# What amount of bragging is accceptable? German plates? Vignettes?



## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

eazy said:


> Does anyone still have this sticker after redelivery I do and I am keeping it


What level of bragging is acceptable, in your opinion?

1. German Zoll license plate in front (for states without a front plate)?
2. German Zoll license plate mounted behind U.S. rear plate?
3. Swiss or Austrian vignette (toll sticker)
4. Umweltplakette (green environmental sticker to drive in some German downtown areas)
5. European license plate holder (with no German license plate) but the U.S. plate has two holes drilled to fasten to the license plate frame. This makes it look like you have a German spec car and are trying to fit the U.S. plate to the car.
6. any combination of the above

I was thinking of #4. Very subtle. Maybe fewer than 1 in a 1,000 people seeing the car will notice it. I don't like #2. #5 is intriguing but probably too odd.


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## Zeichen311 (Mar 31, 2011)

#1 is a minor affectation...most people won't even notice, some might think it kind of cool and to the rest you'll look, as Jeremy Clarkson puts it, "a bit of a berk." 
#2 and #5 just look stupid. License plates are next to invisible anyway (barring traffic incidents ) so I don't quite get why people get in such a twist over them.
#3 and #4...again, hardly anyone will notice. They make nice conversation starters for those few who do notice.

Rather than think of it as degrees of bragging, perhaps it's better to just think of them as souvenirs....


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## alee (Dec 19, 2001)

Take a look at other people's cars... people put crazy crap on their cars and they don't think twice about it. Sports team flags, bumper stickers, dolls on the grill, etc. Do what makes you happy!


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## lakerslive2004 (Mar 9, 2013)

alee said:


> Take a look at other people's cars... people put crazy crap on their cars and they don't think twice about it. Sports team flags, bumper stickers, dolls on the grill, etc. Do what makes you happy!


I agree with this. If you don't care what other people think, do what you want.

Having said that, if you do care what other people think, I would say that the average person thinks that leaving German plates on your car is a jerk move. It's perceived as going out of your way to say "my car is special."

I do think that keeping the green Umwelt sticker is really cool. Only people already "in the know" will know what it is and it's not really noticeable to all. I would not mind if my car still had it on when it's redelivered.

What do you think about getting a vanity plate in the pattern of a Zoll plate? I was thinking of getting the California plate "M #### Z"


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## alee (Dec 19, 2001)

lakerslive2004 said:


> What do you think about getting a vanity plate in the pattern of a Zoll plate? I was thinking of getting the California plate "M #### Z"


I applied for a NY BMWCCA plate for M2038Z. Should get it in 6 more weeks.


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## 3ismagic# (Mar 17, 2011)

Any combo of 1,3,4 is acceptable 2&5 are kinda Dooshy.


Sent from BimmerApp mobile app


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## Kappie (Jul 1, 2011)

I kept my German plate on the front, even though NYS doesn't allow - I'm such a rebel..... I have my vignettes from Austria and Czech Republic. And I kept my Umweltplakette sticker as well. I think of them as souvenirs, more so than bragging. It matters not what others think, I'm happy with leaving them on. Looking at them every time I drive reminds my of such a good time in Europe!


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## Zeichen311 (Mar 31, 2011)

lakerslive2004 said:


> I do think that keeping the green Umwelt sticker is really cool. Only people already "in the know" will know what it is and it's not really noticeable to all. *I would not mind if my car still had it on when it's redelivered.*


A few days before your car hits port, remind your dealer not to remove the vignettes and/or _Umweltplakette_ during new-car prep. Also, if you did not leave a note in the car, the dealer can relay a message to the VDC to ask that the stickers be left alone.



Kappie said:


> Looking at them every time I drive reminds my of such a good time in Europe!


+1000! :thumbup:


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## bfv (Sep 30, 2010)

Can you put autobahn under your car? I will appreciate it for sure.


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## BobcatWong (Jun 5, 2013)

I have NEVER seen the Green Enviro sticker here, on ANY bimmer. That would be special & more subtle than the German plates. Only Festers will know what that is... like a secret hand shake. wink wink.


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## edx1 (Oct 17, 2012)

Do what you want and don't care what others think. No one has a right to tell you (besides laws) what you can and can't do with your own vehicle. So what if someone you pass doesn't like it, chances are very low that it will have absolutely any impact on you. 

In some places where I travel, you don't want to stand out in any way because if you do someone will be very proud that they'll damage your car. *sigh*. Having a German plate is now considered showing off even more than say owning a several hundred thousand dollar car.

#1 is what I've seen the most but really only on VW's and Audi's. My sister during college 20 years ago had a family friend in Germany get actual German plates with "203 EHL UT" because her actual Utah plate was "203 EHL" and there is a town(city?) in Germany that used the letters UT for its plates. "Stupid" and "show off" were a few things I heard others say to her, I think it was primarily jealousy because back then it was just starting as a thing to do to European designed cars. She liked though and kept it. She was also pulled over a few times for it then let off because the cops figured she could be tracked down easily if someone reported the plate, being that it matched her real plate and she had the regular state plate on the back. I'm not sure she could get away with it as much now.

I have also seen one BMW, a VW and two Audi's with fake German plates on the front of English words, not actual plates and that seems to be better accepted than an actual German plate. It's almost like an English word is a form of expression whereas an actual German plate is showing off. :dunno:

I saw #2 once but I only have my opinion and that is it looks odd.

#3 and #4 IMO are a good way to indicate what you've done and maybe get a wave from someone you pass that's done it too and understands how great ED is. Most people won't notice including people who will take it as bragging. It's hard for someone to think you're bragging when they don't know about or understand the vignettes, and if they do they probably won't take it as showing off.
#5 I've never seen and I think it would look like someone got the wrong bracket and was too dumb or lazy to order the right bracket, unless you had a British Taxi or antique car that's obviously imported.

Front plates are required where I live however many cars do not have one and I think the car looks better without a front plate so I'm going without one until I get a fix-it ticket. I will also be requesting a custom plate with M####Z which might stand out to the usual '### LLL' format in the state but it's also less showy than vanity plates with names, phrases, and so on IMO. Few people will get it and others will probably just figure it's a fleet vehicle or something.  Maybe if I go to a bimmerfest or local bmw meet I might throw on the front German plate for the day because I think it's a good conversation starter for people interested in doing an ED and because people there probably have more important things to care about and wouldn't think a license plate could possibly considered a form of bragging. I've also wondered about a license plate holder that says something like "I'd rather be back on the Autobahn" or something along that line because I think there should be some way to say the car has been driven at high speeds in Germany, just like people who have decals for all the US states they've been to that aren't looked down upon. So far I have a small, subtle Nurburgring decal that will make its way into the back right window. I might try to find a vinyl printer for the letters "ED" or the date I was at the track because, again, only people who know what the track is would probably "get" it.


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## EDF30 (Mar 3, 2012)

I find this conversation kind of funny as there are a certain percentage of people who will think you are a dooshy show off because you drive a BMW no matter what plates or decals you have on your car. Do what makes you happy and don't worry about *********s who are jealous of your car.


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## CTSoxFan (Oct 20, 2006)

lakerslive2004 said:


> I agree with this. If you don't care what other people think, do what you want.
> 
> Having said that, if you do care what other people think, I would say that the average person thinks that leaving German plates on your car is a jerk move. It's perceived as going out of your way to say "my car is special."
> 
> ...


I plan on doing this upon my redelivery...For most it will mean nothing, but to me it has special meaning.


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## fordan (Jun 7, 2009)

I kept the green environmental sticker and the Austrian & Swiss vignettes. My state requires a front plate so I didn't keep the German temp plate on the car, but don't see an issue if your state doesn't require a front plate. I do think that ignoring your state law to mount your own German plate instead of the state one smacks about too much of "look at me in this car; I don't need to obey local laws" vs not running a front plate at all.


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## pawarrant (Jun 15, 2006)

I kept my stickers on and the front plate, since Pennsylvania does not require a front plate.


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

I've seen this type of license plate configuration many times.










My conclusion is that the rear license plate area for a F30 (3 series) is very nicely done, making it look natural if your car uses German plates or U.S. plates. In the past, some cars were clearly designed for German plates in that they had a wide area but the height was too short. This made the U.S. plates look out of place. For those cars, #5 fills the area better and takes your eye away from the small part of the U.S. plate that is too low.

The difference between the BMW and this Volvo is that the bottom edge of the U.S. plate is not so close to the bottom edge of the plate recess. The left and right edges of the plate recess in the BMW is also less abrupt and a gradual change in elevation. Lastly, the BMW configuration is such that either plate sits a little higher in the recess. Close attention to detail in the rear license plate area in the F30 is nice!


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## AggieKnight (Dec 26, 2008)

I have my plate on my car because every time I look at it, it makes me smile even more than the car does by itself. If other people don't like it, they can pound sand. There are a lot of uglier things people put on their cars...like those stupid Rudolf antlers during the X-mas holidays..

That being said, I love the double takes and the looks that it gets. Actually had to explain that the car was purchased in Germany to a couple of elderly folks in upstate NY yesterday who were mega confused.

Below is ED2 sporting her front plate from the B&B that my wife and I are staying at tonight in Vermont.


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## alee (Dec 19, 2001)

AggieKnight said:


> Actually had to explain that the car was purchased in Germany to a couple of elderly folks in upstate NY yesterday who were mega confused.


I actually love the ED conversations I have had since picking the car up. On the trip back to NYC, a gas station owner in Virginia came out, noticed the new car with temp SC plates on it, and asked me which dealer I went to.

I explained to him I bought it from a dealer in CA, took delivery of the car in Germany, picked it up in SC and was headed home to NY. I ended up spending about 30 min at the gas station with him, explaining how the program worked. Turns out he was in the market to buy a Benz next year, and has been planning on a trip to Europe for a long time to take his wife who has never been. Told him he could do all of the above in 1 trip.

I gave him a few keywords to search with, gave him my email address and wished him luck. Hoping he'll email me sometime in the future to let me know if he actually made the trip to do ED.


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## Kamdog (Apr 15, 2007)

3ismagic# said:


> Any combo of 1,3,4 is acceptable 2&5 are kinda Dooshy.
> 
> Sent from BimmerApp mobile app


This.

You want the cogniscenti to be aware, not the dolts.


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## E92Carrera (Aug 6, 2007)

I don't know about bragging but I kept my Umweltplakette and Swiss/Austrian vignette, it's a good story if anyone asks what the stickers are for and a nice reminder. As far as plates, I ordered german plates with my CA number for the front, I think it's ugly IMHO if you cover the german plate with a US plate, so the front IMHO looks amazing with the german plate.


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