nsnell19

I just got a ticket on the streets of West Hollywood today for not having a license plate on the front of my car. I bought this car from my brother and for the last 3 years it has never had a license plate on the front. My question is this:

Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas for the most aesthetic way to install a license plate frame and license on the front grill? It would have to be below the grill and above the front spoiler skirt (is that what it's called)...but I don't want to have to drill into the car if I don't have to. Please, please, please help me!! Anyone else have to install a license plate on the front? How did you do it?

Thanks in advance for your help!

robertdot

I have only had problems at LAX (got a warning), so I keep my front plate in my trunk with a set of two bolts, two nuts, and two washers. Whenever I plan on going through LAX, I put them on through the grill. But, since you are pretty near the photo lights and I'm not, the cops probably look at cars a little harder.

The car comes with a mount. I used to hate how it looks, but I am getting used to seeing it now. However, if you want a home brew solution, I would probably put it on the black grill. You can replace the grill by itself, so if you drill into it, you haven't lost much. If you wanted to spend time, you could probably grind out and indention into the bars of the grill and actually embed it into the grill. That way, from the side, you couldn't see it at all. You would have some flexibility to move it further down to avoid the "bucktooth anime character" look in favor of a floating white rectangle.

Alternatively, you could get the MazdaSpeed front end, which would give you a little more spacing flexibility. If you could find a silver grill for it, it would blend in a little more than a black grill and not look as odd.

Your final option is to play the fix-it ticket game. What most people I know do is, since they normally get fix-it tickets, is temporarily attach the plate, go to the DMV, show them it is attached, and take it off later.

Anyway, those are a few ideas. I thought about rigging up a system that would allow me to extend and retract the plates at a push of the button. I never got around to it, though.

expo1

Look for my posts in https://www.rx8club.com/ne-rx-8-forum-29/nj-drivers-46982/

MP3Guy

I always though this was the best solution presented so far on this forum.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ighlight=plate

Always surprised that Mazda did not come up with a better mount for this, especially since they mandate U.S. style front plates as well.

Thank you, General MacArthur!!!!

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

^^^ that's exactly what I would do if I HAD to put my front plate on.

nsnell19

Thank you for all of the tips. I'm really bummed to have to put the front license plate on... and what really pisses me off is that I didn't get the ticket from a cop....I got it while I was parked, and I got it from a parking attendant. I didn't even know that they could do that...so I walked out to my car to go out and I had a ticket.

Expo1...does that bracket mount you bought from wal-mart drill into the car or does it go between the slats in the grill? I really want to avoid drilling into the fiberglass of the car.

MP3 guy....does that solution with the side mount drill into the car....I couldn't really tell from the photos or the description.

So if I put the mount in front of the grill I won't be interfering with the radiator, right? And then I can just put the screws between the holes in the grill and not mess up the car permanently right?

Thanks for all of the help. I was going crazy last night trying to think of a solution, and then I remembered RX8 Club. Knowing this forum was here and posting last night was the only thing that gave me peace!!

expo1

There should be two nuts behind the grill for the OEM bracket, you can reuse them or just use bolts through the grill. The " wal-mart " one mounts almost the same spot as the OEM, no issue with the radiator.

MP3Guy

According to the instructions, there is only one hole to drill, and it isn't on a painted or exposed part- pretty neat install, IMHO.

Catspaw

The West Hollywood and Beverly Hills areas blow... the meter maids there are the worst in the county. I've received parking tickets for not having my wheels facing the correct way while I'm parked, for being too far from the curb, no font plate, etc etc. My solution: Don't park on the street for long. The meter maids can't do anything if your car is parked in a private lot.