Front licence plate fix it ticket in CA

[dmode]

I have seen at least 100 Model X in the Bay Area. And not a single one of them had a front license plate. When I took delivery at Fremont, my S came with a front license plate, but none of the X that were being delivered had the front plate. I am not sure if that's default for X or are all owners requesting cars without front plate. I am also confused as I read somewhere in this board that Tesla is mandated by California law to deliver cars with front license plate brackets.

 

[ming]

Didn't have to ask mine, my X did not come with the plate holder installed on the front. It doesn't even have plates yet

 

[idealsol]

Didn't have to ask mine, my X did not come with the plate holder installed on the front. It doesn't even have plates yet

I picked up a Mode S recently at Costa Mesa and was told they had to have the front bracket installed by law.. Seems odd in California the X's aren't that way. One of the 1st things I did after delivery was have an Xpel installer remove the plate

 

[The Spark Lab]

I saw one of these today on a model X. It's a decal.

I should have taken a picture but it seems like a good compromise. I was looking around to see if I could find the company. This is what it looks like. It's not legal of course, but I think if you kept the real front plate in the trunk they would probably give you a pass...?? What ya think a good idea? I'm thinking about doing it...

 

[cpa]

I would not touch a decal like that. I think if you were caught, many police officers would find the most severe charge they could cite you for. I have not combed the California Vehicle Code, but I guess that there is at least one statute that prohibits using false plates on one's car. And that might be a misdemeanor, not an infraction.

Sure, a good-natured cop might let you off if you showed him/her the plate was in your trunk/frunk. All in all, it might be cheaper to plead your case if your front plate were absent instead of fictitious.

 

[kev1n]

I saw one of these today on a model X. It's a decal.

I should have taken a picture but it seems like a good compromise. I was looking around to see if I could find the company. This is what it looks like. It's not legal of course, but I think if you kept the real front plate in the trunk they would probably give you a pass...?? What ya think a good idea? I'm thinking about doing it...

it boggles my mind why anyone would even consider this? if you're going to do this, you might as well mount the front plate, it defeats the purpose of removing it in the first place(to have a clean front end look)

 

[wwu123]

I saw one of these today on a model X. It's a decal.

I should have taken a picture but it seems like a good compromise. I was looking around to see if I could find the company. This is what it looks like. It's not legal of course, but I think if you kept the real front plate in the trunk they would probably give you a pass...?? What ya think a good idea? I'm thinking about doing it...

We had a black Boxster, just traded it in to help cover the down payment on the Model S. May as well just install the license plate at that point, as the decal equally defeats the pretty nose on the Boxster. We didn't put the front plate on the Boxster for years, then about six years ago I can't remember why but we decided to put it on, even though we didn't get a citation or anything - much preferred it without the front plate.

Oh, I think I remember now we bought the Boxster used and it didn't have a front plate. Then a few years ago my wife ordered personalzed plates and of course it came with two - so she decided she needed to mount both of them...

 

[hill]

You are all doing it wrong ...

.

 

[jdowell362]

You are all doing it wrong ...

.

hahah hilarious! i would love to do this if i knew it didnt void my warranty. i would also feel scared about some speed bumps or curbs

 

[SHAWNSUNNYVALE]

i just got a fix it ticket in cupertino, park in front my own house. I was just surprised to have randomly done like that, Considering there so many Telsas in the bay area with out Front License Plate

 

[The Duke]

Put your plate on the dash in clear sight?

 

[ecarfan]

Put your plate on the dash in clear sight?

That will mean nothing to a police officer.

 

[thecloud]

i just got a fix it ticket in cupertino, park in front my own house. I was just surprised to have randomly done like that, Considering there so many Telsas in the bay area with out Front License Plate

Funny, I thought you lived in a different city... not sure why I would have thought that.

Cupertino doesn't have a PD, so this was probably an officer from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's department. Sadly, even though a lot of Teslas don't have front license plates, the only excuse to not have it mounted is if you just bought the car and the temporary registration says so. (Displaying it on the dash isn't legal, and neither is using a facsimile decal.) It does seem odd they'd be out writing this type of ticket on a residential street, unless there is a parking problem on your street and someone complained.

 

[cpa]

I really do not think that there is a rhyme or reason for the authorities to issue fix-it tickets for license plates or expired tags in the customary performance of their duties.

It might be a real slow day on the beat, and the cop is bored.

The cop might be a rookie officer and is learning the ropes, as it were, about how to write a fix-it ticket properly.

The police agency might have a focus on a particular day to emphasize certain minor infractions, so these will be more commonplace only a few days per calendar quarter/year. (Anecdotally, this seems to be true of some agencies.)

Some agencies have the parking patrol/meter maids performing this task instead of sworn peace officers.