Front Plates in VA??

[Remington]

I drove my 2016 M4 for almost three years with no front license plate and no Virginia ticket. DC ticketed me when I was parked on a DC street, however. So far, no ticket on the 2018 M3 I picked up in October 2018.

As Dylan sang "But to live outside the law, you must be honest"....

[shortseller]

In NOVA it’s only a matter of time till you get a ticket. I had an unmarked pull me over on the FFX parkway and I wasn’t speeding or doing anything else that would have caused a stop. The officer was very matter of fact about it all, it’s the law, get it attached, go to court and the judge will likely drop the ticket.

Well, fuck that! I sent in the fine with payment just over $100 with all extras that the courts impose. And I’ve been back on the road ever since, with no front plate. It’s basically Russian roulette but I’m good with it, I just see it as another tax I have to sometimes pay living here in NOVA.

OP, coming from CA, thinking about it as an extra added tax is probably something you are use to coming from the Golden State.

[f80er]

FWIW I have gotten two no front plate tickets in MD over the past 3 months after only gotten warnings for not having it over the past 6-7 years. Don't know what changed other than my luck. :

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by f80er

FWIW it's worth I have gotten two no front plate tickets in MD over the past 3 months after only gotten warnings for not having it over the past 6-7 years. Don't know what changed other than my luck. :

Revenue I’m guessing, as it has nothing to do with driving safety. A fun fact, law enforcement uses your front plate to more easily lock on to your traveling speed for radar detection.

[f80er]

Originally Posted by shortseller

Revenue I'm guessing, as it has nothing to do with driving safety. A fun fact, law enforcement uses your front plate to more easily lock on to your traveling speed for radar detection.

Tolls use it to fine you for not paying as well. Just a bullshit method of revenue. I read every time a bill to allow no front plate comes up for a vote police and toll representatives show up to kill it.

I got pulled over today for no front plate, wasn't speeding or anything. Just ducking state trooper on a main street in Annapolis happened to see me. Went out of his way to pull me over too. Last time was Anne Arundel county police in Annapolis as well. Seems like everyone but Annapolis police give a shit about front plates.

And I know I am breaking the law but give me a break. $70 fine dropped to $25 + $25 in court fees if I go to court.

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by f80er

Tolls use it to fine you for not paying as well. Just a bullshit method of revenue. I read every time a bill to allow no front plate comes up for a vote police and toll representatives show up to kill it.

I got pulled over today for no front plate, wasn't speeding or anything. Just ducking state trooper on a main street in Annapolis happened to see me. Went out of his way to pull me over too. Last time was Anne Arundel county police in Annapolis as well. Seems like everyone but Annapolis police give a shit about front plates.

And I know I am breaking the law but give me a break. $70 fine dropped to $25 + $25 in court fees if I go to court.

Sorry to hear that. If it’s worth your time off work, 3M double side tape the front plate on, pay the $50 and just go then remove, if you have the will(& wallet) to keep up the funding of law enforcement retirement funds. Chasing you down just to cite for no front plate is complete BS!

[f80er]

Yeah it's BS. Judge doesn't care if I have a plate or not, fact is I got a ticket so he is going to make me pay. Only chance is go to court and officer doesn't show. Worth it IMHO if it means $0 or only $50 if he does show.

I figure they waste my time least I can do is waste theirs in return. 😎

[M2joey]

I have not had a plate on my 335is for seven years, no problem. One month after owning my M2 I was pulled over at 7am by a VA state police. Seems the VA state police will bust you for no front plate although local police have better things to do.

[JimBean2014]

Front plate was the least of my concern when I was living in VA, just get ready to shell $$$$$ in the form of annual property taxes on car

[klaysta]

Originally Posted by 1fastR1

Good luck with no plates without getting a ticket. It's a hit or miss. Depends on who's pulling you over. I'm in the Hampton roads area and got pulled over 4 times with no plates.

As another data point ( I live in Hampton Roads too), I've never been pulled for not having a front plate on my last 4 cars:
09 335i
13 335xi
16 340i
18 M3 -> current

I had been pulled over for window tint on the 09 and 13 once each and only got the tint fix it ticket, which were dismissed in court.

[Relak]

Originally Posted by f80er

Yeah it's BS. Judge doesn't care if I have a plate or not, fact is I got a ticket so he is going to make me pay. Only chance is go to court and officer doesn't show. Worth it IMHO if it means $0 or only $50 if he does show.

I figure they waste my time least I can do is waste theirs in return. 😎

Not sure what your time is worth but I'd rather just pay the fine than take several hours off work to fight a BS ticket. It would cost me more money to fight the ticket than to just pay it.

I've gotten two no front plate tickets in the past 5-6 years and they were both in PG county. I found this another reason to just avoid PG county, among the million other reasons.

[f80er]

Originally Posted by Relak

Not sure what your time is worth but I'd rather just pay the fine than take several hours off work to fight a BS ticket. It would cost me more money to fight the ticket than to just pay it.

I've gotten two no front plate tickets in the past 5-6 years and they were both in PG county. I found this another reason to just avoid PG county, among the million other reasons.

The only thing it costs me is time and it's worth it to me to either get it dismissed or reduced. No reason I should just pay it because it's a law meaning just because it's a law doesn't mean it's right or fair.

Besides if it means making the officer show up on his day off or keeping other no front plate bandits safe for that time he's in court then so be it.

Lol

[Relak]

Originally Posted by f80er

The only thing it costs me is time and it's worth it to me to either get it dismissed or reduced. No reason I should just pay it because it's a law meaning just because it's a law doesn't mean it's right or fair.

Besides if it means making the officer show up on his day off or keeping other no front plate bandits safe for that time he's in court then so be it.

Lol

They get paid overtime to attend those hearings, if it's not during a shift.. just FYI.

I guess you didn't understand what I mean by asking what your time is worth. If you take time off work to go to the hearing, those hours you usually would have worked are now added to the cost of the ticket. So if you take two hours off work and make $50hr then you just technically lost $100+the cost of the ticket if they don't throw it out. If they do throw it out then you still lose the hourly pay you would have made. If you take annual leave to go to court, leave has value so those two hours of leave cost you on some level too.

Either way you're going to end up paying in some form or fashion. I'd rather not waste time/effort on a ticket I'm obviously at fault for, and just chalk it up as the cost of running no front plate.

[f80er]

I get paid whether I am working or not so the financial cost to me is 0$. The only cost is my time which I have plenty of.

[f80er]

I said fuck it and bought a sto and sho lower front plate mount. I attached it using just the two stock screws and you can barely see it without the plate. I figured fuck it if I get pulled over again I will just say I forgot to put it on and then slap it on and hope for the best. At least now I have an option for when I do get rolled.

https://bigmikesperformanceparts.com...option-sns67a/

[GasBurnlife(landapanda)]

Originally Posted by ellipsis212

VA has the most draconian speeding laws in the country as other commenters have stated specifics. It's truly a racket. Read Patrick George's article about doing jail time after a press car outing.

YMMV without front plate. You'll probably get popped after you've forgotten about it for a few months.

Bottom line is, you will eventually get a ticket in Virginia or DC if you don't have front plates. I would recommend keeping them on.

[jhigg85]

Originally Posted by f80er

I said fuck it and bought a sto and sho lower front plate mount. I attached it using just the two stock screws and you can barely see it without the plate. I figured fuck it if I get pulled over again I will just say I forgot to put it on and then slap it on and hope for the best. At least now I have an option for when I do get rolled.

https://bigmikesperformanceparts.com...option-sns67a/

I'm guessing I would not be able to use that with a front lip?

[f80er]

Not this specific one but they make another one that mounts just below the grilles.

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by f80er

Not this specific one but they make another one that mounts just below the grilles.

Your solution looks really well done, I’m guess you’re still going to get the ticket hungry cop looking to pad his ticket book regardless. Be funny though to see his face as he walks to the front of the car and sees what he didn’t as you drove by him in the first place. Flipping it up after the stop.

But again, a clean look, way to attach a front plate.

[cotmfk]

This thread reminds me I have to pay my no front plate ticket this week! haha...

[Negtvions]

Originally Posted by cotmfk

This thread reminds me I have to pay my no front plate ticket this week! haha...

Haha.

How much is it?

[espressoo]

I prefer the one mounted in the normal location. One for the looks but also so it doesn't block airflow or limit your lip choices. I would probably get a bloody knuckle trying to remove the other one since it sits so low against the ground.




https://bigmikesperformanceparts.com...4-m3-m2-sns67/