IMHO I think that if the state gives you two plates, you put two plates on the car. I have no front plate on my 1950 Studebaker, but that car is only driven in the summer.

I know someone who got hundreds of tickets for parking a car on a city street (in Chicago) with a for sale sign in the window. They got an attorney, in the end they had to pay most of them. They didn't know about all the tickets until there were all of them.

Just pay them and run the front plate.

 

#1) Pay the ticket

#2) Enroll in law enforcement school

#3) Buy a Vette

#4) If you did #2 or #3 first you wouldn't be in this predicament!!

 

Actually in IL they are supposed to have frint plates.

 

same in Cali

 

One reason it's a good one is because the plate can be seen from a rear view mirror or if a car is coming at you. Commen Sense (I know it's hard for some people) should be able to tell you why the plate in the front could be usefull. Oh wait, some people only use common sense when they're the victim.

 

Have you ever tried to read the mirror image of a plate from a moving car? It takes a little bit.

And the excuse that a front plate law is a law they can pull you over for breaking so that they can bust you for a possibly bigger fine is BS too. Personally I'd rather my state (IL, and I do have both plates on my car even though I reside in GA) only required one plate so that they would spend half as much money producing plates for vehicles and spend my taxes on more important things.

And, in the state of IL, it is technically not legal to display a plate in a vehicles winshield but I've heard of officers making exceptions (for a limited time) on vehicles without the front plate mounts.

 

Personaly I don't think it's that hard to read them. All you're doing is looking at the characters on the plate. And if you're a cop that's been doing for a while I'm sure that it's even easier.

Do you think that it really costs them that much to make an extra plate? Not an expert or anything but I would bet that it's not that much.

The whole plate in window thing is the same in VA. It's not legal to do here either. I think they word it something like "Improper display of license plate" or something like that. But like you said there are times that officers make exceptions.

 

As for Mataku

I would just pay the fines because it doesn't seem that you have any grounds to stand on and then I would follow up with letters to the Mayor, a Congress member, or someone in that authority and voice your concern about the timeframe that people can be notified for stuff like that. Then maybe you can help get something fixed for others.

 

Well, if a front plate is such a huge safety issue I find it remarkable that so many states don't require them -- PA and GA must be terribly unsafe and just positively rife with scofflaws getting away with all sorts of nefarious crimes, all because an officer can't stop them gratuitously.

But you know, I've never actually felt less safe while living in (good, sensible) single-plate states...

And I'd take anything said at officers.com with a hefty grain of salt, considering the site seems to have a particular perspective (that of, perhaps, officers?) who are, of course, going to say whatever to defend the stupid laws of their state.

How is having a front plate stupid? 1.) The decks are stacked against me enough, I don't feel I need to assist the cops with issuing citations and 2.) I don't feel the need to drill holes (or in any other manner defile) my front bumper for the convenience of revenue-generation.

Yes yes, but the officers say that's not why we have them. The officers say it's for safety. I don't suppose they're an interested party at all...

 

Just as a FYI, anyone having more than 3 unpaid tickets in the City of Chicago is open to having their vehicle booted.

My advice, pay the tickets, get yourself a tow hook license plate mount and move on. I can understand your frustration about the months passing by and not receiving a notice. Just use it as a civics lesson on how cities and towns use things like this as a revenue stream. In Chicago, you sit in front of hearing officers, not judges. These are people appointed or hired by knowing someone, not on job qualifications.

 

How are the decks stacked against you? Driving a vehicle is a Privalage not right. There is nothing garunteeing you to be able to drive a vehicle. When you get your license you agree to follow the laws that are made. If you agree to it, then how does that make the decks stacked against you?

 

http://www.gominigo.com/18545.html

They are the same price as just one of your tickets.

The law is the law. We ran around a few months without a front plate and did get pulled over...lucky for us we had the plate in the car and the officer wanted to make sure the other plate was not on another car. IMHO, I do not want to give cops an inch of any reason to pull us over. All the lights work, plates are in place, and stickers are up to date. Just do not give them a reason to pull you over and make money off you.

 

I suppose it all goes back to the "so you don't drive 5 over" argument. Further, I don't blindly accept ANY law (including ones I seem to initially agree with) it's my job as a citizen to scrutinize the purpose and value of a law and, if I determine it is stupid, to challenge it or request a change. It makes me sad when people just accept that police and government automatically know (let alone work towards) what's best for them.

I just don't have the capacity for that kind of faith in a system that deigns to make me affix a front plate just so they can catch me for something that they might not have otherwise been able to figure out.

 

I think it's pretty much consensus that I'm just going to have to pay the ticket. I tried to order the mossmini one, but got an email saying it's out of stock at the moment. The gomini one looks REALLY flimsy IMO, like something I could put together and that wouldn't hold up on the highway.

My plan is to get the two hook one and just put it on when I go to the city since I don't have any problems in my area with the whole ordeal.

But with the whole arguement, I think there are just many laws that are questionable. For instance, in Illinois you are not allowed to have any tints whatsoever on the front windows, but as far as I know, if the tints are done by the manufacturer, they are okay. Same goes for purple-ish lights.

 

Well in one case, Alabama, they removed the front plate to save the metal for bombs in WW II.

Half the states have them, half do not.

How is that ANY different that say going to a car forum ... say NAM ... take anything said about MINIs with a grain of salt or Elisetalk ... take anything said about Elises with a grain of salt?

Its your opinion, and I respect that, that the law is stupid. Obviously its NOT the opinion of half the states lawmakers.

1. Sigh ... as someone else said, Driving is a privelege, not your right. It is NOT meant for generative revenue
2. ditto

Yes it is your job ... so lobby to change it. Until then, this is Nation of Laws. No one is above the law (just ask Nixon). You do the crime ... be prepared to do the time (or pay the fine).

Don't like the law, get it change. Meanwhile, ignore it at your own risk. Isn't that just common sense?

 

IMO it is built quite well. I've had mine on for about 50,000 miles now (almost all highway) and it is doing just fine. The flimsy part is the plate, all the the GOMINI kit is stainless steel.


Any dents or bends are in the plate (not the bracket) from hitting small animals etc . (early mornings/ late nights...... country roads, can't miss them all )

Nik

 

I wish the dealer had not installed the front plate barcket on mine, as it is, I did move the plate down some as I think it looks better. When our Mini is retired from daily driver duty later this year, I will probably remove the front plate and fill the holes with black silicone sealant so the holes will be barely visible (black car). I don't have front plates on my Miata or Mustang and have never been stopped in either one for it. I treat it the same way as speeding, as a calculated risk. if I get caught, I will pay the fine, if I get caught repeatedly for the same thing, I will change my behavior (ie, slow down, or install a front plate).

-Keith

 

XS MINI - Thanks for the feedback, glad to hear you like our plate holder. And as you stated it is all Stainless Steel and will hold up over time. Also, the 'No HOLES' LPB is now being carried by some MINI Dealers across the US and being offered to new MINI Owners upon delivery. Some MINI dealers in Texas, Virginia, Ohio, California, Oregon and Washington do offer this as an option. We also have vendors in Florida, Oregon, New York and Canada. One last thing we always have this item in stock and ready for shipment via USPS Priority Mail.

 

To avoid drill holes in my front bumper, I requested that my dealer not install a front license plate bracket. They had me sign a waiver so that I ever get ticketed then I couldn't turn around and blame them. Now it's up to me to either get an aftermarket front license plate bracket or pay the fine if I'm busted. Seems pretty fair to me. Although I think every dealer should know whether or not the state they operate in is a 2 plate state.

As for the OP (and others), I wouldn't say it's a particularly dumb or bad law, but I have to agree that the way it's enforced (at least by Chicago) sounds pretty sleazy. Perhaps a crooked way to help fund the pensions of unionized city employees or city government fat/ waste. If you're still not too keen on paying the fines, then you may want to find the exact wording of the law and see if there's an angle. Perhaps (by law), you can just display the front plate (ie, on dashboard) and still be legal.

 

ahh the good ole 'no plate tax'.

Im in canada, and run with no plates. To my knowledge, they have to hand you the ticket here, mailing it in is not an option.

Ticket fine here is 110$, no points or anything like that.

I see it as a tax

 

My experience has been quite a bit different. I would say the bolt to the tow-hook is bombproof on the gominigo kit, but the little "straps" are flimsy at best. My front plate got hit by a small piece of road debris and got shoved back into my bumpercover. The little gominigo straps were completely mangled along with my plate.

The concept is good, but those straps are a definite weak link.

 

Not in IL it cannont be covered, must be display unpbstructed X inches off the ground and be clearly legible.

 

Heck, I have a Euro plate on my front. I've been pulled over 3 times in the last 4 years with my MINI...not once has the cop said anything about it. So far, so good.

 

Since you purchased your kit we have beefed up the brackets, they are thicker and stonger. But we can not say that the whole thing is bullet proof. It is stronger.

I took a piece or road debris on the front end of my pickup and it total trashed the front end, The speed of the car and the speed of debris will cause damage.

What would have happened to the bumper it had not hit the license plate?

 

On one of my other cars, I have a Benz logo as my front plate, but my rear plate is a vintage 1972 plate (not an "antique" plate).

I have the other vintage plate as well (in my trunk), but I think most people see the black and white rear plate and figure there was only one plate required back then. No problems with the police or getting on to military installations.