Looking for a solution to mount the front license plate without drilling holes in the front nosecone and not block the front radar. Of these two solutions, The Law and Magnaplate, which is the best solution? I also only want to mount the front license plate if I get a fixit ticket and do not want to mount it permanently.
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Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
I have the Magneplate, and it works quite well, as advertised. You certainly could easily remove it most of the time, leaving just the two small, unnoticeable posts where it attaches in place.
The only complaint I have about the Magneplate, which I have shared with them, is that they need to find a source for significantly better suction cups. It's not critical that the top of the plate stay attached firmly in place via the suction cups, and that's good, because much of the time I find that one or both of my suction cups have detached. But this has not been a problem.
thecloud
As rhythm raced inside, the ship came alive
Only you can decide which solution is best, because it has to meet your requirements.
I looked at both of these when I was ready to mount my front plate. Here's what went into my decision.
0. I'm convinced that I need to display a front plate, because both my city and state will issue tickets for not having it, and I've already received one.
1. I do not want holes drilled in the front nosecone. The car did not come from the factory that way, and I'd like to keep it in that state.
2. I would like to be able to install and remove the front plate without sticking anything permanently to the nosecone. For me, that ruled out attachments like double-sided automotive tape or velcro strips.
3. The front-facing radar effectively rules out the zip-tie and J-bolt solutions, as they position the plate below the nosecone or awkwardly off to one side.
4. Gluing some neodymium magnets behind the nosecone is a pretty cool solution, but more DIY than I want to attempt right now.
5. The remaining solutions are The Law and Magneplate.
I plan to leave the plate on my car for most daily driving, and only remove it occasionally. The Law seems well designed for that use case. Some people want to leave the plate off most of the time, then slap it on when parked in a public place to avoid getting a ticket. Magneplate seems well designed for that use case.
Taking the plate off with The Law requires a small allen wrench to loosen and remove two bolts, which took me less than a minute. Taking the plate off with Magneplate requires far less time, since it just pulls off (there are suction cups to hold the top, in addition to the magnets, but no tools needed.) Initial installation of the Magneplate is more complicated than The Law and there are some holes to drill through the underside of the nosecone to mount it. Each company has an installation video on their website so be sure to check those out. Installation of The Law was very simple (it slides through the front grille and locks into place by tightening two bolts) and no holes need to be drilled at all. I'm really happy with it, but if you need to take the plate off and on frequently, you might be happier with Magneplate.
I looked at both of these when I was ready to mount my front plate. Here's what went into my decision.
0. I'm convinced that I need to display a front plate, because both my city and state will issue tickets for not having it, and I've already received one.
1. I do not want holes drilled in the front nosecone. The car did not come from the factory that way, and I'd like to keep it in that state.
2. I would like to be able to install and remove the front plate without sticking anything permanently to the nosecone. For me, that ruled out attachments like double-sided automotive tape or velcro strips.
3. The front-facing radar effectively rules out the zip-tie and J-bolt solutions, as they position the plate below the nosecone or awkwardly off to one side.
4. Gluing some neodymium magnets behind the nosecone is a pretty cool solution, but more DIY than I want to attempt right now.
5. The remaining solutions are The Law and Magneplate.
I plan to leave the plate on my car for most daily driving, and only remove it occasionally. The Law seems well designed for that use case. Some people want to leave the plate off most of the time, then slap it on when parked in a public place to avoid getting a ticket. Magneplate seems well designed for that use case.
Taking the plate off with The Law requires a small allen wrench to loosen and remove two bolts, which took me less than a minute. Taking the plate off with Magneplate requires far less time, since it just pulls off (there are suction cups to hold the top, in addition to the magnets, but no tools needed.) Initial installation of the Magneplate is more complicated than The Law and there are some holes to drill through the underside of the nosecone to mount it. Each company has an installation video on their website so be sure to check those out. Installation of The Law was very simple (it slides through the front grille and locks into place by tightening two bolts) and no holes need to be drilled at all. I'm really happy with it, but if you need to take the plate off and on frequently, you might be happier with Magneplate.
travwill
Active Member
I just ordered the law plate for use here in Illinois - meter maids definitely always look for front plate as a reason to help out our bankrupt city! It says it is autopilot compatible now so that is the one I ordered.
So, 100% have you had any issues with it? It doesn't block autopilot radar at all or any of the front parking sensors?
Thanks!
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
I don't believe the Magneplate installation requires any drilling through the underside of the nosecone. I had mine installed for me, but I had read the installation instructions at the time, and before purchasing, and I believe I would have balked at any drilling. Definitely check the video, etc., but my recollection is that the above is incorrect with respect to drilling.
thecloud
As rhythm raced inside, the ship came alive
I'm probably confusing this part with the Skene mount, which does require drilling into the underside of the nosecone.
OK, I went and checked the "Installation instructions v2c.pdf" file, available on Magneplate's site (by clicking the blue "Installation Instructions" button). It does require drilling, but not into the nosecone: "Drill (2) 3/8" holes in bottom of bracket" in all cases, plus "Drill (3) 1/2" holes in bracket" to mount the suction cups.
ddimit
Member
The Law will only work with Pre Autopilot models as it blocks the front radar unit in the lower central grill
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
Thanks for checking. (I was going to check later.)
I think you'd probably agree that there's a pretty big difference between drilling holes into a plastic license plate holder vs. drilling holes into the Model S' nosecone.
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That's not true.
They have an autopilot model.
Torklift Central | The Law - Tesla Model S Front License Plate Bracket-Aluminum (Auto Pilot Compatible) X7283
thecloud
As rhythm raced inside, the ship came alive
It does not block radar or autopilot sensors. TACC, parking distance sensing, etc. all work fine. The bracket slides into the upper part of the front grille (directly below the nosecone, above the radar) and the bottom of the license plate is attached to it. End result is that the plate sits in front of the nosecone, in the same position that it would be if you had it mounted by Tesla, except no holes are drilled in the car and you can remove it later without a trace.
The one issue I've noticed with The Law is that it holds the plate very close to the nosecone, such that if the plate is pressed in slightly, it will come into contact with the plastic. That was easily fixed: I just took a felt dot (1" diameter, the kind you put on the bottom of a chair leg so it doesn't scuff your floor) and stuck it on the back of the license plate.
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Sorry, your info is out of date. They sell an updated version for autopilot models.
travwill
Active Member
Thanks for the info, good to know. Too bad it sits higher as looks better lower but at least it saves from drilling holes. Hoping IL one day does pass a law to get rid of front plates. They tried to a few years ago and it didn't pass. It was supposed to save over $1M, so of course IL didn't pass it - they can't do anything financially responsible ;-)
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
I didn't do it myself, so I can't say, but I doubt it.
I'm not at all handy. I was having the car Opticoated right after I took delivery, and I had checked with the place that was doing that for me to see if they'd also install the Magneplate.
Edit: I just checked the car. If the posts were placed any higher, the top of the plate would be getting close to overlapping or would actually overlap the bottom of the Tesla logo.
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Has anybody installed The Law on 2016 Model S with autopilot ? I am looking for a no drill front plate solution. Leaning more towards The Law since ease of taking the plates off isn't a criteria for me. The forklift website shows it is compatible with 2014 and 2015 Model S with autopilot. I had emailed them to check if it will fit 2016 S and their response was they haven't had a 2016 Model S to try it out yet. I am not aware of any changes to the front in 2016 that would create problem but I thought I would check if anybody has already tried it.
Andyw2100
Well-Known Member
I'm almost certain there are photos in another thread of someone who has. I'll see if I can find that thread, and come back and edit this post if I do.
Edit: I found the thread and posts I was thinking of. While the posts were made in March, the car was actually a 2015. Here's a link to the post, that has some good pictures.
Front License Plate Solutions
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Thanks. It is 2015 Model but the front looks no different than mine and the plate looks good in those pictures. May be I will go ahead and order and try it out.
Tesla does not make changes to their cars based on the traditional auto model year concept, nor do they make changes based on calendar years. It means nothing to say one has a 2015 vs a 2016Tesla in terms of whether or not there were changes that would effect how a license plate mounting would fit.
The forward facing radar was first installed in the Model S starting in mid to late September 2014. It did not change in 2015 or 2016.
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