Dealers who use self-tappers to fit number plates - why?

[andy43]

myvision said:

beambeam1 said:

2024 and supplying dealers still too lazy to use the factory drilled fittings or some sticky tabs.



Brand new, delivery mileage, lazy. It's not even level FFS... and spaced so wide I can't even use a shortened plate when I stick my private reg on.

Edited by beambeam1 on Wednesday 17th April 00:33

Holy st i'd be getting them to fix that!!!

That’s appalling and it looks like it’ll invalidate the anti corrosion warranty!

[loskie]

beambeam1 said:

2024 and supplying dealers still too lazy to use the factory drilled fittings or some sticky tabs.



Brand new, delivery mileage, lazy. It's not even level FFS... and spaced so wide I can't even use a shortened plate when I stick my private reg on.

Edited by beambeam1 on Wednesday 17th April 00:33

Parks Volvo did that to my Brand New Volvo. I didnt know 'til 4 years later when the tailgate started to rust. Of course it wasn't covered in the corrosion warranty and Parks weren't the least bit interested. They need strung up.

[DonkeyApple]

beambeam1 said:

2024 and supplying dealers still too lazy to use the factory drilled fittings or some sticky tabs.



Brand new, delivery mileage, lazy. It's not even level FFS... and spaced so wide I can't even use a shortened plate when I stick my private reg on.

Edited by beambeam1 on Wednesday 17th April 00:33

That's in to actual metal?

It's such a tiny and minor thing that few would care and most would obviously never notice and those that might would tend to not worry as nothing will happen over the three years of their use. But I'd be one of the few who would be livid at just the wonton, backward damage that was utterly unnecessary and just done because some little savage simply can't be bothered to do the simplest of tasks correctly.

I'd be binning the car off on principle if I were the owner. They won't ever colour match well enough and it needs to be their problem not mine. If it was just a rental I'd probably consider That approach more difficult as the car wouldn't be mine and I wouldn't be the user in three years so repairing the vandalism would be fine.

[vikingaero]

DonkeyApple said:

beambeam1 said:

2024 and supplying dealers still too lazy to use the factory drilled fittings or some sticky tabs.



Brand new, delivery mileage, lazy. It's not even level FFS... and spaced so wide I can't even use a shortened plate when I stick my private reg on.

Edited by beambeam1 on Wednesday 17th April 00:33

That's in to actual metal?

It's such a tiny and minor thing that few would care and most would obviously never notice and those that might would tend to not worry as nothing will happen over the three years of their use. But I'd be one of the few who would be livid at just the wonton, backward damage that was utterly unnecessary and just done because some little savage simply can't be bothered to do the simplest of tasks correctly.

I'd be binning the car off on principle if I were the owner. They won't ever colour match well enough and it needs to be their problem not mine. If it was just a rental I'd probably consider That approach more difficult as the car wouldn't be mine and I wouldn't be the user in three years so repairing the vandalism would be fine.

Imagine they got it wonky or the drill bit slipped? They'll drill another hole. Do you think they will fill the first hole? Do you think they apply corrosion protection or apply touch up paint around the edges of the whole. That's sloppy especially when there are manufacturer points already in place to mount the number plate. I would prefer wonky 3M tape to that abomination.

[beambeam1]

Glad I'm not alone in my reaction to this!

Sadly, it is wonky too...

I've sent an email to the staff member I've dealt with throughout and will report how things proceed.

[snotrag]

beambeam1 said:

2024 and supplying dealers still too lazy to use the factory drilled fittings or some sticky tabs.



Brand new, delivery mileage, lazy. It's not even level FFS... and spaced so wide I can't even use a shortened plate when I stick my private reg on.

Edited by beambeam1 on Wednesday 17th April 00:33

I have never, and probably will never buy a brand new car but if I was lucky enough to do so... and they did that - I'd go absolutely apest.

[J4CKO]

Saw a brand new RR Sport recently, 100k plus ? with a registration that could have been half that again.

Rear plate noticeably on the piss, all that money that went into that combination and fails on having the plate at an angle.

[AlexGSi2000]

Have a friend with a 2007 A5.

He asked me to take a look at the rear number plate as its fallen down on one side.

Yep - replacement plate with used car dealer tag from when it was last sold in 2012, screwed straight into the metal, which has eventually corroded and made a hole, also leading to water in the boot.

Patched up "hidden" with double sided numberplate tape as a temporary measure, but the boot lids going to need replacing.

[liner33]

Almost a 10 year old thread and I think I have owned 10 cars since then but the last new car I bought the dealer refused to use sticky pads claiming it was against company policy but they did take care when they mounted the plates

I have the current polycarbonate plate fixed with magnets but it seems that there is some confusion as to whether that is legal

[David87]

beambeam1 said:

2024 and supplying dealers still too lazy to use the factory drilled fittings or some sticky tabs.



Brand new, delivery mileage, lazy. It's not even level FFS... and spaced so wide I can't even use a shortened plate when I stick my private reg on.

Edited by beambeam1 on Wednesday 17th April 00:33

Wow, that's so bad! What car is it?

[ChocolateFrog]

Dacia did the same to my bootlid.

I guess it's easy to take a drill to someone else's stuff.

I asked them not to wash it, didn't occur to me at the time that I had to ask them not to vandalise it too.

[steveo3002]

often the car cleaners job , our place used to pay em an extra £2-3 for fitting plates , no one cares eh

[beambeam1]

snotrag said:

I have never, and probably will never buy a brand new car but if I was lucky enough to do so... and they did that - I'd go absolutely apest.

That used to be my default setting for years but I can't get away with that these days so have to be measured in my initial response before I waste energy going apoplectic.

AlexGSi2000 said:

Patched up "hidden" with double sided numberplate tape as a temporary measure, but the boot lids going to need replacing.

Yeah, a previous car had similar and I plugged it with a rubber grommet type thing normally used for rear window delete on hatchbacks. Coated it in clear sealant then some double sided tape for extra protection. Did the job.

David87 said:

Wow, that's so bad! What car is it?

Cupra Ateca. It's dampened that positive new car feeling (first time) but otherwise a pleasant car to drive so far.



Latest. Branch or service manager contacted me this afternoon. Apologised and agreed that the manner in which the holes have been created, roughly and out of alignment, is unacceptable.

He went on to explain that the pre-drilled holes are actually for number plate frame/holders only and that they as a dealership always drill their own holes. I asked why not even sticky tabs to which the risk of them failing and plates falling off meant that they weren't allowed to fit plates in this way... I think this is waffle myself but whatever.

The plan now is to drop it off to them ASAP and they will send it to their bodyshop to repair and fit the number plate holder that I supply (Wurth). I'm staggered that to them it is still acceptable to just drill into the bodywork but doesn't surprise me given what I read in this thread last night.

[andy43]

beambeam1 said:

He went on to explain that the pre-drilled holes are actually for number plate frame/holders only and that they as a dealership always drill their own holes.

But the holes are already RIGHT THERE! Why the bloody hell don't they use those?

[beambeam1]

Quite. When I stated the obvious and that it wasn't rocket science to make some template and utilise those holes there wasn't much of a response except to repeat the nonsense about drilling them but it's not usually as bad a job as this.

If it's a standard spacing then I don't believe there isn't some sort of template/jig similar to a number plate holder that you lay over a plate and drill into. Might see if a mate with a 3D printer can make one.

Edited by beambeam1 on Wednesday 17th April 20:11

[5s Alive]

I was hacked off when the dealer did this through a plastic bumper, I'd have been incandescent had they done so through metal. There are a few Mercedes A Class locally that have corroding steel screws through the tailgate. I'm annoyed on their behalf.

Mine as delivered. Off centre and skewed, left side screw is almost protruding at the edge of the plate holder. It was also too long and bottomed out on the underlying alloy crash bar so that the plate isn't secured properly.

No holes were drilled, they simply banged through a self tapper. The border on the plate is also skewed. "It can't be affixed with 3M tape, it wouldn't hold!" Absolute cretins - yes it annoyed me more than a little.



Ordered new plates, et voila! The rear plate was also skewed but at least they had used the plastic inserts for the screws.

Edited by 5s Alive on Wednesday 17th April 21:45

[Mr Tidy]

I don't think I've ever had a car that didn't have self-tappers holding the plates on!

It seems to be standard practice.

[robsco]

Riley Blue said:

To those who reckon double sided tape doesn't stick well - it does, I almost snapped a stuck-on plate trying to wrestle it off. In the end I resorted to sawing with dental floss to cut through the tape and spent half an hour picking off the gooey bits.

That sounds a far better use of one’s time than 30 seconds with a drill.

[808 Estate]

3M VHB tape will stick bricks together. On a number plate, it will probably outlast the car.

[5s Alive]

I used 3M around the entire perimeter of the plates. You could probably tow the car using them as a hitch.

Hope I don't have to remove them at some point.