When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
For those who are unlucky enough to live in a US state where you have to keep a license front plate mounted I thought I would share my experience with a couple mounting options on my 2020 E63s wagon. After doing some research i knew I didn't want to pay the dealer $300+ to drill my front bumper and add the OEM mount to my car because I didn't want to wait on an appointment to get it done and didn't really want holes drilled or love the mounting location the OEM bracket uses. After doing some research I settled on trying the mounts from Cravenspeed due to past experience with them as well as the mount from Sly Brackets given their excellent reviews.
First I mounted the Cravenspeed mount into the passenger side tow hook threads. The e63s needed a longer extension bolt than the mount I already had from some previous cars. While I loved how simple and solid this mount is I could never adjust it so it wasn't setting off my front parking sensors which meant manually disabling them everyime i got in the car to preserve my sanity. Cravenspeed mount
Next up was the Sly Brackets mount. These guys ask a lot of questions and even want you to upload a picture of your car before completing your purchase request to ensure you're getting exactly what you need. They shipped out a bracket that attaches to the car along with various adapters to use based on how you end up attaching the bracket as well as the plate holder that attaches once you get the bracket installed. The directions are a bit more complicated on the Sly Bracket and spread across a couple pieces of paper they sent but otherwise it's fairly logical if you lay everything out and take a good lock at where you want to mount it in the front of your car. I tried a few different mounting points but ultimately like the look of mounting it lower and not in front on the painted part of the front end. I also liked the idea of the plate being an early warning system that I'm about to hit the chin spoiler since i have the carbon fiber exterior pack and spolier down there. So far I like the location but it does make the car even lower in the front so more prone to scraping. I need to get better at using the air suspension lift when I think scraping might be an issue! Sly Brackets mount
Overall I like the Sly Brakets mount better and assuming it's not too low I'm going to to keep it as installed. Otherwise, I can always reconfigure the mount and bring it up a bit as well if that ends up making more sense.
Anyway wanted to share this experience in case anyone is considering front plate mounting options.
Thanks for sharing. Front license plates are an absolute crime. Avoid at all cost. I like the bottom centered option here. IMHO any off-centered license plate on any car looks horrific. Gun to my head, I'd always drill the bumper before installing off-center.
@1car-nut That Sly Brackets mount down low like that looks really good. Blocking the front of the bumper is what makes stupid front plates look the worst IMO. If I had to run a front plate, the way you have it would be the best scenario I think. Nice job.
Thanks for the info and demonstration! This applies here in Ontario, Canada, too.
I also know a guy who has a plate holder and simply added magnets to the back, as a "hackier" alternative. Here he is showing me:
This is a great idea! Ha.
I don't think it would work for our cars though. Even when I had the front bumper off of my W205, it was a struggle just to find a place my magnetic spot light would stick, lol.
I've been driving in IL for 8 months without a front plate and even got an unrelated ticket (Speeding. Go figure...) but no issues with no front plate. It's gonna take a few warnings/tickets before I ruin the beautiful lines of the car with a front plate. Having said that, 1car-nut, I think the lower mounted plate looks pretty good.
No plates on my cars. If I get a ticket I just slap my plate on with double stick tape, drive down to the police station to get it signed off, and then pay the $20 or $30.
Don't mount it. Pay the ticket every time you get caught
As a fellow Marylander I can assure you that you don't want to deal with the state troopers that are the ones to usually go after plate violations. Id put them at the top of the list for corrupt power hungry police. You may or may not know that Maryland has one of the highest per capita law enforcement numbers, partly due to DC and partly because its a true nanny state. We had the longest serving most corrupt leaders of the state house and senate in US history that finally died off over the past five years so the corruption is waning but the nannying is increasing.
As a fellow human, NEVER give the police a reason to stop you. Similar to Dracula, they must be invited to the party. I dont party with Dracula.
As a fellow AMG owner, the sly-brakets have been the best because any tow bolt option is easily removed by grabbing the plate and twisting the whole thing counter clockwise...How do I know? because my plate was stolen like this in the wonderful city of Baltimore. I used a Sly on my e55, lx470, and '13 S212 Amg. Ive never had one issue.
I also recommend this frame. It is 100 percent carbon fiber and really really nice for the money. Printed ones are not as good quality (the carbon is the same but the printing is not high quality imo) but the plain carbon is really top notch, shockingly so!
If you need something, STO N SHO is probably the best option. Mounts low, doesn't block sensors, and has a spring-loaded latch that lets you easily install/remove the license plate
As a fellow Marylander I can assure you that you don't want to deal with the state troopers that are the ones to usually go after plate violations. Id put them at the top of the list for corrupt power hungry police. You may or may not know that Maryland has one of the highest per capita law enforcement numbers, partly due to DC and partly because its a true nanny state. We had the longest serving most corrupt leaders of the state house and senate in US history that finally died off over the past five years so the corruption is waning but the nannying is increasing.
As a fellow human, NEVER give the police a reason to stop you. Similar to Dracula, they must be invited to the party. I dont party with Dracula.
As a fellow AMG owner, the sly-brakets have been the best because any tow bolt option is easily removed by grabbing the plate and twisting the whole thing counter clockwise...How do I know? because my plate was stolen like this in the wonderful city of Baltimore. I used a Sly on my e55, lx470, and '13 S212 Amg. Ive never had one issue.
I also recommend this frame. It is 100 percent carbon fiber and really really nice for the money. Printed ones are not as good quality (the carbon is the same but the printing is not high quality imo) but the plain carbon is really top notch, shockingly so!
Unfortunately I do not think so. The frame is very form fitting and it looks like that clear lens is slightly bigger than the plate. The bottom of the carbon frame use double stick tape to stay in place. If you’re handy with a Dremel, it may be possible to cut the lens you have to fit better. At the price, I’d say it could be worth a try. I’ll snap a pic next time I can, we are about to get some rain…
Come to think of it there’s not really a need to protect the plate. No rocks hitting it or anything and the paint beside it isn’t shielded. What could go wrong? Funny.
Come to think of it there’s not really a need to protect the plate. No rocks hitting it or anything and the paint beside it isn’t shielded. What could go wrong? Funny.
Ordered!
I've got the WeatherTech ClearCover mounted on my front plate on the Sly Bracket and am super happy with it. Just passed a 1600 road trip including some higher speeds and some dirt roads even so seems solid.
I decided to get the 4 screw version to not cover some plate features on my Ontario plate
Not bad for the price, it’s not just carbon wrap it really seems to be all carbon. It does have a bubble in it (left side) but idgaf it was cheap. If I like the overall look on the car I may complain or order another one and see if it's bubble free.
Now I just need my car back from the dealer….
Frontside Backside
Last edited by I.T. Guy; Sep 27, 2023 at 02:52 PM.
Nice! I bought a cheap knock-off carbon frame "AMG" branded plate. Looks like that but printed on carbon pattern and has "AMG" in the bottom center, separated from the frame by beveling. I can definitely appreciate the quality on the one recommended in this thread.
I decided to get the 4 screw version to not cover some plate features on my Ontario plate
Not bad for the price, it’s not just carbon wrap it really seems to be all carbon. It does have a bubble in it (left side) but idgaf it was cheap. If I like the overall look on the car I may complain or order another one and see if it's bubble free.
Now I just need my car back from the dealer….
Frontside Backside
I honestly had not driven my car since the last message so have not looked at my plate to see if it had bubbles. Im glad you took the leap.
Its pretty shocking, the quality of this frame for the price. Its listed as full carbon and definitely is. They have been around at least four years or so, so they may be willing to refund or send you a blemish free one. I didn't even look as the price was so great. Enjoy. and btw, the screws did not work for me but I found proper threaded screws with a head that the black covers fit perfectly.
I honestly had not driven my car since the last message so have not looked at my plate to see if it had bubbles. Im glad you took the leap.
Its pretty shocking, the quality of this frame for the price. Its listed as full carbon and definitely is. They have been around at least four years or so, so they may be willing to refund or send you a blemish free one. I didn't even look as the price was so great. Enjoy. and btw, the screws did not work for me but I found proper threaded screws with a head that the black covers fit perfectly.
I asked the seller about the bubble and they replied "I am sorry it’s very hard to avoid these bubbles especially frame is very narrow and hard to make Sent from my iPhone"
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
