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Front license plate?

Jumpy

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Car(s)
'18 GTI Autobahn
I live in TX where apparently it's required to have a front license plate - yet I've seen many cars without them. Just today I saw three or four Lexus cars without a front plate (I guess it would look weird on those huge grills), and I just happened to park right next to a GTI with no front plate. Is there some way to get exempt from that law, or are all these people just saying fuck it?

If one does get a front plate, where is the best place to put it? I see all these pictures of GTIs with the front plate offset to one side, but I don't like how that looks. I read something about blocking airflow in the middle. Would that be catastrophic?

And another question - how does one avoid those dealer badges on the back of a new car? I see all these cars driving around with advertisements on them. Fuck all of that. Can you tell the dealer not to put it, or you have to remove it yourself?
 

GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
I tell them not to put their ad on and then remove the stock GTI badge. I prefer the cleaner look with no badges at all.

As for front plates when they're offset that's because it's mounted on a tow hook bracket so they don't need to drill holes in the bumper. If you're not into that I'd just let the dealer mount the OEM plate holder since it doesn't block any airflow. Being in TX you need all of the cooling air you can get
 

Jumpy

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Car(s)
'18 GTI Autobahn
I tell them not to put their ad on and then remove the stock GTI badge. I prefer the cleaner look with no badges at all.

As for front plates when they're offset that's because it's mounted on a tow hook bracket so they don't need to drill holes in the bumper. If you're not into that I'd just let the dealer mount the OEM plate holder since it doesn't block any airflow. Being in TX you need all of the cooling air you can get

Oh, ok. Is this an OEM plate holder?



If so, I'm fine with that.
 

Gawernator

Go Kart Champion
Location
Fremont, CA
Oh, ok. Is this an OEM plate holder?



If so, I'm fine with that.

Looks like it but somehow looks even worse than the job my dealer did. And yes 99% of people purposefully just don't run a plate. You can get a ticket but most of the time cops are way too busy to bother you for it.
 

Jumpy

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Car(s)
'18 GTI Autobahn
I'm not 100% sure, I took mine off as soon as I got home (sc is rear plate only) and swapped to a euro plate to cover the holes

Why did the dealer install a front plate if it's not required in your state? They didn't even ask you first?

Looks like it but somehow looks even worse than the job my dealer did.

What do you mean, the way it partially covers the grill? How is yours?
 

yakboyslim

Go Kart Champion
The dealer that sold my GTI in VA (front plates required) did not put a front plate on. They put the back on and left the stuff for the front in my passenger seat.

My Alltrack the dealer didn't put it on, until there was an issue transferring our FL registration to the car (no front plates in FL). So while I wasn't looking a salesman put a front plate holder on for the VA temp tags. They were in the car for a few weeks. The holes are forever. Very unhappy.

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GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
It looks to be mounted too low on that TR car the more I look at it.

I ended up with holes in my bumper because I was set on a Base, White, manual. Which at that time was hard to find and had to be dealer traded in from VA I believe. So when it showed up with a bumper bracket there really wasn't anything I could do
 

Jumpy

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Car(s)
'18 GTI Autobahn
So while I wasn't looking a salesman put a front plate holder on for the VA temp tags. They were in the car for a few weeks. The holes are forever. Very unhappy.

That little weasel bastard. lol

You'd think car sales people would be more cautious about that shit, considering you just spent 10s of thousands of dollars on something. Jesus.
 

yakboyslim

Go Kart Champion
That little weasel bastard. lol

You'd think car sales people would be more cautious about that shit, considering you just spent 10s of thousands of dollars on something. Jesus.
He didn't understand why I was mad either. He basically seemed like "well I thought you just didn't want one when it was FL tags, but now that it was VA tags and you need it, I figured I was helping out putting it on."

I wouldn't be as mad about that logic except it was VA TEMP tags.

When I lived in OH i drove around with no front plate but kept them in the trunk. Got pulled over twice. Told the cop I just washed the car and forgot to put them back on. After they checked me for warrants, insurance, etc. I was good to go. Technically it could have been a ticket.

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Jumpy

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Car(s)
'18 GTI Autobahn
When I lived in OH i drove around with no front plate but kept them in the trunk. Got pulled over twice. Told the cop I just washed the car and forgot to put them back on. After they checked me for warrants, insurance, etc. I was good to go.

Nice! I might go that route... There seem to be lots of people getting away with it in my area, anyway.

I wonder if cops leave citations on a parked car for this, like a parking ticket...
 

Ck256

New member
Location
Columbus ohio
Nice! I might go that route... There seem to be lots of people getting away with it in my area, anyway.

I wonder if cops leave citations on a parked car for this, like a parking ticket...

the answer is yes, if you park it on public metered streets. At least in Ohio, I can speak from experience. It's an easy ticket for the meter maids.
 

wlfpck

Ready to race!
Location
United States
In Texas with no front license plate.

I've parked next to police officers before and they never said anything. My car looks completely stock though... so that may be a contributing factor. No clue.

If they do say anything, I have the other plate in the back and I just say that I'm going to pick up screws to put them in. But.... so far no one has said anything.
 
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