Recessed license plate frames are the only license plate frames you should ever buy ever again

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 07/14/2016 at 10:31 • Filed to: None

3

62

Do you hate license plates, license plate frames, and (shudder) dealer license plate frames? Well then, have I found the most amazing invention for you: the amazing, incredible, recessed license plate frame.

I absolutely despise dealer tag frames, but I also kinda hate the other assorted tag frames that have those ugly tabs that go in front of your license plate. Those are only useful if you’ve got an old, chewed-up plate and you want to hide its general shittiness.

Recently, I stumbled upon the amazing invention of the recessed license plate frame in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . There was one, and only one of them, left on the shelf. It cost 6 whole dollars and is the very tag frame you see in the picture above.

The amazing innovation of the recessed license plate frame is that it still has little tabs but they go behind your license plate so the license plate frame looks as if it’s floating in the frame.

I love this license plate frame so much that I decided to put some on my fiancee’s Impreza that unfortunately has a front plate on it (but really is better that way because it’s our “normal” car unlike !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). I went back to Walmart and lo and behold they had another solitary recessed tag frame that I put on the front of the Impreza.

I like it in this application because our dumbass Subaru dealer screws license plates into the front bumper even though there are goddamn holes in the bumper that line up with a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Why buy a bunch of front plate brackets from Subaru when a couple self-tapping screws in the bumper will do?

If I had been there with my fiancee when she picked up the car I would’ve stopped the dumb sales guy from committing this atrocity, but here we are.

For the back of the car though, since it’s white, I thought, what about a shiny metal recessed tag frame? No such frames exist at Walmart, but a short trip down the street to O’Reilly yielded a polished metal recessed tag frame. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was a real splurge at 9 whole dollars. O’Reilly also sells a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! like the Walmart one but why spend $9 at O’Reilly when you can get the same at Walmart for $6?

Ladies and gentlemen, do yourselves—and your license plates—a favor. Go out and get some recessed tag frames. You’ll thank me later. Or just thank me now, for expanding your consciousnesses with this totally groundbreaking breakthrough in license plate mounting technology.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 10:38

3

Not jdm edm usdm tyte enough, fam.

Dis the baller #savage type shit yo. Represent, fam.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 10:40

1

I’m not gonna lie, I like the look of these and perhaps might get some.

scoob > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 07/14/2016 at 10:40

1

#vapelife #monster #oakley #dcshoes

Textured Soy Protein > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 07/14/2016 at 10:41

0

That’s even worse than this.

Monkey B > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 10:42

2

I don’t understand the need for a frame unless it says something. Otherwise what’s wrong with just putting the plate on?

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > scoob 07/14/2016 at 10:42

0

#fuccboilifestyle #hypebeast #savage

Textured Soy Protein > Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) 07/14/2016 at 10:44

1

Not included: super-awesome “America’s Dairyland” Wisconsin plates.

Also, sometimes I like to say “YUY!” to myself like Ice Cube.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 10:44

0

Ugh. Looks illegal to me because you can’t see the state. At least in Germany it would be illegal

Textured Soy Protein > Monkey B 07/14/2016 at 10:45

0

License plates are ugly, especially inevitably-beat-to-shit front plates. A good frame makes them less ugly.

Dave the car guy , still here > Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) 07/14/2016 at 10:46

0

They look nice but plate needs protection in a state where road salt is used in winter. I used to have $70 of Weathertech covers on my old Audi until one started to age like hell and the other got bumped and crushed. I went back to clear plastic covers under a tasteful frame. I now replace a frame or clear cover about every 3-4 yrs and spend a lot less than on that set of Weathertech ones. They looked nice but I still occasionally got moisture in them.

Pixel > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 10:47

0

Those are only useful if you’ve got an old, chewed-up plate and you want to hide its general shittiness.

Yep, that is me. Which is kinda amazing as the current plates have only ever been on these vehicles and are about 6 years old. But the ones on the xB are both peeling(because RI can’t make a plate that doesn’t look like crap in a few years), and the ones o the truck look like they’ve been through a war. Which, given what I do with/to that truck, might be accurate.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Dave the car guy , still here 07/14/2016 at 10:51

1

Serious, probably rookie, question — road salt is a recurring plate problem? Through numerous Chicago winters we’ve never had covers, on our plates and also never had a problem. Also can’t remember seeing them on other cars.

CalzoneGolem > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 10:51

0

I just like to drill some holes in my bumper and zip tie it to it.

they-will-know-my-velocity > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 10:54

1

#NOFRONTPLATE

Party-vi > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 10:55

2

Wouldn’t that be surface mount? Unless you’re sinking the frame into the sheet metal I refuse to accept these as recessed frames.

MarquetteLa > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 10:55

1

False; clearly carbon fiber license plate frames are the best license plate frames.

Textured Soy Protein > they-will-know-my-velocity 07/14/2016 at 10:55

0

Well yeah, I know.

Textured Soy Protein > Party-vi 07/14/2016 at 10:57

0

The license plate is recessed in relation to the edge of the frame.

¯\_()_/¯

Schaef_Camaero Z/28 > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 11:04

0

I was planning on getting these for my new Saabaru.. not sure if I want black or chrome yet though..

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 07/14/2016 at 11:04

0

I wish it were illegal. Seeing all the damn car dealer ads people willingly put on their cars is quite annoying.

Party-vi > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 11:05

2

This is a god damn license plate spacer. Boo and hiss.

FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 07/14/2016 at 11:06

1

At least not as bad as damn decals and badges.

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > they-will-know-my-velocity 07/14/2016 at 11:06

0

I never understood the purpose for front plates.. but then again this is VA I live in.

Your boy, BJR > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 11:07

0

Life hack: do it for free by putting the dealer frame on the back of your plate instead of the front of it (words facing the car)

Textured Soy Protein > Party-vi 07/14/2016 at 11:08

1

The license plate frame manufacturers’ precision or the lack thereof in their use of the term recessed doesn’t change the fact that these license plate frames/spacers are amazing.

Textured Soy Protein > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 07/14/2016 at 11:12

1

Rather than “willingly put on,” I’d say it’s more like they don’t notice or don’t care enough to remove them.

Also with how often I see the yearly registration stickers stuck on top of dealer tag frames, there’s also a large segment of the population who apparently don’t know how to use a screwdriver.

Textured Soy Protein > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul 07/14/2016 at 11:13

3

Lots of states require front plates because they’re nice big highly reflective flat targets for lidar speed guns.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 11:23

0

Why spend the money on a frame? Just slap that bitch on there bare like I do...

I hate license plates and nothing can make them look good. Just screw the bastards right on that mounting point and let them rot until the next time you need to update the stickers on there.

Dave the car guy , still here > Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) 07/14/2016 at 11:26

1

In Ohio depending on municipality we get straight up or combinations of standard rock salt, salt brine, calcium chloride, beet juice, calcium magnesium acetate, cheese brine, sugar cane solution , molasses, swine urea and other alternative deicers. The sugar items make the deicers stick better to the road surface but that means it sticks to the cars better. The other issue is the liquid items being already in that state get into body seams and crevices easier than a granular deicer. We are having rust issues in the past decade like some cars did in the 70s and 80s despite better paint and rustproofing. My 1998 B5 A4 that I sold 2 yrs ago went without any rust for 12 years but in the last several years of ownership it started above the rear lamps, rocker moldings, wheel well, around qtr windows and front inside of hood. Most of the metal edges under the hood started and rear shock housing plus cradle showed massive rust. Our bodyshop is seeing more rust on cars in the past 10 years than they did in the 10 prior. I’ve even talked to road crew staff who believe its rusting bridges and other infrastructure worse than before. Its funny how they think the alternatives save money but its just a short term solution for road department expenses. In the long run it will cost us more in maintenance of cars and equipment. The interesting confirmation of these approaching issues is the increased deterioration of the rear metals on most trucks used to spread the crap. And yes, even galvanized license plates show rust in 2-4 years if not covered because the edges aren’t coated with zinc because of a standard stamping process. We are in the snow belt and they use a lot of salts around here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowbelt

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 11:28

0

Ignorance is about the same as willingly doing something. I feel like the dealer should pay some monthly amount to keep it on there. Then I could see why people would do it. Although that might get out of hand with people having the whole car painted with dealer decals to save costs. It would be like an ad supported car lol.

facw > Dave the car guy , still here 07/14/2016 at 11:31

0

Are your plates made of steel? Seems like aluminum is more common these days, so road salt isn’t a concern.

facw > nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul 07/14/2016 at 11:32

0

So you can identify the car from the front? Purpose seems pretty obvious.

facw > Monkey B 07/14/2016 at 11:33

0

Yeah, seems totally unnecessary in most cases. Maybe for a white plate on white car it’s nice to have some contrast.

Textured Soy Protein > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 07/14/2016 at 11:35

0

License plates will always be ugly but these frames make license plates less ugly.

Takuro Spirit > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 11:36

0

One benefit I see is that it keeps the plate from rattling against the trunk, or scratching the paint.

citizennick > facw 07/14/2016 at 11:37

0

I'd like to know how often a car is identified by the plate on the front in relation to the rear. Rear always made more sense.

Textured Soy Protein > Takuro Spirit 07/14/2016 at 11:38

0

Now that you mention it, the trunks of both vehicles are distinctly rattle-free when closing.

My bird IS the word > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 11:44

0

These are so nice I might get one for the trans am. It hangs off the bumper and my car cover is bending it when I take it off. I got a bitchin alta performance plate frame for the mini.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 11:46

0

I actually bought an old-fashioned plate frame with money because I enjoy making my car worse.

citizennick > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 11:51

0

I’m with you

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Dave the car guy , still here 07/14/2016 at 11:51

0

Makes sense. Definitely know the risks of the salts for the cars themselves, but never thought about the plates.

Textured Soy Protein > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/14/2016 at 11:52

0

For the low low price of 6 whole dollars a piece plus tax at Walmart you can correct this mistake and join the legion of enlightened recessed plate frame owners.

Textured Soy Protein > citizennick 07/14/2016 at 11:53

0

Oooh, allen head screws, fancy.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 12:05

0

But then it wouldn’t have the name of my college on it!

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > FSI - alcohol enthusiast with a car problem 07/14/2016 at 12:20

1

Does that come with a vape pen or do I have to get it separately?

AddictedToM3s - Drives a GC > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 12:21

0

I just went commando and just mounted the frame to the trunk-lid on my BRZ.

Dave the car guy , still here > Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) 07/14/2016 at 12:30

0

Sometimes you will see a beater car that the owner never washes and the plates may have holes rusted through them.

Dave the car guy , still here > facw 07/14/2016 at 12:31

1

Yes , they still use steel here. Plastic would be best.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Dave the car guy , still here 07/14/2016 at 12:31

0

I’ve seen some fairly rough looking plates but they’ve always been on, like you said, beaters. Usually at least 25+ years old and look like no owner ever really cared for them.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Monkey B 07/14/2016 at 12:59

0

Depending on where your plate it, like on the trunk, itll rattle like a MoFo when you close the trunk and may scratch the paint a little

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 13:01

0

First, I applaud you for putting your license plate number on the internet!

Second, its a shame the brackets on Volvos are so strange. And this is the same bracket for over 20 years now...

Makes it really hard to find a decent frame

(edit: NOT my car above)

Textured Soy Protein > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! 07/14/2016 at 13:17

0

If the holes on the Volvo bracket line up with the holes on the license plate (and why wouldn’t they?) then these recessed license plate frames should work just fine.

Textured Soy Protein > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/14/2016 at 13:20

0

College branded license plates are both ugly and display an annoying level of too much school spirit.

Hey guess what everyone who sees my car driving around out in the world! I went to this school! Just thought you should know that!

nFamousCJ - Keeper of Stringbean, Gengars and a Deezul > facw 07/14/2016 at 13:22

0

But why is it necessary for some states and not others?

And Nick makes a good point, the only time I could see front plate identification beneficial would be if someone backed into a space

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 13:25

0

I don’t mind my K-State frame...

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 14:36

0

Ok, I will make a mental note not to permanently affix one to any car I’m buying for you.

Textured Soy Protein > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 07/14/2016 at 15:52

0

CHECK OUT MY SWEET COLLEGE TAG FRAME! I LIKE MY COLLEGE!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Textured Soy Protein 07/14/2016 at 16:00

0

Monkey B > Monkey B 07/14/2016 at 16:21

0

I’m lucky, Delaware doesn’t require front plates. Also, if you have a 5 digit or lower we can get cool antique stainless or porcelain plates. I prefer the stainless ones which I put on my cars. The lower numbered tags are worth some coin...lower the better, it’s a weird state status symbol thing. A single digit went for something around $250k recently. 5 digits aren’t worth anything unless the number is meaningful to someone, but 4 digit tags are what start to command money. Tags 1 and 2 are the Senator and Governors if I recall correctly.

Frank Grimes > Textured Soy Protein 07/15/2016 at 00:00

0

I like mine. pretty much plain black except for the chrome lettering.

The worse is when you see someone driving down the road and their license plate flapping up and down.

thebigbossyboss > Textured Soy Protein 07/15/2016 at 18:03

0

Firstly I don’t frame at all. Secondly I don’t front plate at all as Alberta does not make “front” plates. YAY!

But I am happy for you.

I wanna dark tint plate cover. Go away photo radar.

pjhusa > Textured Soy Protein 07/18/2016 at 19:11

0

Thank you so much for notifying me of this amazing invention. I must go acquire two immediately.