# Front license plate? Best place.



## marco_gymnopoulo (Sep 19, 2015)

Hi,

I have no front license plate at the moment but by California law I have to have one. I asked the car dealer to put it on my new Arteon and they said they cannot mount it directly below the VW sign in the front because it obstructs the sensors? Is that true? Where is the best place to put this damn thing ;-) Any advice?

Thank you,
Marco


----------



## beaumisbro (Oct 2, 2009)

Mine is in the trunk :laugh:


----------



## marco_gymnopoulo (Sep 19, 2015)

That would be my favorite place but I am afraid to get stopped by police. I know they are normally not enforcing it; they better things to do but you never know. You need only one grumpy officer...


----------



## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

marco_gymnopoulo said:


> That would be my favorite place but I am afraid to get stopped by police. I know they are normally not enforcing it; they better things to do but you never know. You need only one grumpy officer...


So, if you did get stopped just for this, what would be the issue?


----------



## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

marco_gymnopoulo said:


> .....front license plate.....asked the car dealer to put it on my new Arteon and they said they cannot mount it directly below the VW sign in the front because it obstructs the sensors? Is that true? Where is the best place to put this damn thing ;-) Any advice?....


VW specifies a location for the front license bracket. Have the dealer put the bracket in the VW specified position.


----------



## sdvolksGTi (Sep 17, 2007)

beaumisbro said:


> Mine is in the trunk :laugh:


Same, under the Cargo Mat.


----------



## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

marco_gymnopoulo said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have no front license plate at the moment but by California law I have to have one. I asked the car dealer to put it on my new Arteon and they said they cannot mount it directly below the VW sign in the front because it obstructs the sensors? Is that true? Where is the best place to put this damn thing ;-) Any advice?
> 
> ...


Not true as they mounted mine with the supplied front mount and no sensors were obstructed.


----------



## ArtyParty (Sep 16, 2019)

Here's how I've mounted mine. Bringing out the boy racer in me


----------



## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

ArtyParty said:


> Here's how I've mounted mine. Bringing out the boy racer in me


Wish I could've mounted mine there- but on sel premium, the park sensors get in the way


----------



## YYZ2112 (Jul 30, 2019)

I have an SEL Premium R with all the sensors, etc. and the dealer here in VA would not mount the front plate for me at purchase. So I was able to affix the license plate mount that came with the car in the correct mounting location using industrial 3M “velcro” type tape. I used short bolts with silver caps through/from the back of the mount so it appears to the inspection station that mom







my plate is bolted to the car (although it really isn’t). Works perfectly. Even been through the auto wash a few times and it won’t budge!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

YYZ2112 said:


> .....so it appears to the inspection station that mom...my plate is bolted to the car (although it really isn’t).....


You think your state cares? :screwy:


----------



## Willh20 (Sep 1, 2019)

Hi All, 
I’m also looking for a way to mount this front plate without drilling holes. 

I have modified the front license plate holder from the dealer to have n45 magnets and I can just get two of them behind the plastic about 6” down from the VW emblem. 
However, I’ve discovered a sensor in the exact location on the SEL-prem RLine. 

Anyone know what this sensor is? I assume it helps with ACC or Front Assist. The manual says those sensors are behind the emblem and no reference to this one right in the center. 

I don’t want to put a magnet right over the sensor cable if I don’t need to, but this now has me curious.


----------



## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Willh20 said:


> Hi All,
> I’m also looking for a way to mount this front plate without drilling holes.
> 
> I have modified the front license plate holder from the dealer to have n45 magnets and I can just get two of them behind the plastic about 6” down from the VW emblem.
> ...


Not positive but the dealer kept saying it was related to the pedestrian detection system. Could have something to do with the explosive pedestrian hood instead of pedestrian detection since the pedestrian detection is part of the front assist which most likely uses the sensor in the symbol.


----------



## Willh20 (Sep 1, 2019)

Thanks! 
It seems an odd location as no matter what, it’s going to be behind the front plate.


----------



## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

Willh20 said:


> Thanks!
> It seems an odd location as no matter what, it’s going to be behind the front plate.


Even the EU shaped registration plates?


----------



## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Willh20 said:


> Thanks!
> It seems an odd location as no matter what, it’s going to be behind the front plate.


Yeah fwiw my plate is mounted there and seems to be fine.


----------



## SDArteon (Jun 16, 2019)

marco_gymnopoulo said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have no front license plate at the moment but by California law I have to have one. I asked the car dealer to put it on my new Arteon and they said they cannot mount it directly below the VW sign in the front because it obstructs the sensors? Is that true? Where is the best place to put this damn thing ;-) Any advice?
> 
> ...


The dealers claim simply does hold water - when you look at the EU plate which is much larger and also made from Aluminum. However, I purchased my first Arteon from Santa Monica VW and the service department would not fit the front plate either, despite being legally obliged to do so. The argument was the screws can damage the wiring - but it turns out that they discard the OEM supplied plastic (short, harmless) rivets and use long self tapping screws instead (morons) , because they claim the plastic rivets don’t secure the plate properly, which is is of course absolute non-sense if you drill the right size hole -that means using a metric size drill. I fitted mine myself after looking very closely behind the bumper cover at the wiring. I f you place the holder in the center and carefully drill the holes using the OEM plate holder as a template you should have no problem- but dont let your drill protrude through the hole, when you drill it.

I’ll look out for you on the streets of San Diego not seen another Arteon yet here. We have two: an Atlantic Blue and Kurkuma yellow.


----------



## marco_gymnopoulo (Sep 19, 2015)

SDArteon said:


> The dealers claim simply does hold water - when you look at the EU plate which is much larger and also made from Aluminum. However, I purchased my first Arteon from Santa Monica VW and the service department would not fit the front plate either, despite being legally obliged to do so. The argument was the screws can damage the wiring - but it turns out that they discard the OEM supplied plastic (short, harmless) rivets and use long self tapping screws instead (morons) , because they claim the plastic rivets don’t secure the plate properly, which is is of course absolute non-sense if you drill the right size hole -that means using a metric size drill. I fitted mine myself after looking very closely behind the bumper cover at the wiring. I f you place the holder in the center and carefully drill the holes using the OEM plate holder as a template you should have no problem- but dont let your drill protrude through the hole, when you drill it.
> 
> I’ll look out for you on the streets of San Diego not seen another Arteon yet here. We have two: an Atlantic Blue and Kurkuma yellow.


Kearny Mesa VW actually put the plate holder where it belongs after I asked them kindly. No issues so far. I have a manganese grey one. You can most likely find me on the I5 between UTC and Downtown during rush hour ;-)

Cheers,
MG


----------



## SDArteon (Jun 16, 2019)

marco_gymnopoulo said:


> Kearny Mesa VW actually put the plate holder where it belongs after I asked them kindly. No issues so far. I have a manganese grey one. You can most likely find me on the I5 between UTC and Downtown during rush hour ;-)
> 
> Cheers,
> MG


Glad to hear they did put it on for you. I am Sorrento Valley most days and us I5 and 805 weekly, so I’ll look out for you and your Arteon! No seen one yet here in SD.


----------



## Cjwill (Mar 14, 2020)

I went with Sly brackets. No drilling needed.








Skybrackets.com. I’m not a fan of he front plate especially for this car but better than a ticket I guess. Took a bit to find the right placement and fit but worth it.










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## drod2045 (Jul 8, 2016)

Cjwill said:


> I went with Sly brackets. No drilling needed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That’s a nice option. Pretty expensive but nice.


----------



## Cjwill (Mar 14, 2020)

True story. But better than drilling holes. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Cjwill said:


> I went with Sly brackets. No drilling needed.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's not covering the front camera?


----------



## Cjwill (Mar 14, 2020)

Not at all. The cameras are on the left and right sides of the plate. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Joshuaortiz31 (Oct 16, 2019)

I ended up buying from CravenSpeed. It was working great but took some working with it. It was triggering the parking sensor underneath the passenger headlight. they send you these foam "covers" to go over the conical sensors. However, I didn't really want a blind area with my sensors. I've already had a new front bumper and a new rear end put on the poor thing. 

https://www.cravenspeed.com/the-platypus-license-plate-mount-for-2019-2020-volkswagen-arteon/


----------



## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Cjwill said:


> Not at all. The cameras are on the left and right sides of the plate.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Im taking about The front camera which is literally right under your plate. The things on the left and right side are the front park sensors. 

I ask because I had to return my sly bracket as it didn't fit with the front camera.


----------



## drod2045 (Jul 8, 2016)

Maybe he doesnt have a premium? I dont - so that wouldnt be an issue for me (I have an SEL R-Line, no premium)


----------



## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

drod2045 said:


> Maybe he doesnt have a premium? I dont - so that wouldnt be an issue for me (I have an SEL R-Line, no premium)


If he has front park sensors (you can see them in his photos), he has a premium.


----------



## Cjwill (Mar 14, 2020)

Sorry about that. Yes. I have an SEL-P Rline. I got the sly bracket to install just above the front camera. Is you look at your from center camera, It points slightly downward. It does not “see “ the bracket mounted just above it. It took me a bit to figure out the orientation, essentially you are installing it reverse orientation from what sly shows, but it works and is secure. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Willh20 (Sep 1, 2019)

This thread gave me ideas. I ended up using N45 industrial magnets and modifying the stock mount. I posted photos in another thread about what I'm doing with the Arteon while we are all stuck at home. 

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?9324685-What-did-you-do-today-to-your-Arteon&p=114283573&viewfull=1#post114283573


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 12, 2020)

Clearly the US market is different to here in Australia where it is mandatory here to have a front plate and VW has removed the chrome horizontal bars running where the plate must sit so it is just a flat piece of the bumper.

My plate fits well here, the only thing I was told by my Australian dealer was do not use a number plate cover as that will interfere with the radar given the width but mine has been installed like this from the start and no dramas have occurred so far.


----------



## eteather (Feb 25, 2020)

I still have my temp tag on with no front. MD requires a front tag, my temp expires in May, but I'm gonna stick with the temp tag only through May and claim "lockdown" for not picking up my tags....

BTW, police in my town are instructed not to pull anyone over, so its a road rally to work every morning....really fun in my Arteon!


----------



## drod2045 (Jul 8, 2016)

eteather said:


> I still have my temp tag on with no front. MD requires a front tag, my temp expires in May, but I'm gonna stick with the temp tag only through May and claim "lockdown" for not picking up my tags....
> 
> BTW, police in my town are instructed not to pull anyone over, so its a road rally to work every morning....really fun in my Arteon!


DMVs are closed in NJ so there is no opportunity to even get new plates


----------



## paul.dickson (Apr 29, 2020)

I went with SlyBracket. It is a little bit spendy for a license plate bracket, but it kept me from drilling into the bumper and potentially damaging a sensor wire. It comes with Arteon specific instructions that are fairly helpful. The large rod that you see in the YouTube videos is no longer needed (it is mounted on the vertical slats instead of the top horizontal slat), and it's height adjustable so that you don't interfere with the front camera.

I'm happy with it.


----------



## Willh20 (Sep 1, 2019)

paul.dickson said:


> I went with SlyBracket. It is a little bit spendy for a license plate bracket, but it kept me from drilling into the bumper and potentially damaging a sensor wire. It comes with Arteon specific instructions that are fairly helpful. The large rod that you see in the YouTube videos is no longer needed (it is mounted on the vertical slats instead of the top horizontal slat), and it's height adjustable so that you don't interfere with the front camera.
> 
> I'm happy with it.


Very cool. Got pictures?


----------



## paul.dickson (Apr 29, 2020)

Willh20 said:


> Very cool. Got pictures?



https://imgur.com/a/7ZVIStQ


https://imgur.com/a/plDENvQ


----------



## beaumisbro (Oct 2, 2009)

paul.dickson said:


> https://imgur.com/a/7ZVIStQ
> https://imgur.com/a/plDENvQ


----------



## drod2045 (Jul 8, 2016)

Looks great. Is the slybracket strong enough to hold an EZ Pass transmitter to the point where you dont worry about it being ripped off?


----------



## paul.dickson (Apr 29, 2020)

It is pretty solid, so I would think it would be fine.


----------



## ice4life (Nov 6, 2017)

Would've been nice if the slybracket had the updated arteon instructions back in the day before I drilled the OEM mount. They flat out told me it wouldn't fit when I reached out. Some company.


----------



## AJHC-78 (Sep 27, 2015)

*My dealer installed it this way...*

They probably don't ever want me to lower it...


----------



## Gilkesjd (Apr 18, 2021)

Joshuaortiz31 said:


> I ended up buying from CravenSpeed. It was working great but took some working with it. It was triggering the parking sensor underneath the passenger headlight. they send you these foam "covers" to go over the conical sensors. However, I didn't really want a blind area with my sensors. I've already had a new front bumper and a new rear end put on the poor thing.
> 
> The Platypus License Plate Mount for 2019-2021 Volkswagen Arteon


how did you get the sensor to stop triggering?


----------



## felix barbosa (Jun 17, 2007)

Same place as on my CC. Not so much a recommendation, but I'm not drilling holes and the color combo just works


----------



## felix barbosa (Jun 17, 2007)

Close up


----------



## Senior Member (Jul 2, 2016)




----------



## AlecJames (May 17, 2021)

ArtyParty said:


> Here's how I've mounted mine. Bringing out the boy racer in me


How do you do this without it spinning around?


----------



## puma1552 (Jul 6, 2012)

So where are we at with the best no drill solution for a '21 SEL-P-R that has all the sensors?

It's not clear from this thread that there is any one real winner that doesn't require modifying or screwing around or problems with sensors, etc.


----------



## KCJeep (Dec 5, 2018)

Somebody posted a link to vinyl adhesive plate replicas. Was it in this thread? I'm not sure where you'd even put that on an Arteon though, maybe it was another forum.


----------



## leonowj9 (Jul 12, 2008)

puma1552 said:


> So where are we at with the best no drill solution for a '21 SEL-P-R that has all the sensors?
> 
> It's not clear from this thread that there is any one real winner that doesn't require modifying or screwing around or problems with sensors, etc.


I went with the Slybracket. I’m pretty happy with it. But it does slope downwards a bit. Don’t love that, but it’s not too bad.


----------



## puma1552 (Jul 6, 2012)

leonowj9 said:


> I went with the Slybracket. I’m pretty happy with it. But it does slope downwards a bit. Don’t love that, but it’s not too bad.
> View attachment 106611


Any interference whatsoever with any sensors? Is it rock solid and not going anywhere?


----------



## leonowj9 (Jul 12, 2008)

puma1552 said:


> Any interference whatsoever with any sensors? Is it rock solid and not going anywhere?


It’s 100% solid and won’t interfere with the sensor if you install it using the the bottom screw holes. However, that’s what causes the tilt. They do sell a leveler that I’m told will adjust it though.


----------



## puma1552 (Jul 6, 2012)

leonowj9 said:


> It’s 100% solid and won’t interfere with the sensor if you install it using the the bottom screw holes. However, that’s what causes the tilt. They do sell a leveler that I’m told will adjust it though.


Thanks - so it's a bit hard to tell, but I'm assuming it's clamped around the painted horizontal slat? 

What is it that's physically contacting the paint to secure it, is it some sort of rubber? Any concerns with marring that painted slat or leaving marks there if left on long term?


----------



## leonowj9 (Jul 12, 2008)

puma1552 said:


> Thanks - so it's a bit hard to tell, but I'm assuming it's clamped around the painted horizontal slat?
> 
> What is it that's physically contacting the paint to secure it, is it some sort of rubber? Any concerns with marring that painted slat or leaving marks there if left on long term?


Its two clamps with rubber on it. I’m not worried at all about that.


----------



## CDR94 (Jul 26, 2021)

Looks like that is a ‘21 Arteon SEL Premium R-Line. Is the sly bracket mounted on the horizontal slat or vertical slats? Reason I ask is the only horizontal slat available under the badge is the lowest one and it’s over 1” thick. Sly bracket mounting requirements state the horizontal slat can be 1/8”-1/2” thick.


----------



## Jack-e-son (Aug 11, 2020)

CDR94 said:


> Looks like that is a ‘21 Arteon SEL Premium R-Line. Is the sly bracket mounted on the horizontal slat or vertical slats? Reason I ask is the only horizontal slat available under the badge is the lowest one and it’s over 1” thick. Sly bracket mounting requirements state the horizontal slat can be 1/8”-1/2” thick.


2020 here with Sly bracket. I have mine on the lowest horizontal slat. It about 1.5-2" deep while its maybe 1/4" thick/tall. The bracket is like a J-Hook, the J part hooks on to the back of the slat and the front sits on the front. Foam padded, if i remember correctly. There are springs that keeps it tight and then set screws to lock it in place.


----------



## Jack-e-son (Aug 11, 2020)




----------



## leonowj9 (Jul 12, 2008)

CDR94 said:


> Looks like that is a ‘21 Arteon SEL Premium R-Line. Is the sly bracket mounted on the horizontal slat or vertical slats? Reason I ask is the only horizontal slat available under the badge is the lowest one and it’s over 1” thick. Sly bracket mounting requirements state the horizontal slat can be 1/8”-1/2” thick.


 Mine is on the vertical slats, positioned right where the Plate is suggested to be by VW.


----------



## CDR94 (Jul 26, 2021)

Copy that, that is exactly where I put mine too. It was very easy to install and is securely attached. Goes through car washes without any issues.


----------



## Lilann (Aug 3, 2021)

SDArteon said:


> The dealers claim simply does hold water - when you look at the EU plate which is much larger and also made from Aluminum. However, I purchased my first Arteon from Santa Monica VW and the service department would not fit the front plate either, despite being legally obliged to do so. The argument was the screws can damage the wiring - but it turns out that they discard the OEM supplied plastic (short, harmless) rivets and use long self tapping screws instead (morons) , because they claim the plastic rivets don’t secure the plate properly, which is is of course absolute non-sense if you drill the right size hole -that means using a metric size drill. I fitted mine myself after looking very closely behind the bumper cover at the wiring. I f you place the holder in the center and carefully drill the holes using the OEM plate holder as a template you should have no problem- but dont let your drill protrude through the hole, when you drill it.
> 
> I’ll look out for you on the streets of San Diego not seen another Arteon yet here. We have two: an Atlantic Blue and Kurkuma yellow.


----------

