Front license plate

[doctorz]

Those of you with a front license plate--do you have a bracket, or is your license plate screwed directly into the bumper? Our dealer screwed our plate directly into the bumper and told us that there aren't any brackets available. Since there are so few 5s out there I can't verify, but I was told no front license plate brackets exist for Mazda6s, yet one moved onto our street a few months ago (from Wisconsin) and it has one. So now I'm skeptical.

 

[da1nonly]

I got the dealer branded bracket with the plate inside of it screwed directly into the bumper....

 

[We&2kids]

No I don't have any bracket. Screwed right on the bumper.

 

[perfecto]

I wish mine wasn't screwed into the bumper, but it is.

 

[geezerz99]

mine is screwed but took it off and zip tied it on the grill (left side, jdm style) looks better i have to say. Then bought a plastic screw hole cap to fill the whole. i know for a fact the 6's has a plate housing with a bracket coz my brother owns one.

 

[monsta]

Ditto the above. Screwed right into the bumper. Talk about cheap...

 

[jandree22]

I never understood the requirement for front plates on cars. The very few situations where benefits are yielded from a front mount plate have gotta be very outweighed by the cost. PA thankfully doesn't make you put one on the front, but we're literally surrounded by states that do, so I wouldn't be surprised if that changed sometime in the future

 

[MD5]

I never understood the requirement for front plates on cars. The very few situations where benefits are yielded from a front mount plate have gotta be very outweighed by the cost. PA thankfully doesn't make you put one on the front, but we're literally surrounded by states that do, so I wouldn't be surprised if that changed sometime in the future

The requirement is for the following reasons:

1. To readily identify vehicles from BOTH ends
2. To identify vehicles involved in hit and run incidents. Those front brackets (and in our instance, no bracket) means that they break easily and leave the plate at the scene of the crime.

I'm sure I'm missing something, but I'll remember and post later.

Matt

 

[SeminoleMan]

I'm sure I'm missing something, but I'll remember and post later.Matt

The front license plate also helps cops running speed traps because it is a large reflective surface. It's an excellent target for their radar.

 

[Wytchdctr]

I stuck the dealership plate thing behind the real plate to protect the paint. No holder.

 

[perfecto]

mine is screwed but took it off and zip tied it on the grill (left side, jdm style) looks better i have to say. Then bought a plastic screw hole cap to fill the whole. i know for a fact the 6's has a plate housing with a bracket coz my brother owns one.

Is that entirely safe - isn't it blocking airflow?

 

[MD5]

The front license plate also helps cops running speed traps because it is a large reflective surface. It's an excellent target for their radar.

Not really.

Radar bounces of the entire vehicle, where laser/Lidar is a much smaller focused beam. Police don't need the license plate when you have a huge headlight that conveniently has a reflector behind it.

 

[2cam16]

Unfortunately screwed directly to the bumper.(pissed)

 

[doctorz]

Thanks all. There's a chance we may move to a different state in 18 months, and I'm also wondering if taking a plate on and off is good (or bad) for the holes that are currently in the bumper. Doesn't sound like there's much I can do. At least the dealer put the plate on straight and in a decent location.

 

[dommo_g]

Those bastards screwed the bracket right to the bumper before I had a chance to tell them not to. Cause when the car was on the showroom floor, it didn't have it on. I guess now it doesn't matter since the front bumper got smeared on the concrete like so many white cockroaches.

 

[MD5]

Those bastards screwed the bracket right to the bumper before I had a chance to tell them not to. Cause when the car was on the showroom floor, it didn't have it on. I guess now it doesn't matter since the front bumper got smeared on the concrete like so many white cockroaches.

Since your poor 5 got totalled, you can make a note of it to tell them beforehand not to do the same thing.

When I buy a new car, I tell them NOT to put a sticker backed piece of chromed plastic on the back advertising their dealership. I've actually refused delivery once because of it.

 

[MD5]

When I took delivery, they had already put screws in the bumper, I just left the screws in. One day when I have the time/gumption, I'm gonna rough them up and paint them with touchup paint to match the bumper.

 

[SeminoleMan]

Not really.

Radar bounces of the entire vehicle, where laser/Lidar is a much smaller focused beam. Police don't need the license plate when you have a huge headlight that conveniently has a reflector behind it.

You're right about radar, but I stand by the license plates use as a target by Police in speed traps which is more the focus than the technology used to catch speeders.

In the 17 states that do not use front plates the headlight housings are used as a target for Laser guns, but in states where front plates are mandated they are the primary target because of the flat reflective surface.

http://www.blinder.dk/sml.htm

You get partial credit.

 

[the_saint]

I stuck the dealership plate thing behind the real plate to protect the paint. No holder.

ditto

 

[MD5]

You're right about radar, but I stand by the license plates use as a target by Police in speed traps which is more the focus than the technology used to catch speeders.

In the 17 states that do not use front plates the headlight housings are used as a target for Laser guns, but in states where front plates are mandated they are the primary target because of the flat reflective surface.

http://www.blinder.dk/sml.htm

You get partial credit.

The front plate is convenient to use, but it the absence of one, the headlight is just as good.

I am stating this out of experience, not as the results of a web search(five-0)