Damn you, Officer Harry!

**Brad B** · 09-06-2011, 10:38 PM

I hate front license plates. I see them as a wart on the face of beautiful machines. But Officer Harry, (real name) really likes license plates up front. And Officer Harry, who patrols his 500 foot piece of two-lane in a small community near my home, rules with an iron fist. Officer Harry has pulled me over twice now. And the second time gave me a ticket for no plate. I can`t avoid him. My wife drives by him every day to work. He`s looking for my car now, I know it. He hates me. I hate him.

I dug around in the garage and found the OEM license plate that came with the Audi. It`s been in a drawer since 2005. It was a big black, ugly carbuncle meant to be affixed to the Euro plate and hang irreverently off the front bumper. No attempt at all to make it even blend in. No cool factor possible. Pathetic.

I removed my Euro filler plate, with NO HOLES in it and saved it away. (To be re-installed the day after Officer Harry`s retirement party.) Then I acquired a donor Euro filler plate and drilled through that into the existing holes already in place behind the cover. I then did a little custom fabricating so the rectangle plate holder fitted better and followed the contours of the Audi bumper as close as possible. I wanted it to at least look like it belonged there and wasn`t something tacked on there from AutoZone. Finally, I had my paint shop color match the plate holder to match the car. I couldn`t leave it black. I also sourced some nice hardware and a clear cover to make it a bit more finished.

I don`t love it. :bawling: But Officer Harry has it in for me and now I don`t have to be quite as paranoid. As for my other cars....No way will I get a plate on the front of the Porsches. I`ll lock them in the garage first!

**C. Charles Hahn** · 09-07-2011, 12:07 AM

You know, Brad, all you`d have to do is come to a state like Michigan and you`d never have that problem. We don`t require front plates here, so over-zealous Barney Fifes can`t pull that kind of crap.

At least your solution looks as elegant as a front plate possibly can on a vehicle not designed for one.

**Dan** · 09-07-2011, 06:55 AM

I used to hate having a front tag, but I`ve gotten over it. Seems like my corvette doesn`t like it though, I attached it and it was fine for a few weeks, then I came out to the garage and it was laying on the ground. Still need to figure out a stealth way to mount it on that car without drilling, and I don`t see any aftermarket options I really like.

**Bill D** · 09-07-2011, 07:03 AM

Gotta move to FL, Brad

No front plates, and no inspections so that means no god-awful stickers on the windshield either. Everything`s totally clear

When I moved here, I had to get Bumper Plugs, 4 of them

to fill the carnage underneath where my front plate holder used to be on my A4.

**Marc Hufnagel** · 09-07-2011, 09:20 AM

reminds me of the guy in Caddyshack LOL

**Marc Hufnagel** · 09-07-2011, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by Bill D

Gotta move to FL, Brad

No front plates, and no inspections so that means no god-awful stickers on the windshield either. Everything`s totally clear

When I moved here, I had to get Bumper Plugs, 4 of them

to fill the carnage underneath where my front plate holder used to be on my A4.

Doesn`t that make him a winner of a horde of lovebugs instead?

**pingable** · 09-07-2011, 09:24 AM

Heh. Nice modding Brad B.

There are all sorts of hideway plates as well......motorized if not temp tow hook plates.

Been there, done that.

Even on a well know speed trap I pass by everyday at home ( in which I know to slow down for), I got chased down with my the CEO and the inlaws just for a no front plate ticket. Not a good impression on the in-laws

**Bill D** · 09-07-2011, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by Damn Dirty Ape

Doesn`t that make him a winner of a horde of lovebugs instead?

Depends on where you are and how Autopian you are. They`re not around all year.

**Accumulator** · 09-07-2011, 10:59 AM

Brad B.- Sorry to hear that "Officer Harry" is such a [jerk], but you did a nice job on that plate holder.

Accumulatorette and I have been lucky, no such hassles even when we get pulled over and the LEO has to go to the rear of the vehicle to get the plate #.

**OnTheSpotMobile** · 09-07-2011, 12:57 PM

When i took delivery of my car a few years back I specifically requested that they not drill holes in the front bumper for the plate. When I arrived the pick up the car there it was out front of the dealership with the big plate glowing on the front bumper like a bad case of buck teeth.

Fast forward a couple of years later and I needed a new front bumper. It went to a collision center and then back to the dealership for other work. Again I requested they do not drill holes or mount the front plate and again they installed the plate.

I have also been fined so many times that I now just leave the plates on my vehicles.

I HATE front plates!

That being said, Brad you did an excellent job on that bracket.

There are many people in my area that drive around with the plate jammed under the windshield on their dash board but to me that looks worse than just mounting it...

**Ben@3D** · 09-07-2011, 01:27 PM

Nice job Brad. Looks like it is part of the vehicle now!

**Bill D** · 09-07-2011, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by OnTheSpotMobile

I HATE front plates!

You can say that again and shame to most car manufacturers that don`t use a *friendly* front plate holder option. The big outlier is Honda. Honda has a *wonderful* front plate bracket that is *removable* simply by unbolting it from the from the bottom of the front bumper.

Why, o why everyone else doesn`t have similar is beyond me. It can`t be real expensive if Honda does it. :nixweiss

**Brad B** · 09-07-2011, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by Bill D

Gotta move to FL, Brad

...........no inspections so that means no god-awful stickers on the windshield either. Everything`s totally clear

Yes! Another pet peeve of mine! I actually had the mechanic mount the stickers for the Porsches on a clear peice of mylar so I can stick them in the window if needed. But they live inside the owners manual booklet.

Family pretty much think I am an anal-retentive cuckoo. I may be, but at least there are others out there that shudder at such atrocious visual clutter.

**Bill D** · 09-07-2011, 05:08 PM

You`re in good company!

Back when I lived in Jersey, I used to tip the Dept. of Motor Vehicle Inspectors to do an extra good job removing sticker residue and then nicely installing the new inspection sticker.

One inspector even asked me for some resources for detailing items and I happily wrote a list of suppliers for him.

When it comes to registration tags on license plates, I`ve been known to dismount them, heat them with a hair dryer and then carefully remove the old sticker before installing the new one.

**Accumulator** · 09-08-2011, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by Brad B.

Yes! Another pet peeve of mine! I actually had the mechanic mount the stickers for the Porsches on a clear peice of mylar ...

I keep meaning to get some of that for the stickers I have (which are currently kept in the glovebox).

Originally Posted by Bill D.

When it comes to registration tags on license plates, I`ve been known to dismount them, heat them with a hair dryer and then carefully remove the old sticker before installing the new one.

I like to (very carefully

) layer the stickers; some of my older plates have quite an, uhm....accumulation.