Ticket for no front lic. plate: keep paying or install?
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: N. California
2008 Arctic White C300 Sport 6M
Ticket for no front lic. plate: keep paying or install?
I got a ticket while street-parked the other day. At first, I just assumed that it was a normal parking ticket (I had parked there well beyond the limit). But when I read the stub to write a check, I saw that it was actually a front license plate ticket. It's a $25 ticket that will be reduced to $10 if I show a cop after I install the front license. If I don't show a cop, I have to pay the full amount.
Question is:
Is this something that I can just pay off (full $25) and forget about? In other words, can I just keep paying these tickets whenever I get them and continue to ride without a front plate installed?
Or are these going to add-up somewhere in some computer and one day the Man is going to slap me with a $50,000 ticket for repeatedly failing to comply? I am in Northern California, if that matters.
Maybe I should just go and buy the Go Mini Go hole-less license bracket...? It doesn't look too bad, really, but I'd rather have the front nice and clean.
Question is:
Is this something that I can just pay off (full $25) and forget about? In other words, can I just keep paying these tickets whenever I get them and continue to ride without a front plate installed?
Or are these going to add-up somewhere in some computer and one day the Man is going to slap me with a $50,000 ticket for repeatedly failing to comply? I am in Northern California, if that matters.
Maybe I should just go and buy the Go Mini Go hole-less license bracket...? It doesn't look too bad, really, but I'd rather have the front nice and clean.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Vancouver WA
'14 GLK250 Diesel
I usually hold my tongue on this stuff, but since you're asking, I am mystified by why this is a law that is so hard to obey. Put the plate on the front and get on with it.
It isn't just the money - one of these days, you're going to get stopped by somebody in the wrong mood - why make it worse?
It isn't just the money - one of these days, you're going to get stopped by somebody in the wrong mood - why make it worse?
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: SFV CA
2008 Black Out C350 Saks Edition / 87 VW GTI
The law is the law. The front license plate is so they can take a violation picture and mail it to you, you could pay the $10 a waste two or three hours just having the ticket sign. I would pay the $25 the first time.
That's just me.
That's just me.
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Mississauga, ON CA
15 Mercedes C400, 12 Mercedes C250 coupe
i hate this law cuz its not consistent all over the world, and around the provinces or sates.
it's like someone from Quebec (legal to have no front plate)
can come drive to ontario and NOT get a ticket, but for ppl from ontario can.
stupid law if u ask me, but yes i obey it.
it's like someone from Quebec (legal to have no front plate)
can come drive to ontario and NOT get a ticket, but for ppl from ontario can.
stupid law if u ask me, but yes i obey it.
Member
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: SF Bay Area, USA
08 C300 Sport
There are a few threads on this. One I liked is:
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ighlight=holes
I intalled the gomingo front license holder & am happy with it. Especially no fix-it tickets
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ighlight=holes
I intalled the gomingo front license holder & am happy with it. Especially no fix-it tickets
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2008
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C350 4MATIC Premium Package Obsidian Black
i say just install it. you dont need the hassle from the cops every few weeks. since you will never notice it unless you stand in front of the car on a daily basis and say " man this looks like crap "
is the main reason for not doing it cosmetic? and if so you need to decide if the ticket is worth the look. if it is than ignore the post.
is the main reason for not doing it cosmetic? and if so you need to decide if the ticket is worth the look. if it is than ignore the post.
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From: Sacramento/San Gabriel/Riverside
01' C32o
haha
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12 GL550 4-Matic, 07 S550 4-Matic, 12 C300 4-Matic, 2011 Lexus LX570, 03 BMW 530i(Beater)
I have never had a front plate. If you think it's worth getting a few tickets a year for, then go ahead and keep it off. In one given year, I don't think I've gotten more than 2 tickets. You have to pay to look good, haha
Almost a Member!
Joined: Feb 2008
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2008 C350
wow... that's low... for them to give you a ticket while PARKED! they usually don't really care to give tickets for front plates in NorCal. It's a reason they use to pull you over to see if anything else is going on. I just left mines off. As long as you don't drive like an ***, they usually won't bother you. Where were you parked to get a front plate ticket?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Hampton, GA
CLK500 SPORT
hey man i feel u on the front plate, the day i bought my car the dealer asked me if i wanted the plate installed i turned and looked at him. 
With that look he already knew (YOU DON'T MESS WITH PERFECTION). Hey if you don't wanna install it then don't. try to find an insurance company that u can get an out of state registration.(must have a physical address). Just be care full.
With that look he already knew (YOU DON'T MESS WITH PERFECTION). Hey if you don't wanna install it then don't. try to find an insurance company that u can get an out of state registration.(must have a physical address). Just be care full.
Almost a Member!
Joined: Mar 2008
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C350, ML350
Front License Plates
FYI....
Quick Fix.....buy double sided tape...stick on the back of the plates....attach it to your bumper....then get it sign OFF...then take it off again....hahaha...worked for me...good luck!!!
Quick Fix.....buy double sided tape...stick on the back of the plates....attach it to your bumper....then get it sign OFF...then take it off again....hahaha...worked for me...good luck!!!
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: N. California
2008 Arctic White C300 Sport 6M
I apologize for the confusion that I have caused. Let me clarify my position:
1. I think front plates look like crap, and I don't wanna make my car look like crap by putting it on.
2. "The law says so" does not sufficiently convince me that I must put on the plate. Just the fact that a law exists does not make it correct or valid in my eyes.
3. Causing physical harm either to myself or to others is not my intention. If someone can tell me how I or other drivers around me may be endangered because of my refusal to put on the plate, I will comply with the law immediately.
Which brings us back to the original question:
Is having to pay $25 occasionally the only drawback from refusing to install the front plate?
If so, then so be it. As mbrover06 said, you gotta pay to look cool. I'm just worried that these are like parking tickets -- if you collect enough unpaid parking tickets, a warrant goes out for your arrest and all that fun stuff.
p.s. Double-sided tape and all those quick-fixes are a no-go for me. It's either permanently on, or not at all.
1. I think front plates look like crap, and I don't wanna make my car look like crap by putting it on.
2. "The law says so" does not sufficiently convince me that I must put on the plate. Just the fact that a law exists does not make it correct or valid in my eyes.
3. Causing physical harm either to myself or to others is not my intention. If someone can tell me how I or other drivers around me may be endangered because of my refusal to put on the plate, I will comply with the law immediately.
Which brings us back to the original question:
Is having to pay $25 occasionally the only drawback from refusing to install the front plate?
If so, then so be it. As mbrover06 said, you gotta pay to look cool. I'm just worried that these are like parking tickets -- if you collect enough unpaid parking tickets, a warrant goes out for your arrest and all that fun stuff.
p.s. Double-sided tape and all those quick-fixes are a no-go for me. It's either permanently on, or not at all.
Last edited by narky; Apr 4, 2008 at 01:36 AM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Irvine, CA
C300 Sport, MM, P1
just leave it off. i dont think they add up like youre asking. ive had a few and my friends have a whole bunch. this infraction is so minor they wouldnt put you in jail or have warrant for your arrest if thats what you are thinking. just pay the tickets and you'll be fine.
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From: In the woods, PA
'06 M5, 08' C300, 02' WRX
I guess some people just refused to have holes drilled on our front bumper... 
I used to get tickets for that until I moved to a state that don't require front plates...
I don't know if our car have a tow latch in the front bumper... I have friends who uses some kind of an adapter to screw in the front plate to the bumper tow-latch...
I used to get tickets for that until I moved to a state that don't require front plates...
I don't know if our car have a tow latch in the front bumper... I have friends who uses some kind of an adapter to screw in the front plate to the bumper tow-latch...
Almost a Member!
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 64
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From: Phoenix
08 C300 Sport P2, AMG; 06 Texas Chopper
I got a ticket while street-parked the other day. At first, I just assumed that it was a normal parking ticket (I had parked there well beyond the limit). But when I read the stub to write a check, I saw that it was actually a front license plate ticket. It's a $25 ticket that will be reduced to $10 if I show a cop after I install the front license. If I don't show a cop, I have to pay the full amount.
Question is:
Is this something that I can just pay off (full $25) and forget about? In other words, can I just keep paying these tickets whenever I get them and continue to ride without a front plate installed?
Or are these going to add-up somewhere in some computer and one day the Man is going to slap me with a $50,000 ticket for repeatedly failing to comply? I am in Northern California, if that matters.
Maybe I should just go and buy the Go Mini Go hole-less license bracket...? It doesn't look too bad, really, but I'd rather have the front nice and clean.
Question is:
Is this something that I can just pay off (full $25) and forget about? In other words, can I just keep paying these tickets whenever I get them and continue to ride without a front plate installed?
Or are these going to add-up somewhere in some computer and one day the Man is going to slap me with a $50,000 ticket for repeatedly failing to comply? I am in Northern California, if that matters.
Maybe I should just go and buy the Go Mini Go hole-less license bracket...? It doesn't look too bad, really, but I'd rather have the front nice and clean.
I would tell them that you took the plate off to clean it because you hit a bird and it made a mess. And since you are a law abiding citizen you took it off to clean and wouldn't imagine driving with it so dirty you couldn't read it in support of the law.
See what they say then.
HA!!
Out Of Control!!
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 10,574
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From: Silicon Valley, CA
1999 C280 Previous / 2008 E350
I hate the law of about the front plates. Yeah I know its mandatory so if they take a photo of any traffic violation they'll send you crap in the mail. I'm still driving without it. I'd say just pay and its up to you if you want to install it or leave it off.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Chino Hills, CA
2008 C300 Sport
I've always driven with no front plate and only gotten 1 ticket in the past like 8 years or something, dont really get hassled much for that in my area. But when I do get a ticket, what I do is mount the front plate with the bracket from the dealer with double-side 3M tape available from your autoparts store, stick it on the bumper, have the ticket signed off, and take it off again afterwards. No bumper holes FTW! 
Almost a Member!
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 46
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2008 mercedes 300c sport
I usually hold my tongue on this stuff, but since you're asking, I am mystified by why this is a law that is so hard to obey. Put the plate on the front and get on with it.
It isn't just the money - one of these days, you're going to get stopped by somebody in the wrong mood - why make it worse?
It isn't just the money - one of these days, you're going to get stopped by somebody in the wrong mood - why make it worse?
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 648
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From: Seattle
C-300, XC70, Wrangler
Why the front plate
Plenty have asked "why do we need front plates?"
So, um, I asked a cop. Yeah, the guys who write the tickets. This particular cop is an old friend and knows I have the front plate on the car ...
His response comes in two flavors:
1) So the oncoming cop can see your numbers as he passes by you. That way he can radio in your plate and let another cop give chase. Of course, you have to have been doing something bad to merit his attention (like peeling out at the stop light!).
2) His words: "what plate is most found in a hit-run collision? The front plate." So, if you're going to be driving weird, hitting folk, and etc. better have that plate on the car. If you're a goody-two-shoes, you've already got the plate on it.
Just claiming that the car is ugly with it on won't work. You should not be complaining about the appearance to us, but rather to the MB design team who designed a car that would not look good with a front plate. Their real world, where the sales are, includes front license plates. Sacrificing some style to stay legal is their job. Your complaint "proves" they didn't do their job well enough.
'Nuff lecture ... old habit of a college prof!
So, um, I asked a cop. Yeah, the guys who write the tickets. This particular cop is an old friend and knows I have the front plate on the car ...
His response comes in two flavors:
1) So the oncoming cop can see your numbers as he passes by you. That way he can radio in your plate and let another cop give chase. Of course, you have to have been doing something bad to merit his attention (like peeling out at the stop light!).
2) His words: "what plate is most found in a hit-run collision? The front plate." So, if you're going to be driving weird, hitting folk, and etc. better have that plate on the car. If you're a goody-two-shoes, you've already got the plate on it.
Just claiming that the car is ugly with it on won't work. You should not be complaining about the appearance to us, but rather to the MB design team who designed a car that would not look good with a front plate. Their real world, where the sales are, includes front license plates. Sacrificing some style to stay legal is their job. Your complaint "proves" they didn't do their job well enough.
'Nuff lecture ... old habit of a college prof!
