# keep Euro front plate in CA?



## qqwwzyn (Jan 27, 2014)

Hi guys, my E-D 435i just arrived yesterday and I went to dealership to pick it up as quickly as I can. The moment I saw it I felt the long wait time is worth it.

However, I notice that both front and back euro plates are still attached. Didn't ask to attain them but somehow they are still there. So I'm thinking to keep the front plate and put on my CA back plate when it arrives. I've searched the internet and read a lot of unpleasant experiences of people being pulled over by cops because they didn't have front plates/have euro front plates. I want to ask for your opinions if I should take the risk. If you have similar experiences, don't hesitate to share with me! 

BTW, I live in the Bay Area...Thank you all!


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## sfbayrealtor1 (Jan 19, 2006)

Congrats on the new car!

I'm an sf bay area resident as well.
I'd leave the german plates on; like a badge of honor, right?? 

But be prepared to get pulled over. I think I've gotten pulled over at least once or twice during the few weeks waiting for California plates (each time after having done an ED). But they never gave me a ticket...as long as you have your temporary registration on hand.

But don't give them another reason to pull you over! 

Cheers!


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## qqwwzyn (Jan 27, 2014)

sfbayrealtor1 said:


> Congrats on the new car!
> 
> I'm an sf bay area resident as well.
> I'd leave the german plates on; like a badge of honor, right??
> ...


Thanks for sharing your experiences! Yeah it looks like people do get pullled over for not having front plate or having euro plates

How did you put on your CA plates after they arrived? Does it require drilling? If I can't do it by myself I guess I need to go to the dealership and have them do that for me.


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## RDL53 (Jun 5, 2013)

East Bay, one year now.
Drove the car to Vegas and back in April.
Wave if you see me.


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

I see BMW, Volvo, MBZ and Audi with CA plates over ED plates in LA all the time. :thumbup:

But I think attached pics is too much - why do you have CA LP made as ED plate go over real ED plate?


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## Mpyre (Jun 26, 2009)

I've driven in the bay area without a front plate for >9 years, never been pulled over for it but

I did get ticketed while parked in a metered spot in SF. Parking enforcement in SF is actively ticketing for this.


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## SD ///M4 (Jan 24, 2011)

We had both front and rear Euro plates on our car for eight months before being pulled over. The cop wanted to know how I had a German plate on the car so I explained the BMW Euro Delivery program, told him this is the way it was delivered at our dealer after we were done driving it in Europe. I had the CA plate in the trunk with the exact same number and spacing and told him that I just hadn't found the time to put it on. He let me off with a warning and said that while the Euro plates were cool, that even if they were the same number it wasn't a valid CA plate.

We left the Euro front plate on and it's been almost three years. Haven't been pulled over for that since. We live less than a mile from a police substation but rarely see police cars on the street in our area.


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## Popoemt (Aug 9, 2012)

As a point of law, CA requires front plates that are issued to the vehicle be installed (and CA issues two plates for that reason, 5200 CVC), the dealer will make two holes in the front bumper, there are other creative ways (some people use the same sticky tape the euro plates use to adhere the front plate), or a bracket that comes down from under the front bumper. If you do get stopped and a ticket, it's a fix-it so you can get by with it for about $100 fine and the install of the plates. I think a good way to do it, and avoid the hassle of LE stopping you is to install the front plates, and do the euro under the rear like RDL53 did. Most cops won't actually cite you for it, more as a reason for a stop than anything else.

And Mpyre was right on the money, if you plan on visiting SF, you will... WILL, get a parking ticket, the SF parking folk are on their game with cites... I'm pretty sure it's about $65 for that parking ticket (I think SF has some of the highest fines in CA for parking violations...)


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## qqwwzyn (Jan 27, 2014)

Thank you all for advice. I think I will keep both plates on for a while. After receiving CA plates I would probably just replace them with CA plates. I visit SF every now and then, and being pulled over is the last thing that I want to happen to me.


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

I have a green circular Umweltplaket sticker on the front windshield. That is a subtle souvenir and bragging object.


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## need4speed (May 26, 2006)

Probable cause, probable cause, the police love probable cause.


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## 75fusca (Jan 28, 2014)

RDL53 said:


> East Bay, one year now.
> Drove the car to Vegas and back in April.
> Wave if you see me.


I like how your car looks without the rear model badge !
I noticed that most newer cars in Germany don't have it (one of the options when ordering).


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## stp80 (Dec 17, 2013)

Dave 20T said:


> I have a green circular Umweltplaket sticker on the front windshield. That is a subtle souvenir and bragging object.


That is what I am thinking of doing as well.


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## stp80 (Dec 17, 2013)

75fusca said:


> I like how your car looks without the rear model badge !
> I noticed that most newer cars in Germany don't have it (one of the options when ordering).


I was wondering about this too. I noticed in Europe they must have an option to delete the model badge. Do we have that here too?


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

stp80 said:


> I was wondering about this too. I noticed in Europe they must have an option to delete the model badge. Do we have that here too?


It is an option in Germany but most models sold in the US cannot be ordered like this. There have been posts that the Welt people use a plastic credit card to pop them off.


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## Popoemt (Aug 9, 2012)

Dave 20T said:


> It is an option in Germany but most models sold in the US cannot be ordered like this. There have been posts that the Welt people use a plastic credit card to pop them off.


I think a lot of people take them off with dental floss (someone had a video of it a year or two back on here).

Sent from BimmerApp mobile app


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## Markus_OS (Apr 27, 2013)

Popoemt said:


> I think a lot of people take them off with dental floss (someone had a video of it a year or two back on here).
> 
> Sent from BimmerApp mobile app


Yes, dental floss and a hairblower or hot air fan, to soften the glue under the badge and you can remove it very easily.


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## hyperzulu (Jul 12, 2011)

Some goo-gone will help get rid of any excess glue easily.

I've been thinking about keeping the front zoll plate on, but I have been driving without any plate in the front and only had to deal with parking tickets. I think the issue depends on the driver, the area, the car and the cop. I'm 32 going on 21 by the look of me, taking delivery of a M235i... It may be harder to get away with than with my 335is with no front plate. Absence is less obvious than a big euro plate with red trim, I think.


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## Zoothie (Jul 28, 2013)

I live in SF Bay Area as well, and I think there's a magnitude of difference between not having a front plate and keeping the European one there. The basic question is this: do you want to be pulled over because of this when you had a dinner with a bit of wine and be forced to do the "moon walk dance" or not. People drive for a decade without a front plate, but never for a year with a euro one. Be smart.


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## firstbimmer (May 25, 2006)

Well said. This mimics my driving experience in the SF Bay Area to a T!



Zoothie said:


> I live in SF Bay Area as well, and I think there's a magnitude of difference between not having a front plate and keeping the European one there. The basic question is this: do you want to be pulled over because of this when you had a dinner with a bit of wine and be forced to do the "moon walk dance" or not. People drive for a decade without a front plate, but never for a year with a euro one. Be smart.


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## miata13 (Nov 22, 2007)

*Alternative Front Licence Plate Mounting....*

I also live in a state that requires both front and rear license plates. I retained my Euro front plate and purchased a mounting bracket here: http://www.usmillworks.com/bmw_front_license_plate_mount_bracket_tow_hook.html

Very well made...time will tell if my front "souvenir" ED plate gets any unwanted attention.

Kept the green circular Umwelt sticker on my windshield as well....

(Attached photo is the official Welt delivery photo...not of redelivery with offset front U.S. plate)


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## arktctr (Aug 8, 2006)

Mine just arrived as well and I plan to keep the attached ED plates on just long enough for a "welcome home" photo shoot...I drive the toll roads every day in SoCal and there is a lot of CHP presence seemingly pulling over predominantly vehicles without plates running the tolls. I'm sure the ED plate being on there would just attract more attention that it's worth even if it's cool ( and legal until my real plates arrive) .


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## ZTR (May 31, 2014)

I don't know how more plainly to put this:

Driving around with an expired European tourist license plate on the front, is the legal equivalent of checking to see if an electric fence is on, by peeing on it.


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## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

ZTR said:


> Driving around with an expired European tourist license plate on the front, is the legal equivalent of checking to see if an electric fence is on, by peeing on it.


What's the equivalent of driving around with no plate on the rear?

I was pulled over in TX within 1 week of not having a rear plate on the car, even though it was a newish car from CA with proper registration. I was issued a warning, even though it was legit. I quickly processed by TX registration ASAP after that.

Bottom line, if you want attention, you'll usually get it - but you can't select from what parties it will come from.


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## Popoemt (Aug 9, 2012)

chrischeung said:


> What's the equivalent of driving around with no plate on the rear?
> 
> I was pulled over in TX within 1 week of not having a rear plate on the car, even though it was a newish car from CA with proper registration. I was issued a warning, even though it was legit. I quickly processed by TX registration ASAP after that.
> 
> Bottom line, if you want attention, you'll usually get it - but you can't select from what parties it will come from.


OT:

Chris, on an unrelated note, are you doing a new ED when the time comes for this lease to end?


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

chrischeung said:


> What's the equivalent of driving around with no plate on the rear?
> 
> I was pulled over in TX within 1 week of not having a rear plate on the car, even though it was a newish car from CA with proper registration. I was issued a warning, even though it was legit. I quickly processed by TX registration ASAP after that.
> 
> Bottom line, if you want attention, you'll usually get it - but you can't select from what parties it will come from.


Wait a second... you think it was legitimate to not display any valid license plate or paper permit/buyer's/dealer's tag on the rear of a vehicle? I doubt that there is a state in the U.S.A. that allows a lack of visible registration on the rear of a vehicle, no matter how old/new/newish.

Folks: your Zoll/Tourist plate is EXPIRED after a relatively short time-frame. It's all cool and such to want to display it, but don't get bent out of shape if you get stopped or if you receive a ticket. Seriously. You know it is not legal.

- V

.


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## hyperzulu (Jul 12, 2011)

vmcvey said:


> Wait a second... you think it was legitimate to not display any valid license plate or paper permit/buyer's/dealer's tag on the rear of a vehicle? I doubt that there is a state in the U.S.A. that allows a lack of visible registration on the rear of a vehicle, no matter how old/new/newish.
> 
> Folks: your Zoll/Tourist plate is EXPIRED after a relatively short time-frame. It's all cool and such to want to display it, but don't get bent out of shape if you get stopped or if you receive a ticket. Seriously. You know it is not legal.
> 
> ...


We don't get anything "legal" here in California for the rear of our vehicles. Just a piece of paper stuck to the front windshield, which can be read from up close, which displays the date on which temporary registration expires.

Valencia BMW here in California has what I imagine is a demo/dealer car I see all the time with a fake euro plate that says VALENCIA. I wonder how often they get pulled over.

This is what I got, which is about as legal as a zoll plate...


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## RDL53 (Jun 5, 2013)

vmcvey said:


> Wait a second... you think it was legitimate to not display any valid license plate or paper permit/buyer's/dealer's tag on the rear of a vehicle? I doubt that there is a state in the U.S.A. that allows a lack of visible registration on the rear of a vehicle, no matter how old/new/newish.
> 
> Folks: your Zoll/Tourist plate is EXPIRED after a relatively short time-frame. It's all cool and such to want to display it, but don't get bent out of shape if you get stopped or if you receive a ticket. Seriously. You know it is not legal.
> 
> ...


California is one state where no tag is required on the rear of a new car.

The registration on a new car is simple a temporary slip of paper that is affixed to the windshield until the official plates are shipped. I believe the temporary registration is good for 90 days.

http://dougdemuro.kinja.com/california-s-ridiculous-temporary-license-plate-rules-n-1579711846


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## VMcV3y (Jul 6, 2011)

Wow. I stand corrected. Sorry.

You gotta admit, this is quite "un-regulated" of California, LOL.

So, if I steal a car, I could stick any little fake-looking piece of paper on the front windshield and probably sneak by. Awesome.

To limit vehicle theft and fake buyer's tags, Texas now issues a rear paper plate that the dealer can print, which has a uniquely-issued seven-digit ID and expiration date. It's instantly placed into the motor vehicle database.

- V.

.


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## hyperzulu (Jul 12, 2011)

vmcvey said:


> Wow. I stand corrected. Sorry.
> 
> You gotta admit, this is quite "un-regulated" of California, LOL.
> 
> ...


I agree. It is pretty rampant how often people here run around without legal identification. I knew a girl that had her car three years with the temp paper registration affixed to the front windshield and the "dealer" plate on the back. She said she didn't want to get red light tickets. Also my mom was rear ended at LAX and the driver fled... they had no plates, so no way to ID. 

This is the only state I've lived in that did things this way.


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## RDL53 (Jun 5, 2013)

_"This is what I got, which is about as legal as a zoll plate..."_

I hope you removed the dealer plate when you received the car. I'm not sure why people drive around advertising for the dealer in which they bought it from in which they have made thousands of dollars in profit.:dunno:


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## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

hyperzulu said:


> I knew a girl that had her car three years with the temp paper registration affixed to the front windshield and the "dealer" plate on the back


Was that Steve Job's daughter? http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/steve-jobs-car-apple-ceo-license-plates/story?id=14834608


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## arktctr (Aug 8, 2006)

The best is when the dealer tag is yellowing because it's been on the car for so long...I get trying to stretch it out a little but jeez!


Sent from BimmerApp mobile app


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## ktula (Feb 12, 2013)

I don't understand the fascination with leaving the ED plates on AFTER the trip has concluded. The ED trip is done with so off they go. In my opinion, it's lame. What's also super lame is what my neighbor did. She has a Mini Cooper (not ED) and she has an EU plate in front with completely different license plate number than her actual WA plate in the rear.


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## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

ktula said:


> I don't understand the fascination with leaving the ED plates on AFTER the trip has concluded.


I think people like to show off or do it for nostalgia. I prefer to look forward, so personally junk all my plates almost instantaneously - I'm not sure how retaining the plate will help me attain my next car or ED. I do admit to keeping my delivery photos on the mantle for the nostalgia.

For me it's a slippery slope. One day I'm keeping the Zoll plate on my car, and the next I'm plastering it with a "This car climbed Mt. Washington" sticker.


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## Dave 20T (Apr 7, 2013)

vmcvey said:


> Folks: your Zoll/Tourist plate is EXPIRED after a relatively short time-frame. It's all cool and such to want to display it, but don't get bent out of shape if you get stopped or if you receive a ticket. Seriously. You know it is not legal.
> 
> - V
> 
> .


I once had a plate that expired in several months. I was going to live in a state for about 13 months and didn't want to renew it beyond a year so I drove around with European plates for a month. During this time, I kept a webpage from a TV station which reported how a British visitor to the U.S. was allowed to drive their car in the U.S. for up to a year using British plates. I never had to show it to the police.

However, BMW uses plates that expire after a very short period, just a few weeks.


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## ktula (Feb 12, 2013)

chrischeung said:


> I prefer to look forward, so personally junk all my plates almost instantaneously - I'm not sure how retaining the plate will help me attain my next car or ED. I do admit to keeping my delivery photos on the mantle for the nostalgia.
> 
> For me it's a slippery slope. One day I'm keeping the Zoll plate on my car, and the next I'm plastering it with a "This car climbed Mt. Washington" sticker.


+1.

Thankfully in the Seattle area, i have yet to see a European-deliverable vehicle with a Zoll plate still attached. Perhaps people here are more "law-abiding" or that they find the idea of leaving the Zoll plate on as a mean to brag laughable.


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## arktctr (Aug 8, 2006)

ktula said:


> +1.
> 
> Thankfully in the Seattle area, i have yet to see a European-deliverable vehicle with a Zoll plate still attached. Perhaps people here are more "law-abiding" or that they find the idea of leaving the Zoll plate on as a mean to brag laughable.


I am keeping mine on for a day simply to take some photos upon redelivery and have no interest in the attention it will guarantee by California CHP. I doubt others keep them on as some kind of bragging right as people aren't likely to look upon this setup with admiration. I suppose some inevitably do but these are probably also the same people who think simply having a BMW is a bragging right. I chose my car because I like the car and not to make some kind of status symbol. BMWs don't mean much in SoCal anyhow as you have to spend some real money before anyone notices anything around here...

Sent from BimmerApp mobile app


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## Spectre (Aug 1, 2002)

One option for keeping a Euro-style plate on your car is to order one from GermanPlates.com that matches the letters/numbers for your real plate. They even have one that indicates it is a California plate (you have to see their website to see what I mean). Euro-style brackets are available for BMWs. I bought my Euro plates from them to match my California plates because I wasn't willing to keep my real ED plates on the car and increase my risk of annoying a CHP officer or SFPD officer -- it's enough that I like to drive my car fast!


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## chrischeung (Sep 1, 2002)

ktula said:


> Perhaps people here are more "law-abiding" or that they find the idea of leaving the Zoll plate on as a mean to brag laughable.


The other problem is that some have noted that if you leave the plate on too long, the adhesive from the tape becomes stronger. And when the plate is removed, there have been reports of it taking paint as well.

I like to brag as well. But keeping the Zoll plate on is not one of the ways I choose. But if others like to do it, for whatever reason, no objections from me.


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