I thought I was going to be able to avoid it but on the way to the movies last night I got pulled over. He was going to write me a ticket but I talked him out of it with my spotless driving record :-). Grrr...I hate drilling the bumper and mounting this hideous thing. Going to use the stock mount rather than mess with an under mount unit. Its just a car in the end. If I had the time and energy I would do the magnetic mount....but small town, local cop....his parting words were "Don't make me look like a chump....man".

He also said "high end cars like this....if it gets stolen, wouldn't you prefer that us cops could see the plates going both ways?". He has a point but not enough for me to do it without being forced.

 

Front Bumper Plate holder much cheaper than trafic ticket. BTW my Portolio came with one installed...go figure.

 

Since my XFR is a daily driver, I long ago gave up on no front plate. But instead of using the stock mount, I used one of these from Skene Design. At least it won't have visible holes in the front of the bumper when reselling the car. http://www.skene.org/bmw/plate/

Here is what it looks like without the plate on it (stock photo of a BMW from the Skene website).

 

I finally chose to use the Skene plate mounts on my XFR, an excellent option, huge adjustment for height and location, very solid...recommended!

 

I say front licence plate should not be mandatory considering no bikes come with these things ,good to see no ticket for you

 

Thanks for posting this. It's exactly what I was looking for.

 

Anyone ever try this holder?

Jaguar - GoMiniGo-Home of Innovative Products for your car

Looks interesting

 

+100^ I have always sided with skirting the law on the front plate up until my '09 XF which came with one already installed... As said in the OP... in the end it's only a car

 

The stock mount for my Honda Odyssey front bracket is from below. Sure wish Jaguar did it from below.

 

I may need a front plate soon also as here in NJ they will get you quick. But I have the ACC in the front so how is the plate to be mounted for that?

 

I also chose to use the Skene plate mounts on my XF. It's very easy to install and looks great on the car. For only $50, it's a bargain. Highly recommended.

Funny story. My Dad lives in Florida and bought a Lincoln. When he went to pick up the car, the dealer had already screwed the plastic front plate braket to the bumper. My Dad was in disbelief and asked why they did it since you don't need a front plate in Florida. They said they just automatically do it on all the cars. Who'd believe it!

 

KHS it must be domestic car thing. My daily driver is a company-issued Impala. Yeah i know it is not fun but it, along with the gas and insurance is free. I recently picked up a new one and the dealership had the bracket drilled into the bumper (not needed since my company is not based in a front lic plate state). I asked why would you do that? Their response was it is a state law that all cars leave with brackets.
Flash forward to my purchase of my Jag and as they are prepping it the dealer asks if we want the bracket on or not. Of course i said no but i was thinking hmm state law that they must attach a bracket? sounds like they just don't want to deviate from a routine

 

Living in Maryland, it is required to have a front plate. There are those who try to get away with it but eventually they catch up to you. I decided not to even fight it. I have 30% window tint (illegal), and I've not been bothered, so I try not to give the police any other reason to pull me over. A missing front plate will give them a reason to pull you over and then start looking at other things.

 

There are two different OEM Jaguar front plate mounts, one of which is special for ACC-equipped cars that mounts the plate a bit higher up so that the adaptive radar has a clear look ahead unobstructed by the plate. I'm glad they have different ones, because for those of us without the ACC option, the other, lower mount looks better.

If you get the Skene mount, the height of the plate is adjustable so if you have ACC, you can mount it a bit up out of the way.

I've been told the mounts that make use of the tow socket may not be a good idea. The reason is that most work by screwing in a solid bar into the socket. If you get hit in the front of the car and contact is made with the bar, it will transfer energy directly to whatever the tow socket is mounted to. Most cars were not designed to absorb impact energy that way, and it could result in greater damage to your car than if the impact energy was absorbed as intended by the front bumper system. I don't know if that is true, but that is what I heard and it makes sense to me.

 

after reading this, I too just ordered the Skene Design. I've had my car for over a year and have had the stock bracket all along but haven't had the heart to drill into the bumper. I know I have been lucky to not get pulled over and figured this was a great solution. Hopefully this thing is sturdy and durable.

 

Still no front plate for me in Los Angeles - and I have had the XF for 18 months. So far I have been lucky. 1989 911 also has no front plate. But good to know that there's an option as I hate drilling into the bumper.

 

I just installed the Skene plate mount over the weekend and I'd recommend getting one if you do decide to have a front plate. The drill holes are on the underside of the bumper, so if you change your mind, you can take it off and the drill holes would be hidden. Since most cops are high-school kids with big egos and guns, I figured it wasn't worth giving them an excuse to pull me over and harass me, while ruining the evening for the lady in the passenger seat!

 

in SF the meter maids hand out tickets. 116 dollars. So far I have paid up but when I get the XF I will have to get a front plate.