View Full Version : Number Plates
seremotors
19-03-2009, 18:01
This probably applies more to our NI friends than the others but worth a read . . .
Since the day my car was bought, it has had 'metro' style plates with a FR logo, and it never drew any grief from the police - even when they pulled me for having my front fogs on (near midnight, a mile from home, after a 30 mile drive through fog before anyone asks lol)
Anyway, I got pulled on Saturday morning - 40 in a 40 zone, minding my own etc etc
I got a bollocking for the plates, told about the new laws about letter styles, sizes, markings etc plus a £30 fixed penalty. Apparently if you get 3 FP's for plates the DVLA withdraw your plate!
Yes, as a dealer I know all about the new laws but the police have been advised to crack down very heavily on ALL vehicles with plates that arent 100% legal. I still think they were watching me, waiting for me to boot it on the empty carriageway early in the morning and were disappointed when I didnt do anything illegal or silly . . . . . . . .
The bottom line here is this -
Any plate with non-standard digits is likely to get you pulled and fined
To get new plates you need to produce V5 and driving licence
It is now an offence to make 'showplates' as well as to use them on the road
Plates must carry the makers name and postcode, and the British Standard mark
All number plate makers are now licenced and will be fined for every plate made which doesnt meet the legal standard. This will be audited by DVLA inspectors
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
yeah alot of GTINI guys over here are all running around with the new euro pressed plates. problem is these are not reflective and you can be done for that. the other thing is most of the vdub crowd are using Euro style plates with the "D" and not "UK" emblem. another load of penalties can go just on that alone.
markmeus
19-03-2009, 20:02
I used to have illegal ones, slightly smaller font but nothing serious, I kept the standard ones for MOT's and such, but never needed to use them untill the car failed it's mot for something else and they guy said I'd need to change the plates aswell just to be safe..
Stuck the new ones over the top and never took them off again, not worth the hassel IMO
*EDIT Just spotted this bit
Plates must carry the makers name and postcode, and the British Standard mark
Mine dont have anything on them. But the font and spacing etc is legal. Doubt I'd get pulled for that though.
AndrewJB
20-03-2009, 08:35
Ive got pressed plates with UK Font ,No Euro band ,and No makers name or British code
Never had any problems with them yet and they been on 2 years
seremotors
20-03-2009, 08:42
Apparently the whole thing kicked off because road tax and speed cameras cant pick up some plates. Typical total over-reaction from the government/DVLA
Shows how unclear and unfussed most officials are as some 'illegal' (eg metro) plates still pass our NI government-run MOT :confused:
Plates must carry the makers name and postcode
when i had a new plate done for the rear with a GB on, makers name and postcode is on bottom of number plate.
AndrewJB
20-03-2009, 08:45
Im being dumb here wots a Metro plate? Metro as in them annoying little chav mobiles?
seremotors
20-03-2009, 08:47
I'll give you an example of how silly it is -
We always printed www.seremotors.com on our plates. Now we must print SERE Motors Ltd as the web address is classed as advertising which is illegal!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who thinks these things up????????
seremotors
20-03-2009, 08:48
Im being dumb here wots a Metro plate? Metro as in them annoying little chav mobiles?
lol you know the shorter, thicker digits?
M12DBH
as opposed to M12DBH
AndrewJB
20-03-2009, 09:05
Oh yeh
Yeah cracking down.. i think its just down to police wanting to pull you to be honest. I used to have pressed metal plates.. Got pulled by police giving me grief about them not being able to read them on their computer etc.. then he slipped up by telling me his system read them to bring up my details etc.
Was hilarious when he goes they need to have the postcode in the corner like this.. pointing at his bmw plate that was completly blank apart from the reg.
dubmeister do legal pressed plates so all good.
David, admit it, you just have a guilty face :lol:
Plates must carry the makers name and postcode
when i had a new plate done for the rear with a GB on, makers name and postcode is on bottom of number plate.
our work had a post code change recently. I wonder what happens when a plate manufacturer moved premises, does that then make all old plates are classed as illegal :p
seremotors
20-03-2009, 20:55
David, admit it, you just have a guilty face :lol:
Dont know about the guilty face but I bet he was disappointed as hell when he stopped me and found I wasnt a chav boy racer :lol: Think the booking was to save face more than anything :(
yeah, more than likely. though tbh it should have been a warning not a fixed penalty. was he traffic branch?
our work had a post code change recently. I wonder what happens when a plate manufacturer moved premises, does that then make all old plates are classed as illegal :p
OH NO, THE SPARES SHOP I BOUGHT NUMBER PLATE FROM HAS CLOSED DOWN. :headhurt:
seremotors
22-03-2009, 11:23
See this is where it falls down - on the one hand we are told that plates made before the law change arent affected (as long as they are legal of course) but yet we have been told that every used car we sell must be replated to meet the new laws even though the plates fitted obviously fall into that category :confused::confused::confused:
I actually fancy a set of pressed metal euro-plates now. Wonder if Euro law overrides UK law :think:
ANDYH1966
22-03-2009, 15:09
I actually fancy a set of pressed metal euro-plates now. Wonder if Euro law overrides UK law :think:
I wonder if we could go to the European Court of Human Rights ;)
Ive a set of Presses Plates on at the min, had no trouble as of yet
yeah Euro Pressed plates are nice, especially with the "E" letter on it ;)
seremotors
25-03-2009, 20:03
Another police officer told me today that as long as the plates are easily read on their in-car monitor there should be no grief. He was under the impression that discretion is to be applied and only italics, dodgy spacing. graphics etc are enough to get pulled for.
Reckon I was just unlucky . . . . . . . . . . Sometimes I wish my car wasnt bright yellow lol
ktulumike
25-03-2009, 20:59
Another police officer told me today that as long as the plates are easily read on their in-car monitor there should be no grief. He was under the impression that discretion is to be applied and only italics, dodgy spacing. graphics etc are enough to get pulled for.
Reckon I was just unlucky . . . . . . . . . . Sometimes I wish my car wasnt bright yellow lol
Paint it luna grey mate;)
seremotors
25-03-2009, 21:09
Paint it luna grey mate;)
Either that or get James Bond revolving plates :lol:
That Aston Martin was silver too funnily enough :think:
Ni Cupra
25-03-2009, 23:15
Seems your just unlucky, i have seen lots of number plates are are barely readable. I wonder have they been stopped and given a fpn? And afaik its not 3 fpn's, its now 2.
just in case you want to flaunt the law.... :cop: - >>>> http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/displayofnumberplates.pdf
This probably applies more to our NI friends than the others but worth a read . . .
Since the day my car was bought, it has had 'metro' style plates with a FR logo, and it never drew any grief from the police - even when they pulled me for having my front fogs on (near midnight, a mile from home, after a 30 mile drive through fog before anyone asks lol)
Anyway, I got pulled on Saturday morning - 40 in a 40 zone, minding my own etc etc
I got a bollocking for the plates, told about the new laws about letter styles, sizes, markings etc plus a £30 fixed penalty. Apparently if you get 3 FP's for plates the DVLA withdraw your plate!
Yes, as a dealer I know all about the new laws but the police have been advised to crack down very heavily on ALL vehicles with plates that arent 100% legal. I still think they were watching me, waiting for me to boot it on the empty carriageway early in the morning and were disappointed when I didnt do anything illegal or silly . . . . . . . .
The bottom line here is this -
Any plate with non-standard digits is likely to get you pulled and fined
To get new plates you need to produce V5 and driving licence
It is now an offence to make 'showplates' as well as to use them on the road
Plates must carry the makers name and postcode, and the British Standard mark
All number plate makers are now licenced and will be fined for every plate made which doesnt meet the legal standard. This will be audited by DVLA inspectors
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
Definately worth a read - was about to buy new plates on-line (metro style thick set letters) having just got a NI reg when I read this. Decided to try a couple of local auto shops and not one of them would stray even slightly away from the legal font - all quoted me how they stand to be fined thousands and apparently the clamp down is to do with the new average speed cameras - bought the legal type, too old for any hassle :happy:
seremotors
09-05-2009, 17:42
Definately worth a read - was about to buy new plates on-line (metro style thick set letters) having just got a NI reg when I read this. Decided to try a couple of local auto shops and not one of them would stray even slightly away from the legal font - all quoted me how they stand to be fined thousands and apparently the clamp down is to do with the new average speed cameras - bought the legal type, too old for any hassle :happy:
Update - the DVLA do actually follow this up. I got a letter by recorded delivery from them stating that the PSNI forwarded my details to them for 'non-conforming' plates. Basically warning me that 3 pulls and the plate is withdrawn . . . . .
Im still considering putting 'metro' plates back on without the logo but its illegal to make them, and with my luck I will get the same copper again. Maddens me to see how many people still have technically illegal plates but get overlooked even by police cars driving behind them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [:@]
Few of them look like your car though - I think there's also an envy thing going on when they decide to pull you in :shrug:
David we can solve this problem!
I'll happily swap my Ibiza for your Leon.
I'm just that type of kind hearted fellow that I would do such a nice thing! :D :p
James FR
10-05-2009, 11:30
Mine failed the MOT last month because I was missing the British Standard stamp :banned:. Everything was ok with the spacing, lettering, post code, dealer name, official background etc.
Just incase anyone dosen't know what the british standard stamp is, get on your hands and knees with a magnifing glass and look for a size 10 font in the top right hand corner.
Was not happy[:@]
seremotors
11-05-2009, 15:58
Mine failed the MOT last month because I was missing the British Standard stamp :banned:. Everything was ok with the spacing, lettering, post code, dealer name, official background etc.
Just incase anyone dosen't know what the british standard stamp is, get on your hands and knees with a magnifing glass and look for a size 10 font in the top right hand corner.
Was not happy[:@]
Now that is being REALLY sticky :(
The reason for the crackdown is simply to help speed cameras read the numbers.
Did you have to show V5 and licence to get them made?
James FR
11-05-2009, 17:20
Got them done at a local trade car parts place, much to the MOT garages disappointment.
Handed over my V5 and licence and had them made in 5 mins for £17 inc GB euro stars.
Was MOTed last year (at a 'one man garage') for the first time with the same plates, wished I had gone back there now, instead of a large garage chain for the extra fiver.
Rang round a few places to see what the story was when getting my plates, cause you used to be able to get them 3D ones legally, but since the new rules in November 2008 these became a grey area.. Some garages will and some won't.
seremotors
11-05-2009, 21:14
Got them done at a local trade car parts place, much to the MOT garages disappointment.
Handed over my V5 and licence and had them made in 5 mins for £17 inc GB euro stars.
Was MOTed last year (at a 'one man garage') for the first time with the same plates, wished I had gone back there now, instead of a large garage chain for the extra fiver.
Rang round a few places to see what the story was when getting my plates, cause you used to be able to get them 3D ones legally, but since the new rules in November 2008 these became a grey area.. Some garages will and some won't.
tbh I thought plates were an issue in GB for some years as you have had permanent speed cameras for a long time. Here in NI we only have 3 fixed cameras and 3 stretches of road with average speed cams. The rest has always been mobile traffic cops.
I know in-car and speed cameras WILL read chunky and slightly smaller text but the DVLA are on a total witch hunt - by putting the frighteners on the platemakers they are effectively removing the source of non-legal plates.
We can all thank the MaxPower chavs with their tiny/mis-spaced/altered/coloured/illegible plates for ruining it for the rest of us [:@]:ban:
The DVLA must also take some of the blame for letting us buy our own reg's - they know full well the vast majority will be used to make words and names by fannying around with spacing etc