[Otis]

I'm really against drilling into my front bumper so I want to mount the front license plate for my 2018 QX30 via the tow hook mount. I bought some hardware that I thought would fit, but no joy. I've looked online for 2018 QX30 mounts (or even 2017 QX30 mounts) but there does not appear to be anything out there. Has anyone mounted their front license plate via the tow hook, and if yes, what hardware did you use and where did you make the purchase?

Also, does anyone know if the tow hook for the 2018 Mercedes GLA 250 is the same size as the tow hook for the 2018 QX30? There are a lot of options for the Mercedes if the fit is the same.

Thanks!

 

[Smittylit]

Yep, the tow fit is exactly the same. I had it installed about two months into owning my car. The Mercedes OEM crossbars are also an exact fit and the Mercedes dealership matched the eBay price for them. They were about 250 dollars cheaper than aftermarket crossbars.

This is the one:
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Infiniti/QX30/2017/C13197.html?vehicleid=201761592

 

[__XIS__]

so glad that AZ doesn't require front plates any longer! Just sayin'!

ok - back to your issue....

 

[tt6]

For anyone that wants to try this, I thought I'd post my findings.

My state requires front and rear plates but per my request, my car didn't come with a front license plate bracket installed or any holes drilled into the front bumper and I'm going to keep it that way. So I decided to try a tow hook bracket for the front license plate and found that the 2014+ MB GLA brackets do fit. But if your car has the option with the parking/proximity sensors in the bumper, then the sensors will detect the plate and you will have to disable the sensors if you want to continue to use the plate bracket. I ended up returning the bracket and will deal with paying the fine if necessary.

If you want to drill a plate bracket onto the front bumper, I'd highly recommend paying a little extra for the OEM QX30 front plate bracket. It is molded to fit the curves of the bumper perfectly and isn't bulky like other OEM brackets.

 

[Rapidfirerob4]

I had my front license plate for my CLA in my trunk for four years and just had it mounted a few weeks ago.
Some guy posted on the CLA forum they were giving tickets in Berkeley, so I broke down. It looks ok. The OEM
bracket helps. I understand not wanting to drill holes or have it in the front.

 

[Otis]

We did use the GLA hardware and it worked fine. Not totally happy with setup as we can't seem to make it as rigid as we'd like. The one-point design is inherently flawed, IMO. We've had it on for a month or so and it's still holding (knock on wood).

 

[tt6]

Do you have the parking/proximity sensors in the bumper? How close does your bracket/plate sit to the bumper? I wonder if the plate/bracket sat closer to the bumper, if that would eliminate the interference with the sensors. The bracket I tried sat maybe 1-1.5 inches away the bumper.

 

[pavy]

Been driving for ~9 years without the front license plate. I've been pulled over multiple times (local PD, sheriff, highway patrol) and no one has ever said anything to me about it.

 

[tt6]

Yeah, two of my other cars have never had front plates, one of them for over 20 years without any issues, but there was a state trooper on traffic duty that walked up to my wife's car while she was stopped in traffic and suggested she have the front plate installed. If the tow hook bracket I tried would have worked, I would have kept it on. I may revisit the tow hook option down the road, but need to find one that sits really close to the bumper.

Has anyone else found tow hooks brackets that don't interfere with the proximity sensors?