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      05-16-2010, 01:21 PM   #1
dekaliber
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Invisible magnetic front license plate mount

There's no shortage of solutions for attaching a front license plate without drilling into the bumper, but all of the ones I've seen are still visible to some degree. A couple of years ago I came up with a solution to mount a license plate with magnets and have refined the idea since. Since I had to install them on the new ///M, I thought I'd take some pictures and write up a DIY.

Keep in mind that this solution is designed to be used only when the car is parked. In my experience, the states that require front license plates only enforce the law on parked vehicles. Thus, I wanted to keep the clean plateless look while driving, while having an easy means to affix the front plate once parked. If you want a way to keep a front plate mounted while driving, there are a number of other more durable solutions.

What you'll need:
  • 4 magnets. Shape does not matter significantly as long as they roughly have the same surface area. You can use 4 identically sized magnets if they're strong enough, but if you have trouble finding strong magnets, use a set of relatively thin ones (0.25" or less) and another set that's a thicker (0.5"-1") with more pull. I bought mine from McMaster-Carr.
  • 2 right angle brackets and fasteners. Make sure the fastener holes match the holes in your license plate. I bought mine from Ace Hardware.
  • Some sort of adhesive. Double sided foam/cloth tape works well. You don’t want too thick of an adhesive as it increase the distance between the magnets and weakens the magnetic force. Make sure it's rated at a decent temperature range, as you don't want the adhesive to melt when it gets hot or get too brittle when it gets cold.
  • Duct tape

1. Attach the angle brackets to the bottom mounting holes of your license plate.


2. Find the polarity of your magnetic pairs. The magnets will only stick together one way. Mark the faces that go together.


3. Tie the thinner magnets with the marked face up on the other end of the angle bracket with duct tape.


4. Remove one of the grilles. I do this by pulling down on the slats where the catches are (shown below) and popping the top out. It takes a little force, but be careful you don't snap anything.


5. You should now be able to reach in and feel the inside of where that lip is. It's dirty in there! Reach in with a moist rag and wipe the dust/debris off the lip so that the adhesive will stick (later).


6. Then, place one of magnets on top of that lip, marked side facing down. Here's what it looks like in that lip.


This shows an approximation of where the magnet would be from the outside, if you could see through the bumper.


7. Line up one of the magnets on your license plate assembly to that magnet.


8. Put the other magnet in. It should snap to the location of the other magnet on the license plate bracket. Adjust the position by sliding the license plate bracket left/right/forward/back.

9. Once you're happy with where it is, reach in and take out one of the magnets. (The other magnet should be strong enough to still hold the plate in place.) Affix the adhesive to the marked face of the magnet you took out.



10. Place it back into the bumper adhesive side down. It should snap to where the corresponding magnet is on the outside. Press down to secure the adhesive.

11. Repeat with the other magnet. With the bracket still on the outside, you’ll easily be able to tell where it needs to mount on the inside by following the magnetic pull. Here's what the inside looks like with both magnets installed, to give you an idea.



Bracket installed:


Detail of bracket from side:


...and below:


Bracket removed:


I keep my license plate under the passenger seat. Do NOT put the plate, or anything else for that matter, under the driver seat. It can slide out under hard braking and get jammed up near the pedals, which can be very dangerous. This is common sense.

Don't forget to take it out when you park in a spot where you know the license plate law is enforced! For me, this is only when I head into the city or park at one of the airports. More importantly, don't forget to stow it away when you're ready to drive off. I've accidentally left it on and driven on the highway with it, but depending on the strength of the magnets you chose, the license plate may or may not stay on if you hit a bump at 90 mph…
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      05-16-2010, 02:14 PM   #2
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Nice work.

unfortunately here, while parked is not the problem.
They will pull you over or tag you if stopped for another offense.
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      05-17-2010, 06:24 AM   #3
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same here, but great idea. the rare earth magnets can be quite strong
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      05-17-2010, 09:09 AM   #4
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Nice DIY. The problem here is also when moving, as integr8r said. I have gotten pulled over and written a ticket for having my license plate securely fastened in the windshield even. It needs to be at the frontmost part of the vehicle here apparently.
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      05-24-2010, 08:12 AM   #5
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great idea. given how buff the magnets are, would the plate "move" while the car goes over bumps then over time thin out the pain beneath/between? where i live, ca, cops will pull you over if you don't have a plate on, but then i guess i could just snap this on and said i was washing my car. bleh. thinking aloud. great idea though
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      05-24-2010, 08:52 AM   #6
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BTW, they will pull you over in IL for no front plate, too. Just because you haven't doesn't mean you won't. I've had a number of police (state and local) not pull me over for it, but I ended getting the GoMiniGo mount anyways.
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      05-24-2010, 01:49 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by j03chu View Post
great idea. given how buff the magnets are, would the plate "move" while the car goes over bumps then over time thin out the pain beneath/between? where i live, ca, cops will pull you over if you don't have a plate on, but then i guess i could just snap this on and said i was washing my car. bleh. thinking aloud. great idea though
It's possible. I didn't really factor it into the design since this was never intended as a permanent mounting solution -- there are plenty of other ones that will do that better. To help prevent scratching, you could cover up the magnets on the bracket with a softer material to prevent abrasion. Just keep in mind that the thicker the material is, the less magnetic force will be available to keep the two halves together.

FWIW, I've lived 4 of the last 5 years within a couple blocks of different police stations, and have yet to be bothered about not having a front plate on two fairly conspicuous cars. In the car I had before the Z4, I was pulled over 3 times but none of those occasions were for a missing front plate, and in none of those incidents was I given an additional ticket for such. The only times I've gotten tickets for not having a front plate were once when I was parked in the city of Chicago on a metered street, and once when I was parked at O'Hare (hence this solution is a good compromise for me).

Most of the nicer cars I see around here don't sport front plates, which, along with my personal experience, leads me to conclude that the threat of getting a ticket for not having one is minor, at least around here. The two tickets I've gotten I've chalked up to a "vanity tax." After all, that's why we buy expensive, pretty cars, isn't it?
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      05-24-2010, 06:30 PM   #8
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sadf

Quote:
Originally Posted by dekaliber View Post
It's possible. I didn't really factor it into the design since this was never intended as a permanent mounting solution -- there are plenty of other ones that will do that better. To help prevent scratching, you could cover up the magnets on the bracket with a softer material to prevent abrasion. Just keep in mind that the thicker the material is, the less magnetic force will be available to keep the two halves together.

FWIW, I've lived 4 of the last 5 years within a couple blocks of different police stations, and have yet to be bothered about not having a front plate on two fairly conspicuous cars. In the car I had before the Z4, I was pulled over 3 times but none of those occasions were for a missing front plate, and in none of those incidents was I given an additional ticket for such. The only times I've gotten tickets for not having a front plate were once when I was parked in the city of Chicago on a metered street, and once when I was parked at O'Hare (hence this solution is a good compromise for me).




Most of the nicer cars I see around here don't sport front plates, which, along with my personal experience, leads me to conclude that the threat of getting a ticket for not having one is minor, at least around here. The two tickets I've gotten I've chalked up to a "vanity tax." After all, that's why we buy expensive, pretty cars, isn't it?

hmm. this still stands as a very viable solution to my license plate mounting. looks rather convenient and sleek, while retaining oem mounting locations, well sorta, they looked to be around the same place.

now i just need to repaint my bumper first to cover up those 4 huge holes the dealers drilled =[
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      07-26-2010, 07:16 PM   #9
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Cool, looks really good, we really need to have a chi town meet...
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      07-26-2010, 07:52 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Samjam927 View Post
Cool, looks really good, we really need to have a chi town meet...
I'm down with that. Only other M I've seen around here is epbrown's. Don't think I've even seen a silver one yet!
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      07-26-2010, 09:58 PM   #11
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Word. The only other M I've seen is a sapphire black roadster on the Kennedy. The only coupe I've seen was near Marina del Ray in Santa Monica.
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      07-26-2010, 11:25 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dekaliber View Post
I'm down with that. Only other M I've seen around here is epbrown's. Don't think I've even seen a silver one yet!
Does he even still have a z4? We should at least plan to have a small meet with the ChiTownM guys once
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      09-04-2010, 04:50 PM   #13
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I have a hide-away type that I slide in for shows and cruises, then pull out for regular driving and parking in the city. Google hide away license plate. Paid $50 shipped from Summit, I believe.



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      09-04-2010, 05:06 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottinSSMD View Post
I have a hide-away type that I slide in for shows and cruises, then pull out for regular driving and parking in the city. Google hide away license plate. Paid $50 shipped from Summit, I believe.
Does this still require drilling into the bumper (albeit the bottom)?
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      09-05-2010, 06:57 AM   #15
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No, not the bumper. The underside panel. So if you have to take the panel off the frame comes with it. No need to remove this, then the panel.
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      09-06-2010, 01:59 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Samjam927 View Post
Does he even still have a z4? We should at least plan to have a small meet with the ChiTownM guys once
Yeah, right. I met dekaliber at a ChiTownM meet, and I make it to about one a month. There are pics of me talking to Anthony and a buddy of his next to my car at a recent meet, though I'm not that fond of the new meet site. As it gets colder, I'll likely stop going for a bit...
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      09-07-2010, 07:36 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by epbrown View Post
Yeah, right. I met dekaliber at a ChiTownM meet, and I make it to about one a month. There are pics of me talking to Anthony and a buddy of his next to my car at a recent meet, though I'm not that fond of the new meet site. As it gets colder, I'll likely stop going for a bit...
I also very rarely make an appearance, just the same guys and cars over and over again gets dull, let me know when u go next so we can meet up, i wanna see your car still
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      09-07-2010, 09:53 AM   #18
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I might go if you guys do as well. Alternately, we could just arrange a Z meet at some point that's convenient for all. Weekends usually work better for me anyway.

Also, I'll be at the next and last autocross for the year with BMWCCA on 10/3 at Maywood Park, if anyone else is interested.
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      10-10-2010, 06:10 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottinSSMD View Post
I have a hide-away type that I slide in for shows and cruises, then pull out for regular driving and parking in the city. Google hide away license plate. Paid $50 shipped from Summit, I believe.
I ordered this for my Z4 and after I put it in place I noticed you loose a full inch of clearance and since my bumper is already bumpin' on everything I figured this was just going to get destroyed and eventually fall off. So Im returning it.

I have the sports package, from what I understand it is lower than the non-sport.
so maybe it will work ok for cars with more clearance.


I will try out the tow hook plate, seems pretty straight forward. unfortunately parking in the city without front plates is a sure ticket.
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      04-19-2011, 12:46 PM   #20
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Just bought my first M in Las Vegas and drove it home via LA and the 101 to San Francisco last week. Apparently there's no front plate law in Nevada so the bumper is pristine. I think I'll leave the front end that way until I get pulled over. If I remember correctly it's just a fix-it ticket here in CA. I drove my old Z3 around for a long time before being cited for it. And then I think all I had to do was have an officer sign off on the correction.

p.s. I'm in love with my car. I have a problem.
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      04-19-2011, 02:50 PM   #21
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I've been driving in CA for ~30 years, most of the time with no front plates. Never got pulled over in the Volvo, 3-Series, Talon Tsi, or other cars. I got pulled over a couple of months ago, Saturday night, busy intersection, for no front plate. I'm sure they were looking for something else....
$25 fix-it ticket, I ended up buying both a GoMiniGo bracket and the Rho bracket. Both are very nice, and well made. I would recommend either. I ended up keeping the GoMiniGo bracket for the Zed (in the trunk after the ticket was signed off), and put the Rho on my wife's E90. She's not a risk taker....
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      06-08-2011, 09:28 AM   #22
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I bought the Skene design license plate bracket and used 3M tape and rare earth magnets to hold it to the car. The magnets are pretty strong but I worry that driving on the highway I will hit a bump at speed and my plate goes flying and injures someone. Around town I will keep it on but on the highway I will remove it for safety reasons. Don't really want to drill into the bottom of the bumper to make it permanent either.
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