Number Plate - Illegal???

Author
Discussion

jasandjules

Original Poster:

69,825 posts

228 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Hi,

Gotta mate with a plate C 5UE G... Will this be legal?
It is in standard letter type and otherwise is correctly spaced, but obviously the 5 has been moved across a little to spell SUE.....

Been on the car for years with no problems, but need a new plate printed and want to make sure it is legal now.

Cheers

Jas

^Slider^

2,874 posts

248 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
The spacing would be illegal i believe so i doubt you would be able to get them made legit in the UK.

Gareth

muley

1,453 posts

280 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
But if you order from www.aplates.co.uk you can choose your spacing BUT it is illegal ...

puggit

48,354 posts

247 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Sounds like a £30 fixed penalty to me...

supermono

7,368 posts

247 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Isn't a numberplate covered by the vehicle rectification scheme if you insist? No money, no points, just turn up at the cop shop with proof that you've fixed it up.

Not the end of the world after all? Besides without these cleverly spaced numberplates on cars, how else can you tell who the tits are?

SM

^Slider^

2,874 posts

248 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
It is covered by VRDS but its up to the officer to decide if he/she issues the VDRS or a £30 fine.

woodytvr

622 posts

245 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
It's illegal and your friend should know this as the car won't pass an MOT with it on - assuming it's old enough for an MOT.

fancyplate.com will make you a set though.

On one akward occasion BMW refused to road test my car due to the last letter being spaced slightly on it - I'd given them grief over the lack of tax on the loan car they tried to give me. They had nothing else so I made a fuss. In the end they gave me the Service Managers car.

>> Edited by woodytvr on Tuesday 25th October 16:06

Andrew Noakes

914 posts

239 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
woodytvr said:
BMW refused to road test my car


Presumably a BMW dealer, not BMW themselves?

Munter

31,319 posts

240 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
woodytvr said:
It's illegal and your friend should know this as the car won't pass an MOT with it on - assuming it's old enough for an MOT.


The MOT just checks the existance of a plate with the correct characters not the legality of font/spacing/reflectivity I believe.

bigdods

7,172 posts

226 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Just a thought here - On my TVR Chimaera the rear plate has to be translucent as it is backlit - this is as designed and Ministry approved. But AFAIK you cant get street legal translucent plates anywhere - the only plates available with BSI numbers and such on them are all solid. I got mine from fancyplates , to UK spec font, spacing etc but it doesnt have the BSi number or manufacturer details on it. So I guess technically its illegal right ? I am thinking of having a legal rear plate made up and keep it in the boot so if plod pull me up I can pop round the MOT station , stick the plate on and get stamped on the rectification form.

The worst thing about it is being translucent the rear plate looks quite a lot like those stupid plates that are supposed to fool speed cameras so one day I expect to get pulled...

medusa

301 posts

226 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Purchased a new plate for my car from DVLC june this year, the covering paperwork that came with it stated if number plate is spaced incorrectly apart from a fine thay can consficate the number plate with no compensation due. I do not think they would do this but they are making clear that they reserve the rights to do so.

woodytvr

622 posts

245 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Andrew Noakes said:


woodytvr said:
BMW refused to road test my car




Presumably a BMW dealer, not BMW themselves?



Yes. Although BMW themselves did have to road test my Coupe when the subframe snapped - £6k of warranty work, ouch!.

>> Edited by woodytvr on Tuesday 25th October 16:20

woodytvr

622 posts

245 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Munter said:

woodytvr said:
It's illegal and your friend should know this as the car won't pass an MOT with it on - assuming it's old enough for an MOT.



The MOT just checks the existance of a plate with the correct characters not the legality of font/spacing/reflectivity I believe.


No the plate has to be legal.

Munter

31,319 posts

240 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
woodytvr said:

Munter said:


woodytvr said:
It's illegal and your friend should know this as the car won't pass an MOT with it on - assuming it's old enough for an MOT.




The MOT just checks the existance of a plate with the correct characters not the legality of font/spacing/reflectivity I believe.



No the plate has to be legal.


a LOT of dodgy MOT places about then.......

woodytvr

622 posts

245 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Munter said:

woodytvr said:


Munter said:



woodytvr said:
It's illegal and your friend should know this as the car won't pass an MOT with it on - assuming it's old enough for an MOT.





The MOT just checks the existance of a plate with the correct characters not the legality of font/spacing/reflectivity I believe.




No the plate has to be legal.



a LOT of dodgy MOT places about then.......


lol, yes.

One I went to wouldn't let me drive back out with my spaced plates on (I'd changed to the legal ones on site) in case he was being watched!

Another charged me £20 and gave me two new plates as he'd failed to notice the correct ones on the back seat - he'd collected the car so I wasn't there to tell him.

BliarOut

72,857 posts

238 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Munter said:

woodytvr said:


Munter said:



woodytvr said:
It's illegal and your friend should know this as the car won't pass an MOT with it on - assuming it's old enough for an MOT.





The MOT just checks the existance of a plate with the correct characters not the legality of font/spacing/reflectivity I believe.




No the plate has to be legal.



a LOT of dodgy MOT places about then.......


I've always chucked the legal plates on the passenger seat for the MOT. Job done

woodytvr

622 posts

245 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Yes, foolish of me to think they'd spot them in the back when there was £20 to be made!

ya55erm

133 posts

223 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Just keep a set of original (legal) plates in your boot and if a plob stops you say you have been ADVISED that they need to be changed earlier and that you just bought them and need to put them on but dont want to do it on the road side!

Also say you have thrown the recipt away and the plod just told you off the day before!

Easy!

^Slider^

2,874 posts

248 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
Bear in mind everyone is giving excuses to use but alot of police make the decision to ticket or VDRS before they speak to you.

I dont know what area you are in but if its like mine then there is every chance you would be seen again and possibly recognised so excuses wont work the second time around.

Why not just get some straight plates made and use them rather than risk being £30 lighter each time you drive and being held up if stopped while the rest of the car is checked docs checks and various bits of paperwork completed???

BliarOut

72,857 posts

238 months

Tuesday 25th October 2005
quotequote all
^Slider^ said:

Why not just get some straight plates made and use them rather than risk being £30 lighter each time you drive and being held up if stopped while the rest of the car is checked docs checks and various bits of paperwork completed???


That wouldn't be half as much fun

I had to change the italicised ones on my old MX-5 as a copper who lives near me pulled me...... He told me he had seen me almost every day for three years and was just waiting until he saw me when he was on duty. Busted