Front license plate in Texas?
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Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 118
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From: Houston
2014 E350 sport
Front license plate in Texas?
So my 14 e350 has no where to put a front plate. I'm not drilling holes in the bumper. No way. Does anyone have a good solution for this, or should I just say screw it and not worry about it?
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Joined: Nov 2015
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From: Southern
2014 E-350
My used 2014 had a bracket for a plate. I took the bracket off...small holes in bumper, but better than a front plate in my opinion. We've been in SE Texas for 7 years, never once used a front plate on our vehicles. Never been an issue. But, there are always those out there who will enforce the law...and it has the potential of attracting attention. Risk we're willing to take.
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From: Houston
2014 E350 sport
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Joined: Feb 2016
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From: Palatine, IL
2013 E350 4Matic
I have been driving without front plate for 3 years now and never got stopped for it. I have even been pulled over without reason once and never got a ticket for the plate in the suburbs.
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E 350
There was a forum member who figured out a way to attach the number plate to the tow hook area on the front bumper. I have to admit even though there were no holes in the bumper (he covered the existing ones), the plate itself looked super ugly sitting towards the side. Worth considering if you care okay with it.
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Car free at the moment
You can mount the bracket using double sided automotive trim adhesive tape. 3m makes a good product and can be ordered from Amazon. Texas is not very diligent about enforcing the front plate law. But it does present probable cause to pull you over anytime anywhere for any reason. If you ever have a glass of wine with dinner, it might be wisest to suck it up and mount the front plate.
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2020 GLC 300, 2019 GLC 300, 2014 e400 Hybrid
My buddy bought this for his M5. Of course it didn't work when he needed it to work. LOL. I was just reading through the review of the product, looks like it will work fine when the car is stationary but struggles when it is working against wind drag when traveling 25 mph and above.
I just keep my plate in my car and mounted to the plate mounter. I know many disagree that why deal with the hassle with law enforcement. But more and more people are not mounting them where I live. Even my sales guy asked me if he should drill holes when I bought the car. He said to used the excuse that dealer didn't have the mounting screw when I purchased the car. I told him I would use the excuse of just got a new bumper. Either way it's a user acceptance risk. On the wife's car, I had wanted to delete her plate as well, she on the other hand don't care and don't want to get pulled over and had threaten to do bodily harm to me if she got pulled over because of me. I can deal with the cops but can't deal with the pissed off wife, so I left hers alone :-).
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E 350
On the wife's car, I had wanted to delete her plate as well, she on the other hand don't care and don't want to get pulled over and had threaten to do bodily harm to me if she got pulled over because of me. I can deal with the cops but can't deal with the pissed off wife, so I left hers alone :-).
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: May 2016
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From: Houston
2014 E350 sport
You can mount the bracket using double sided automotive trim adhesive tape. 3m makes a good product and can be ordered from Amazon. Texas is not very diligent about enforcing the front plate law. But it does present probable cause to pull you over anytime anywhere for any reason. If you ever have a glass of wine with dinner, it might be wisest to suck it up and mount the front plate.
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From: Zion
W212 E550 4M P2
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Ha, yeah! The Police don't have time to pull anyone over for missing a front plate, but the meter enforcement will nail you every single time. This also includes both airports. You park in the lot with no front plate and you go home with a paper prize every single time.
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Ordered AMG GLE 63 S Coupe
Solution found
Check out Skene Design. They have a sleek bracket system w/o any visible holes in bumper.
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E 350
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From: Down Unda
W204 C63 AMG, W212 E250 CGI, C207 E250 CGI
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From: Southeastern USA
2010 E350 Luxury Sedan, Engine 272 (V6)
S.C. does not have a front plate, but probably half the cars carry one. Usually a college, sports team, race car driver or other novelty plate. Some dealers put their plate on the front of the new cars as soon as they hit the lot.
My front bracket came with the car, but was in the trunk for me to use or not. Some people out here will have an MB Star plate on the front or one that says Mercedes-Benz.
I bought a Nissan two years ago and told local dealer I wouldn't buy from him unless he cut the price $1,000 since he had already drilled the holes and mounted his dealership name plate. He wouldn't, so I didn't. Every time I go for service, every car on the lot has a dealership name plate on the front. Actually another dealer offered the $1,000 off and they didn't use front plates anyway.
BTW, it's Texas, just take some bailing wire and tie it to the grille?
What is interesting is apparently the number of states, counties and municipalities that are bypassing a huuuge fortune from not enforcing this law.
My front bracket came with the car, but was in the trunk for me to use or not. Some people out here will have an MB Star plate on the front or one that says Mercedes-Benz.
I bought a Nissan two years ago and told local dealer I wouldn't buy from him unless he cut the price $1,000 since he had already drilled the holes and mounted his dealership name plate. He wouldn't, so I didn't. Every time I go for service, every car on the lot has a dealership name plate on the front. Actually another dealer offered the $1,000 off and they didn't use front plates anyway.
BTW, it's Texas, just take some bailing wire and tie it to the grille?
What is interesting is apparently the number of states, counties and municipalities that are bypassing a huuuge fortune from not enforcing this law.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 366
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From: Bandon, Or.
2013 E550 Sedan
Front plate mounting
Cravenspeed.com in Portland, Oregon makes a plate mounting kit that uses the front tow hook. I had one on a GLK that worked well, looked good, and installed easily.
Last edited by davidjohnbamber; May 28, 2016 at 02:56 PM. Reason: spelling
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Joined: Nov 2009
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From: Southeastern USA
2010 E350 Luxury Sedan, Engine 272 (V6)
Little off the topic, but S.C. is redoing its standard license plates for first time in about 20 years. Switching state from top to bottom. Means all the dealership plate frames that covered the space at the bottom with their names will now cover the state. This is just about all types of dealerships.
Will be interesting to see what law does about them. Of course many plate frames now cover the state, so maybe nobody cars anyway.
Will be interesting to see what law does about them. Of course many plate frames now cover the state, so maybe nobody cars anyway.
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Joined: Jun 2002
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2023 E450 ALL-TERRAIN WAGON
Never had front plate installed in any of our cars. I think we have been pulled over a couple of times and given a warning but never an actual ticket. We do keep the plate in the car. Thanks.
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2020 GLC 300, 2019 GLC 300, 2014 e400 Hybrid
Wife was driving my car today, taking boy to the library and on her way there got stopped by our town's police.
So I just got off the phone and got an earful. She got an warnign and this guy said he'd put her in the system so next time she will get a ticket. As she was screaming at me, she said she saw about 5 more cars without a front plate...
I left her with my car for a few days since her new SUV (2017 Q7) doesn't get here until 7/15. my car is bigger than our extra car (A4) to shuttle the kid around. Looks like it's a bad decision on my part.
it's so ugly with a plate but I may have to settle....
So I just got off the phone and got an earful. She got an warnign and this guy said he'd put her in the system so next time she will get a ticket. As she was screaming at me, she said she saw about 5 more cars without a front plate...
I left her with my car for a few days since her new SUV (2017 Q7) doesn't get here until 7/15. my car is bigger than our extra car (A4) to shuttle the kid around. Looks like it's a bad decision on my part.
it's so ugly with a plate but I may have to settle....
I just keep my plate in my car and mounted to the plate mounter. I know many disagree that why deal with the hassle with law enforcement. But more and more people are not mounting them where I live. Even my sales guy asked me if he should drill holes when I bought the car. He said to used the excuse that dealer didn't have the mounting screw when I purchased the car. I told him I would use the excuse of just got a new bumper. Either way it's a user acceptance risk. On the wife's car, I had wanted to delete her plate as well, she on the other hand don't care and don't want to get pulled over and had threaten to do bodily harm to me if she got pulled over because of me. I can deal with the cops but can't deal with the pissed off wife, so I left hers alone :-).
