for the PVC sheets. I bought 4 ranging in price from $12.xx to $ $ 22.xx and the best choice to work with was the $ 12.xx one. Min Plastic charged me $ 15.00 each to cut the pattern out of the sheets.
I suggest you talk to Min Plastic about their recommendation regarding the material they would use to insure the stickers will adhere. As I was leaving, they seemed to know more that I would have guessed that they would.
I didn't want my Safety Inspection Sticker on my bumper. So I made a bracket and mounted it to the bottom of the car. I didn't like this method but it was the only way I could think without putting it on the bumper. Then ddruz showed us how he did his (Reply #945). I liked how he did that. I didn't know we could do that. So, I started thinking of a way to produce the same effect but not use a metal plate. I found some PVC sheets on Amazon. Opaque White Polyvinyl Chloride sheets 12" x 24" and ordered it.
I drew a pattern using my tag and added a tab to the right for the stickers. I took several sheets to a shop and asked them to cut the pattern. After they cut the patterns they warned me the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene sheets would not allow the stickers to adhere to the plates. I am trying to find some paint that will stay on that sheet. In the mean time, I painted the tab on the PVC plate where the stickers will go. Here's pictures. Next step is to go back to my inspection station and talk them into replacing my existing stickers on the underside mounted bracket and put new stickers on the plate mounted behind the tag. I'll let you know the outcome on Saturday.
Yes, the plastic plate from the full size 12x24 inch sheet is the entire plate that fits behind the tag and most is covered by the tag. Yes, the tab is my solution to a metal tab sticking out and risking working loose. I used white because that's the MS's color. Less risk to an odd color showing around the edges of the tag.
I had three different sheets of PVC like material. Drew the pattern on one, and tool all threee to Min Plastics just off Dillingham @ King to cut them. I matched the tag to screw holes on the car and drilled them a little larger for the Torx head screws that came with the MS. The sheet was 3/16" thick and I didn't need longer screws. One of my sheets is 1/4" thick and I think it is thick enough.
I didn't ask Min Plastic for a quote for the PVC sheets. I bought 4 ranging in price from $12.xx to $ $ 22.xx and the best choice to work with was the $ 12.xx one. Min Plastic charged me $ 15.00 each to cut the pattern out of the sheets.
I suggest you talk to Min Plastic about their recommendation regarding the material they would use to insure the stickers will adhere. As I was leaving, they seemed to know more that I would have guessed that they would.
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Neat idea. So your plastic sheet covers the entire back of the plate with a tab on the side for the safety sticker? Or did you just create a tab and fixed it onto a backing?
I'm wondering about requesting Min Plastics or somewhere similar to custom cut a thin piece of colored acrylic that would be the size of the license plate with the appropriate screw holes cut out with a tab built in on the side for the stickers. Then you wouldn't have to worry about the tab / bracket swiveling or coming loose since the whole thing would be one piece and be screwed down with the license plate in front of it (might need longer screws to accommodate). Stickers should fix to acrylic fine.
I'm wondering about requesting Min Plastics or somewhere similar to custom cut a thin piece of colored acrylic that would be the size of the license plate with the appropriate screw holes cut out with a tab built in on the side for the stickers. Then you wouldn't have to worry about the tab / bracket swiveling or coming loose since the whole thing would be one piece and be screwed down with the license plate in front of it (might need longer screws to accommodate). Stickers should fix to acrylic fine.
Akikiki
A'-Lo-HA ! y'all
I didn't want my Safety Inspection Sticker on my bumper. So I made a bracket and mounted it to the bottom of the car. I didn't like this method but it was the only way I could think without putting it on the bumper. Then ddruz showed us how he did his (Reply #945). I liked how he did that. I didn't know we could do that. So, I started thinking of a way to produce the same effect but not use a metal plate. I found some PVC sheets on Amazon. Opaque White Polyvinyl Chloride sheets 12" x 24" and ordered it.
I drew a pattern using my tag and added a tab to the right for the stickers. I took several sheets to a shop and asked them to cut the pattern. After they cut the patterns they warned me the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene sheets would not allow the stickers to adhere to the plates. I am trying to find some paint that will stay on that sheet. In the mean time, I painted the tab on the PVC plate where the stickers will go. Here's pictures. Next step is to go back to my inspection station and talk them into replacing my existing stickers on the underside mounted bracket and put new stickers on the plate mounted behind the tag. Results look much better than on the bumper.
Updated 8/27
Anyone remember this reply that I wrote about back in Mid-June?
I visited Min Plastics, (just off Dillingham near King) and discussed this sticker plate. I gave them my pattern and discussed material and cost.
Bottom line: Min Plastics will make/sell you this (they like to call it a) "Sticker Holder" for your Safety Inspection Sticker Plate for $ 18.00 + tax. Its about 1/8" thick and milky plastic. They drilled oblong holes where a tag would overlay the plate. It is a little smaller so it disappears behind and is covered by the license tag. If you use a frame that surrounds the tag it will hook around the edges of the tag. It looks good. Very nice alternative to sticking it on the bumper. Easy to mount behind the tag. My beta versions of this cost $ 20.00 for material and $ 15.00 to be cut. Min sells it car-ready for $ 18.00+ tax.
Min Plastics
921 Kaamahu Place
Honolulu, 96819
Note: It's not to late to change to this setup after you already have a Safety Inspection and sticker. Pickup the Sticker Holder or the metal side bracket some people like to use. Go back to your Safety Inspection station, and tell them that you want to move (replace) your sticker next to the tag. For $5 they will issue you a new sticker on the plate and remove the old one.
Questions?
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