# Yup, a "Fix it" Ticket for no front License plate in CA



## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

This morning I was dropping of my brother and his girlfriend at LAX for their flight back to the Netherlands. We are driving in the departure section on LAX and this Motor Cop is right behind me and ofcourse, pulls me over.... 
He tells me I did not do anything wrong but at the red light just before you enter LAX they take a picture of every car to verify the owner etc, there was no front plate on my car so they told me to fix it and show it at the West Los Angeles station along with the $50 fee...  
I actually dropped off my collegue from NJ yesterday evening around 7pm at the same terminal (#7) so be aware...


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

I got one in Seattle, and it was a genuine "fix-it" ticket. Put the plate on the car, fax a picture in with a copy of the ticket, byebye ticket.


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

The Roadstergal said:


> I got one in Seattle, and it was a genuine "fix-it" ticket. Put the plate on the car, fax a picture in with a copy of the ticket, byebye ticket.


So no fee to pay...? I thought a fix it ticket was free but just for you to show that you have changed the item that needed to be fixed...

It says Correctable Violation, Yes Code and Section is 5207 O35 VCALL Description is w/b NO FRONT LIC P.... and Infraction is circled...
does someone know if that requires me to pay a fee or a fine or something...? Don't care about the 50 bucks but I rather not pay it...


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

mgorgel said:


> This morning I was dropping of my brother and his girlfriend at LAX for their flight back to the Netherlands. We are driving in the departure section on LAX and this Motor Cop is right behind me and ofcourse, pulls me over....
> He tells me I did not do anything wrong but at the red light just before you enter LAX they take a picture of every car to verify the owner etc, there was no front plate on my car so they told me to fix it and show it at the West Los Angeles station along with the $50 fee...
> I actually dropped off my collegue from NJ yesterday evening around 7pm at the same terminal (#7) so be aware...


LAX is horrible about that. I was packed in a disabled spot for a weekend. I got back from my trip to find a ticket for no front license plate.

What sort of evil parking nazi gives people in handicapped spots tickets? That means the d!ck was looking for a reason to give me a ticket!

I feel your pain. I can't even take my 330i in there as I lost my front plate at some point. If I get that ticket it'll be hellishly difficult.


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## Jeff_DML (Mar 13, 2002)

mgorgel said:


> This morning I was dropping of my brother and his girlfriend at LAX for their flight back to the Netherlands. We are driving in the departure section on LAX and this Motor Cop is right behind me and ofcourse, pulls me over....
> He tells me I did not do anything wrong but at the red light just before you enter LAX they take a picture of every car to verify the owner etc, there was no front plate on my car so they told me to fix it and show it at the West Los Angeles station along with the $50 fee...
> I actually dropped off my collegue from NJ yesterday evening around 7pm at the same terminal (#7) so be aware...


sorry to hear that.

Both of our cars do not have fron plates so I guess we cannot got to LAX  Actually for the wagon the front plate can be put on pretty easy since it attaches with via the trim piece


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

LAX is notorious. What I've heard is if you have a car parked there with no plate, that there will be a ticket waiting for you when you get back. Because of Homeland Security, parked cars at airports get lotsa scrutiny nowadays.


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## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

So the stories about this happening at LAX are true huh.... :eeps: Where's my double-sticky tape at..... :eeps: :eeps:


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## djw521 (Jan 30, 2003)

What's the BIG DEAL. The law says front license plates are required. Not an option. 

Secondly the officer said there is a camera that is taking pictures and for identification purposes they want the front license plate. It is a security issue. The world is differant since 9/11. Live with it.


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## Jever (Apr 16, 2003)

mgorgel said:


> So no fee to pay...? I thought a fix it ticket was free but just for you to show that you have changed the item that needed to be fixed...
> 
> ...


Where I live it's the judges option wether or not to stick you w/ a fine or not. I had a headlight out once and got a fixit ticket. Went to court, showed the light went home w/ just a warning from the judge about how dangerous it was or something like that. A couple years later I got hit w/ no headlight as it literally crapped out as I was driving. Cop pulls me over, didn't believe my story and I went to court. Judge hit me w/ 170$ fine even though I had fixed it.


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## Jever (Apr 16, 2003)

> What sort of evil parking nazi gives people in handicapped spots tickets?


I'm sorry, not to be a dick but what difference does it make if one is disabled or not? The law is the law no? Or is there an exception that I wasn't aware of?



> What's the BIG DEAL. The law says front license plates are required. Not an option.


 Thank you! I got kind of jumped about this in an earlier thread about people not wanting to put it on b/c of the aesthetics of their front end or something silly like that.


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## RCK (Jan 29, 2003)

doeboy said:


> Where's my double-sticky tape at..... :eeps: :eeps:


Good idea, never thought of that. :thumbup: :bigpimp:


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

djw521 said:


> What's the BIG DEAL. The law says front license plates are required. Not an option.
> 
> Secondly the officer said there is a camera that is taking pictures and for identification purposes they want the front license plate. It is a security issue. The world is differant since 9/11. Live with it.


A. and you follow the speed laws too? betcha never rolled a stop sign either. law shmaw...

B. security my butt. it's a revenue generator and way to harass decent people. 9/11 is just an excuse. as if a front plate has ANYTHING to do with a terrorist.


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

Jever said:


> I'm sorry, not to be a dick but what difference does it make if one is disabled or not? The law is the law no? Or is there an exception that I wasn't aware of?


The law is the law. I don't like that sanctimonious attitude when it's highly unlikely you've never knowingly broken laws.

I find it a little disturbing that the parking nazis in 2001 (before 9/11) were wandering through LAX's parking structures, walking between cars to find a reason to ticket people. If the car is parked nose in that means an a-hole parking nazi had to walk betwen my car and another one, look at the front of my car and give me a ticket. That's an inordinate amount of effort and to do so for what good reason? City revenue. It has nothing to do with the law and everything to do with reeming people.

1998 in San Diego the parking nazis were handing out tickets if ANYONE's wheels touched the blue line on a disabled spot. that includes people with a placard. I got one as my rear tire was on the line. $371 ticket. I fought it too. When I attended my hearing I discoverd a waiting room filled with disabled people - all for the same thing. The little [email protected] were roaming SD looking to punish people. Again, it wasn't about the law but revenue. My tire on the blue line wouldn't have hindered anyone.

I won by the way. I argued that the point of law isn't just to punish but to moderate behavior. I told him that i have changed and that i let others know about the draconian ticketing policy. To this day I warn people when I see their tires on the blue line.



> Thank you! I got kind of jumped about this in an earlier thread about people not wanting to put it on b/c of the aesthetics of their front end or something silly like that.


Aesthetically, I don't like it. I haven't had a front plate on a car since my old college 91 Stanza. I won't have one on any of my cars. The back plate is good enough. When I'm in LA i worry about those unsavory little turds ticketing me but I'd rather not mar the lines of my car.

BTW, there isn't a location for me to affix my plate either. My dealer never installed the plate thing.


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

djw521 said:


> What's the BIG DEAL. The law says front license plates are required. Not an option.
> 
> Secondly the officer said there is a camera that is taking pictures and for identification purposes they want the front license plate. It is a security issue. The world is differant since 9/11. Live with it.


I understand that it is required but in Down Town Los Angeles, Pasadena and Woodland Hills they couldn't care less if you have a front plate yes or no...

I think it's even better that they check cars like that at LAX so no problem. Next time I head for LAX I will put the plates on and take 'm off at home again...


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## LA525iT (Oct 27, 2003)

Those F-ers at LAX sent my wife a parking ticket because when she picked me up (I just hopped in the car, had no luggage to load) she stopped more than 18" from the curb (she couldnt fit the car in between the other cars and she didnt block any traffic).

They should be looking out for Al-Qaeda but instead they target yuppies who dont get close enough to curbs. Shiite.


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## TLudwig (Mar 30, 2004)

Having a front license plate is the law in many states (mine included), so I won't be happy if and when I get a fix-it ticket, but I won't complain about a law enforcement officer just doing his job. Especially at an airport, it is very important to be able to identify all the vehicles coming and going. This identification process is made much easier and more efficient by automatic means, rather than having someone walk through the parking lot every 5 minutes copying down license plate numbers. The extra security is absolutely necessary, and the law is the law.

That being said, I don't use a front license plate because they ruin the front of the car. In Dallas (I haven't used the Houston airports since I've moved down here), they had cameras that would photograph the rear license plate, which makes much more sense. 

In the future, when I have to go to the airport, I'll simply put the license plate up behind my windshield on the dash (I keep the extra plate in my glovebox anyways). I don't know if that's good enough in California, but it is here in TX.

Those traffic cops at LAX do seem a bit uptight though. Sounds like a couple of people here have gotten some ridiculous tickets from them. I wonder who gets the revenue from these LAX tickets...


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## rruiter (Feb 10, 2004)

mgorgel said:


> This morning I was dropping of my brother and his girlfriend at LAX for their flight back to the Netherlands. We are driving in the departure section on LAX and this Motor Cop is right behind me and ofcourse, pulls me over....
> He tells me I did not do anything wrong but at the red light just before you enter LAX they take a picture of every car to verify the owner etc, there was no front plate on my car so they told me to fix it and show it at the West Los Angeles station along with the $50 fee...
> I actually dropped off my collegue from NJ yesterday evening around 7pm at the same terminal (#7) so be aware...


Time to move away from the peoples republic of California to a no-front-plate state (like Arizona) :rofl:


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## rruiter (Feb 10, 2004)

LA525iT said:


> Those F-ers at LAX sent my wife a parking ticket because when she picked me up (I just hopped in the car, had no luggage to load) she stopped more than 18" from the curb (she couldnt fit the car in between the other cars and she didnt block any traffic).
> 
> They should be looking out for Al-Qaeda but instead they target yuppies who dont get close enough to curbs. Shiite.


Easy money, that's what it is. Why do a risky business like catch car thieves when you can reel in the money by just walking around writing tickets for stupid stuff that won't hurt anyone ?
Damn nazi's I tell you. it's all about revenue.


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## rruiter (Feb 10, 2004)

TLudwig said:


> Having a front license plate is the law in many states (mine included), so I won't be happy if and when I get a fix-it ticket, but I won't complain about a law enforcement officer just doing his job. Especially at an airport, it is very important to be able to identify all the vehicles coming and going. This identification process is made much easier and more efficient by automatic means, rather than having someone walk through the parking lot every 5 minutes copying down license plate numbers. The extra security is absolutely necessary, and the law is the law.


Dude, it's a stupid system. If they think it's so important, why not take a picture of every car from the back ? There ARE states that do not require a front plate and they DO get into the LAX airport. Some dumb*ss wasn't thinking when he set this up. Any possible terrorist will hire a car in az and drive it perfectly legal thru this check.
:tsk: :tsk: :tsk: :tsk: :tsk:


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## TLudwig (Mar 30, 2004)

rruiter said:


> Dude, it's a stupid system. If they think it's so important, why not take a picture of every car from the back ? There ARE states that do not require a front plate and they DO get into the LAX airport. Some dumb*ss wasn't thinking when he set this up. Any possible terrorist will hire a car in az and drive it perfectly legal thru this check.
> :tsk: :tsk: :tsk: :tsk: :tsk:


I agree with you completely; read the second paragraph of my post. I implied the same thing, but in less detail.


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## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

PhilK said:


> I drive without a front plate, but just because the law is there that you are required to have a front plate doesn't mean you need to affix it to the bumper. You can have it on your dashboard (still as ugly) and that would be acceptable.


Check again. License plate must be securely mounted. Putting it on your dash is not securely mounted. It must essentially be clearly displayed and unobstructed. Not legal.


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

So I paid for my fix it ticket, $15 the cop took a look and told me it was ok. Then he told me to go stand in line at the payment office... That was very nasty, all these nasty people... wow... so I'm standing in line, there is this guy who has to pay for crossing a double yellow line into a car pool lane... $2,750.... howly sh*t....:yikes: :yikes: Prices went up from $275 to $325 for this offence plus you are breaking about 10 other rules when crossing a double yellow into a car pool lane here in L.A. 
Then there is another guy that did not pay for his fix it ticket for his front license plate like mine, he got a failure to apear and his fine was now $675 instead of $25....:yikes: 
I'm very happy to pay my $25 and get the F out of that place...:thumbup:


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## doeboy (Sep 20, 2002)

mgorgel said:


> So I paid for my fix it ticket, $15 the cop took a look and told me it was ok. Then he told me to go stand in line at the payment office... That was very nasty, all these nasty people... wow... so I'm standing in line, there is this guy who has to pay for crossing a double yellow line into a car pool lane... $2,750.... howly sh*t....:yikes: :yikes: Prices went up from $275 to $325 for this offence plus you are breaking about 10 other rules when crossing a double yellow into a car pool lane here in L.A.


Yikes.... he must've really pissed off the officer if he got 10 violations on the same ticket... :yikes: uch:


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

doeboy said:


> Yikes.... he must've really pissed off the officer if he got 10 violations on the same ticket... :yikes: uch:


I know, I was just thinking better him then me....:fruit:


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## Patrick330i (Sep 30, 2002)

mgorgel said:


> This morning I was dropping of my brother and his girlfriend at LAX for their flight back to the Netherlands. We are driving in the departure section on LAX and this Motor Cop is right behind me and ofcourse, pulls me over....
> He tells me I did not do anything wrong but at the red light just before you enter LAX they take a picture of every car to verify the owner etc, there was no front plate on my car so they told me to fix it and show it at the West Los Angeles station along with the $50 fee...
> I actually dropped off my collegue from NJ yesterday evening around 7pm at the same terminal (#7) so be aware...


Wow, it is hard to argue with that one. LAX is a b*tch to deal with now. You just prove the point. Of course, it's not like you can fly out of OC, Burbank, Ontario, or LB to go to the Netherlands. I avoid LAX whenever possible, which is always!  But back to your ticket. Unfortunately, the rationale makes more sense in this case than in any other case I have ever heard of. Now, OTOH, what if you have a car registered in AZ? AZ doesn't have front plates. Doesn't LE face the same problem with AZ that they faced with you? Well, I guess you could have had the front plate and it is much more likely that a CA-registered car will be driving through LAX rather than a car from AZ.


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## Patrick330i (Sep 30, 2002)

BMW4phillygirl said:


> I heard the authorities were cracking down on non-CA registered cars, too. I guess a lot of people were avoiding the high registration fees for CA, so they would live here without registering their car in CA.


No, you are absolutely right. CHP even has the crackdown advertised on their website, but I was referring to a legitimate AZ plate at LAX. You know how the Zonies are this time of year, "we'll take a trip out to the coast, beat the heat, have a few laughs..." :rofl:

Most out of state plates I see in So.Cal. are NV, AZ, OR, WA, and Texas. In no particular order.


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## Patrick330i (Sep 30, 2002)

BMW4phillygirl said:


> Don't forget those new-fangled ones from Mexico. I did a double-take at Target last weekend trying to figure whose state that new plate belonged to, when I realized it was a whole different COUNTRY's plate.... BTW - it was on a brand new Caddy.


You are right. I forgot about those colorful plates from Baja California Frontera (border zone). Yep, they have a special border zone plate. I am not sure why, but it has been this way for as long as I can remember.


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

BMW4phillygirl said:


> I'm glad you're done with it... and that it didn't cost you too much.
> 
> I only skimmed the previous responses above... but, I have no real sympathy for people who willingly break the law and then cry about it. I KNOW I'm breaking the law when I speed, yet I do it anyway. When I get a ticket, I pay the fine and go on. I don't cry about how it's just revenue generation (which I believe.) I still knew it was against the law and I did it. Just because I disagree with the law doesn't make it fine for me to break the law. I still have to pay the price for breaking it. Saying that your car didn't come with a license plate holder is another excuse that isn't likely to buy you anything in court. I considered getting my bimmer without the front license plate holder, but when I shelled out almost $400 for a vanity plate, I figured I should at least show off my expense and not risk getting a ticket to boot. :rofl:


 Yeah, I'm happy it's over... another thing that I don't have to think about anymore... I'm not crying about it I'm just paying the fine and moving on... But I don't understand people that don't take care of a little thing like this and then whine at court that after not paying twice and a failure to appear now all of a sudden they have to pay almost $700... which I understand.
I just leave the front plate on it because I'm flying to Tucson tomorrow and I don't want to get the same ticket again...:thumbup:


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## MG67 (Aug 19, 2003)

Patrick330i said:


> Wow, it is hard to argue with that one. LAX is a b*tch to deal with now. You just prove the point. Of course, it's not like you can fly out of OC, Burbank, Ontario, or LB to go to the Netherlands. I avoid LAX whenever possible, which is always!  But back to your ticket. Unfortunately, the rationale makes more sense in this case than in any other case I have ever heard of. Now, OTOH, what if you have a car registered in AZ? AZ doesn't have front plates. Doesn't LE face the same problem with AZ that they faced with you? Well, I guess you could have had the front plate and it is much more likely that a CA-registered car will be driving through LAX rather than a car from AZ.


 Some flights are difficult, especially to Mexico City or Tucson like my flight tomorrow. Southwest only fly's from Bur to Vegas and then Tucson, only a couple of directs. With regards to the ticket, I'm focusing in on my speeding ticket in South Pasadena, 40 in 25 zone...:tsk: The officer told me, you can ask the judge for a 12 hour traffic school to take it off your record... Then I read the ticket, it says if it is your second offense within a 18 month period you are alowed to go to traffic school again for 12 hours but the point will stay on your record... so what's the point in going if it will remain...:dunno:


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## Patrick330i (Sep 30, 2002)

mgorgel said:


> Some flights are difficult, especially to Mexico City or Tucson like my flight tomorrow. Southwest only fly's from Bur to Vegas and then Tucson, only a couple of directs. With regards to the ticket, I'm focusing in on my speeding ticket in South Pasadena, 40 in 25 zone...:tsk: The officer told me, you can ask the judge for a 12 hour traffic school to take it off your record... Then I read the ticket, it says if it is your second offense within a 18 month period you are alowed to go to traffic school again for 12 hours but the point will stay on your record... so what's the point in going if it will remain...:dunno:


Yep, that is the traffic rule. It might be that it used to be for a preceeding 12 month period, but if it is 18, it is 18. There'd be no point to going. So I take it this is your 2nd moving violation within the period? Sucks.

As for the regionals, I hear you. SW does fly into Ontario, but I guess the schedule isn't good. The general rule is that if you are flying to the east (PHX and VEGAS excepted), then the regional airports may not be of much help to you. If you are flying up and down the west coast, the regionals are AWESOME! :thumbup:

Have a good flight.


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