Automotive
How To Install A Front License Plate On Your Car
Some states require not one but two license plates—one on the front and one on the back of your car. This means that when you go to the DMV to update your registration, they hand you two plates. They do not, however, give you any guidance as to how to attach the front one to your car. If you bought your car in a two-plate state, then it is not an issue. Your vehicle already has a plate attached to the front, and all you have to do is switch them. But if you purchased your vehicle in one of the 19 states that only mandate license plates on the rear of your car, you have to figure out for yourself what to do about your front plate.
You might think that because more than half of all states require front license plates, that it would therefore be standard for cars to be made with holes in the front for licenses to be screwed into. You might think that, but you would be wrong if you did. As I was researching online how to tackle this issue, I stumbled upon an entire debate between car aficionados and state governments about how front license plates ruin the aesthetic of the car. I don’t want to get into that here, but suffice it to say car manufacturers are not putting any holes in their vehicles that are not absolutely necessary.
The best information I found on the internet led me to this set of license plate brackets on Amazon. So I purchased it, hoping it would come with special instructions on attaching it to my vehicle. It did not.
Still in the dark, I called my local car dealership and asked them if they could put the plate on for me. “Sure!” they said. It would only cost me the small fee of $75. That seemed a little ridiculous to me, and when I asked the guy on the phone how it could possibly cost so much, he responded that I could expect half an hour’s worth of labor. I wasn’t convinced that he was being on the level, so I went down to the body shop down the street. I asked the guy there what he thought a reasonable price would be.
He started cracking up. Reasonable price? The work was so easy it should be free! Amazed, I had his guy do it then and there. It took maybe two minutes, and it was very much something I could have done at home. The mechanic simply got a drill, lined up the screws from the license plate set on Amazon, and drilled them into the bumper. Just like that my car was legal to drive on the road.
The takeaway: Don’t listen to used car dealers. If you moved to a state that requires a front license plate, just order a cover online (such as the Solid brand one I bought) and do not hesitate to drill holes in your car. Although it might be upsetting to see them in your vehicle, it needs to be done. And it can even be done by an amateur like yourself.