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R56 Plateless in front?

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  #26  
Old 10-03-2008, 02:29 PM
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Made it clear to MA on three occasions about NO FRONT PLATE and in fact told MA when MINI came in to grab the front plate bracket and throw into the Potomac river
So Melo remains>>

Michael
 
  #27  
Old 10-03-2008, 02:31 PM
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I emailed MINI of Dallas to ask, and my MA told me they never drill for front plates unless they are told to. I live in a state that doesn't require front plates, but am purchasing in Texas, which does. I guess I need to ask them not to make Duncan a rolling advertisement. I hate that.
 
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Old 10-20-2008, 01:50 PM
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If you live in WA, like me, it is a $124 fine for running the vehicle w/o a front plate. There is a list of exempted vehicles, but the Mini has been denied being added to the list. Looks like it is Go Mini Go for me.
 
  #29  
Old 10-21-2008, 02:11 PM
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i run plateless and like stated in an above post (on page one) have gotten tickets for no front plate instead of getting speeding tickets. id much much rather pay a $150 no front plate ticket than a $300+ speeding ticket + points. i also love the look of the no front plate, with the exception of the two stupid holes in the bumper. something i guess ive learned to live with.
 
  #30  
Old 10-21-2008, 02:24 PM
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I can handle front plates because they look better on R56 than first gen....but what I don't get is folks who seem to not mind dealer badges...or even dealer plate frames. Talk about advertisement!!!!!
 
  #31  
Old 10-21-2008, 03:21 PM
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I can handle front plates because they look better on R56 than first gen....but what I don't get is folks who seem to not mind dealer badges...or even dealer plate frames. Talk about advertisement!!!!!
Choosing to mount a front plate or not to is just a personal peference. But once they are in, the holes can't be undrilled. Stickers and dealer plate frames can be taken off pretty easily at anytime.
 
  #32  
Old 10-21-2008, 06:11 PM
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Originally Posted by gokartride
I can handle front plates because they look better on R56 than first gen....but what I don't get is folks who seem to not mind dealer badges...or even dealer plate frames. Talk about advertisement!!!!!
i took these off the day of delivery.
 
  #33  
Old 10-21-2008, 09:28 PM
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the tow hook front mount is a good option. I'm currently using mine, but for photo shoots and whatnot, I take it off and put the cover back on.

go-mini-go bracket ftw!
 
  #34  
Old 10-22-2008, 06:19 AM
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Originally Posted by dwf137
the tow hook front mount is a good option. I'm currently using mine, but for photo shoots and whatnot, I take it off and put the cover back on.

go-mini-go bracket ftw!
Ive been looking at that mount on their site. How easy is that to put on and take off? Is it something that you can spin on as a complete unit or does it need to be taken apart to install? Thanks
 
  #35  
Old 10-22-2008, 06:26 AM
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Originally Posted by MrTIer
But once they are in, the holes can't be undrilled.
Good point!! I couldn't even live w/ the bumper seams and dimples...the plate solved all that.
 
  #36  
Old 10-22-2008, 07:05 AM
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I have lived in Ohio now for almost nine years after returning from Florida which does not require a front plate. After moving up here, I never ran a front plate on any of my vehicles and i have had all sorts of entanglements with my friendly LEO's [speeding, accidents etc.]. No once has my lack of front plates been noticed from either local departments, county mounties, or state troopers. Therefore I will continue to run without one and not spoil Nigel's face.
 
  #37  
Old 10-22-2008, 12:05 PM
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Originally Posted by rschnikee
I called my dealer at least once a week until the car arrived. In NY State you must have a front plate installed or the will not let it leave the lot. So, I bought the bracket from GoMiniGo. It installs into the tow hook on the front. This way your bumper is not drilled but the plate is on.

My friend told the dealer when he ordered not to drill it but he didn't follow up. Guess what? They drilled the holes in the bumper and mounted the plate! Believe it or not, he got them to swap out a new bumper!
Um I bought mine in NY and asked the MA to note to not have the front plate mounted...no issues with not being able to drive off the lot. He put the front plate on the passenger floor shook my hand and said have fun! Might be an actual law but my dealer def didn't enforce it. I have since put the tow hook mount on and use my plate though...it doesn't look bad and I'm not paranoid about getting pulled over to be bothered for no reason.
 
  #38  
Old 10-22-2008, 12:13 PM
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(Frantically knocking on wood)...I haven't run a front plate on any of my cars in over a decade even though my state requires one. I have gotten two tickets, one in my R53 MINI and one in an old Audi TT, I just considered them a tax I have to pay occasionally to keep my cars pristine. A few months ago, I had a DPS trooper pull me over in my Porsche out in the middle of nowhere under the auspices of my lack of front plate. A few minutes of enthusiast-like questioning about my vehicle and I was on the way with a verbal warning. To the OP, I do remember seeing a thread either here or on MetroplexMINI that mentioned some Dallas area burbs being particularly hard on this issue.
 
  #39  
Old 10-22-2008, 03:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrTIer
But once they are in, the holes can't be undrilled.

Good point!! I couldn't even live w/ the bumper seams and dimples...the plate solved all that.

I hope those wax swirl marks don't drive you too crazy.
 
  #40  
Old 10-22-2008, 07:53 PM
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Originally Posted by NYMCS
Ive been looking at that mount on their site. How easy is that to put on and take off? Is it something that you can spin on as a complete unit or does it need to be taken apart to install? Thanks
I believe it would be possible to take it off without taking it all apart, but I cannot vouch for that right now. If you want, I'll check it out tomorrow and let you know.
 
  #41  
Old 10-23-2008, 06:34 AM
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Originally Posted by dwf137
I believe it would be possible to take it off without taking it all apart, but I cannot vouch for that right now. If you want, I'll check it out tomorrow and let you know.
No, thats OK. Thanks for responding. I'll just give the company a call. I'm probabilly going to order it either way because Im not going to screw into the bumper.The car is on the ship right now and should be to the dealer within two weeks. Ill call Go-mini-go today.
 
  #42  
Old 10-23-2008, 06:48 AM
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It's not hard to take off at all, but it's a lot easier if you have the two open ended wrenches so you can align the plate correctly and snug it nice and tight in the tow hook....don't want that sucker coming off lol.
 
  #43  
Old 10-23-2008, 06:49 AM
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  #44  
Old 10-23-2008, 06:51 AM
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It can be unscrewed in one piece from the threaded tow-hole if you need to.
Slight possibility that it might rub the bumper (?)
I never did that, even though I thought that I was going to do that too
Here's a pic from Sunday via Blackberry
 
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  #45  
Old 10-23-2008, 08:39 AM
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Originally Posted by NYMCS
No, thats OK. Thanks for responding. I'll just give the company a call. I'm probabilly going to order it either way because Im not going to screw into the bumper.The car is on the ship right now and should be to the dealer within two weeks. Ill call Go-mini-go today.
You do not need to disassemble the unit to remove. You just use a wrench to loosen the mounting stud and the entire assembly comes off in a complete unit. We actually have people that have installed the plate holder and then remove it and keep it in the boot. If they get stopped they tell the officer that they just cleaned the car and forgot to put it on. Then they remove the cover and spin it on. No Ticket.

If you call we will be out for a few days, we are still filling orders but the office is closed for phone calls over the next few days.
 
  #46  
Old 10-23-2008, 09:16 AM
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Originally Posted by rschnikee
I called my dealer at least once a week until the car arrived. In NY State you must have a front plate installed or the will not let it leave the lot. So, I bought the bracket from GoMiniGo. It installs into the tow hook on the front. This way your bumper is not drilled but the plate is on.

My friend told the dealer when he ordered not to drill it but he didn't follow up. Guess what? They drilled the holes in the bumper and mounted the plate! Believe it or not, he got them to swap out a new bumper!
Ummm...Allow me to retort! I did follow up with the dealer, right up until the car went in for prep, but the prep center drilled the bumper anyway, either out of habit or incompetence. I did not drop off the GoMiniGo bracket with the dealer beforehand, but my MA knew that I was going to bring it with me when I picked up the car and that I would install it myself if they would not. The prep center either ignored the note on my order, or was not told that I was bringing the bracket with me, or simply did not care.

Besides, it was great to see my MA have a heart attack when I told him I wasn't taking the car

Get your facts straight next time. And check your spelling!
 
  #47  
Old 10-23-2008, 09:24 AM
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i told my MA that i didnt want it installed either. went to look at the car after it arrived yesterday and simply hid the bracket under the seat just in case lol :razz:
pickin her up Sat, and wont have to worry about front tags until the 30 day temps are up anyway... ill probably order the tow hook one, but for the past 2 years in my mustang that i had, i simply left it behind the seat and would stick it in the window if i was worried about the law enforcement wherever i was going
 
  #48  
Old 10-23-2008, 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by rschnikee
My friend told the dealer when he ordered not to drill it but he didn't follow up. Guess what? They drilled the holes in the bumper and mounted the plate! Believe it or not, he got them to swap out a new bumper!
My sales order said "no front plate". Picked up the car, two screws in the bumper, but no plastic license frame (just the screws). MA had them swap the bumper with another new car.
 
  #49  
Old 10-24-2008, 12:36 PM
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We got two tickets within about 6 months on the wife's Corvette for having no front plate. One was an add-on to a speeding ticket, the other was a stop just for the front plate missing. The front-plate fine alone was about $100 per occurence. This is in Houston, TX. After that, we put the front plate on. Just too expensive for a cosmetic thing. There was a movement (largely pushed by Corvette owners) to drop the front plate requirement in Texas, but it went nowhere under protest of law enforcement.

I put the front plate on the Mini with the go-mini-go tow hook mount device. It is a quality piece of work-- all stainless steel. However, I had to put some Loctite on the threads of the stud that goes into the tow hole to keep it from getting loose. The threads are just too coarse to maintain tightness.
 
  #50  
Old 10-24-2008, 12:57 PM
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anyone know if the holes they put in are the same width for a euro plate? i plan to have a euro plate on. i think it looks badass.
 


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