Dark numberplates - New ****wittery or something else?
Discussion
PorkInsider said:
What about when when one of the t
ts runs into you and drives off and you (and witnesses) can't read the plate?
It's not all about whether plates can or can't be read by cameras.
This.ts runs into you and drives off and you (and witnesses) can't read the plate?It's not all about whether plates can or can't be read by cameras.
Still peeved that I got hit and run by a car with a very dubious private plate about 10 years ago. Unreadable mess, driver never got caught.
f1nn said:
Let's be honest, almost all of us will speed every time we drive, and most of us will commit a variety of motoring offences on a daily basis so I'm not about to get all holier than thou about it, but it seems odd that someone would fit or alter a number plate that's so obviously different to 99.9% of other plates on the road you are practically begging to get pulled over.
This. I have never understood silly number plates. Like duff bulbs and being excessively noisy, it just gives a reason for you to get pulled over.hondansx said:
This is more representative and a similar level of tint to what i have. I really struggle to see people's issue.
I think it looks alright.. I seem to remember years ago having a small semi tinted plate on my first 'big' motorbike after passing my test. I thought it looked good at the time. I certainly didn't think it would make getting caught on cameras harder.. Cameras are far more advanced than that.. hondansx said:
This is more representative and a similar level of tint to what i have. I really struggle to see people's issue.
That's probably not the level of tint that the thread is about. This is another pic of the Corsa I posted earlier, exactly level with the Mondeo:
I would have thought that's not quite legal.
Riktoid said:
Noticed a few 'pressed' plates recently too.
Usually on fast Japanese cars.
Unsure of legality of them.
I used to have pressed plates on my E39 and got a defect notice for them within about 2weeks of fitting them but I wasn't pulled for that reason, it was for a brake light outage on the o/s cluster (slow evening) and he just picked faults lolUsually on fast Japanese cars.
Unsure of legality of them.
X5TUU said:
Riktoid said:
Noticed a few 'pressed' plates recently too.
Usually on fast Japanese cars.
Unsure of legality of them.
I used to have pressed plates on my E39 and got a defect notice for them within about 2weeks of fitting them but I wasn't pulled for that reason, it was for a brake light outage on the o/s cluster (slow evening) and he just picked faults lolUsually on fast Japanese cars.
Unsure of legality of them.
Having just looked at them by this seller on Ebay, states they are UK legal:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-PAIR-OF-PRESSED-METAL-...
About 10 years ago I had a silver E39 5 series, debadged, lowered, mspec kit, tinted windows... pretty car 
The number plate bloke at santapod had started doing these smoked number plates and I stuck a pair on. No screw holes, silly pictures or even a border.Thought that they looked really nice and complemented the clean lines of the car.
Was pulled a couple of times for various things but the plates were never mentioned. Got a ticket from a camera so they don't work for that. Noticed that quite a few more cars in the area were putting them on after a while and I fancied a change so swapped them for a different set.
Basically what I'm saying is that I was one of the first 10 years ago and set the trend so expect to see cars with a transparant background soon because I think that I did that after.
Spaceman, fashion icon
The number plate bloke at santapod had started doing these smoked number plates and I stuck a pair on. No screw holes, silly pictures or even a border.Thought that they looked really nice and complemented the clean lines of the car.Was pulled a couple of times for various things but the plates were never mentioned. Got a ticket from a camera so they don't work for that. Noticed that quite a few more cars in the area were putting them on after a while and I fancied a change so swapped them for a different set.
Basically what I'm saying is that I was one of the first 10 years ago and set the trend so expect to see cars with a transparant background soon because I think that I did that after.
Spaceman, fashion icon
s p a c e m a n said:
About 10 years ago I had a silver E39 5 series, debadged, lowered, mspec kit, tinted windows... pretty car The number plate bloke at santapod had started doing these smoked number plates and I stuck a pair on. No screw holes, silly pictures or even a border.Thought that they looked really nice and complemented the clean lines of the car.
Was pulled a couple of times for various things but the plates were never mentioned. Got a ticket from a camera so they don't work for that. Noticed that quite a few more cars in the area were putting them on after a while and I fancied a change so swapped them for a different set.
Basically what I'm saying is that I was one of the first 10 years ago and set the trend so expect to see cars with a transparant background soon because I think that I did that after.
Spaceman, fashion icon
Wicked story mate. Got any more? The number plate bloke at santapod had started doing these smoked number plates and I stuck a pair on. No screw holes, silly pictures or even a border.Thought that they looked really nice and complemented the clean lines of the car.Was pulled a couple of times for various things but the plates were never mentioned. Got a ticket from a camera so they don't work for that. Noticed that quite a few more cars in the area were putting them on after a while and I fancied a change so swapped them for a different set.
Basically what I'm saying is that I was one of the first 10 years ago and set the trend so expect to see cars with a transparant background soon because I think that I did that after.
Spaceman, fashion icon
Benmac said:
Travelling about over the past couple of weeks I've spotted a few cars with dark or perhaps smoked numberplates front and rear. Always on "yoof" type cars and too many spotted to be a one off or some fault with an otherwise acceptable plate.
These were definitely modern plates just very heavily tinted not old fashioned black and silver ones.
Net effect seemed to be to make the plate pretty much illegible. Surely though any such muppetry is a BiB magnet?
So is this the new cool thing to do for the kids, is it perhaps soemthing to do with Pokemon hunting maybe or just general chavvy idiocy?
Pokemon hunting?These were definitely modern plates just very heavily tinted not old fashioned black and silver ones.
Net effect seemed to be to make the plate pretty much illegible. Surely though any such muppetry is a BiB magnet?
So is this the new cool thing to do for the kids, is it perhaps soemthing to do with Pokemon hunting maybe or just general chavvy idiocy?
You read the Sun don't you.
I’ve noticed a trend that if someone on PistonHeads doesn’t agree with something or someone else’s personal choice, it automatically makes them a knobber. 
I had tinted number plates on my Civic Type R, purely for aesthetic reasons, not to evade cameras – not that tinted plates work for that.
I fitted the plates as the car was Nighthawk Black, the wheels were painted gloss black, the windows tinted and thought the tinted plates would finish it off nicely. The front windows were tinted but only subtly, and the same grade of tint was applied to the plates too – it wasn’t as dark as most of the plates posted in this thread.
I only had trouble for the plates once. I was told to rectify them, stupidly didn’t, but luckily was never pulled by the same officer again.
ETA: just realised this thread is a year old!
I had tinted number plates on my Civic Type R, purely for aesthetic reasons, not to evade cameras – not that tinted plates work for that.
I fitted the plates as the car was Nighthawk Black, the wheels were painted gloss black, the windows tinted and thought the tinted plates would finish it off nicely. The front windows were tinted but only subtly, and the same grade of tint was applied to the plates too – it wasn’t as dark as most of the plates posted in this thread.
I only had trouble for the plates once. I was told to rectify them, stupidly didn’t, but luckily was never pulled by the same officer again.
EnglishTony said:
Am I the only one who finds it amusing that people go out and spend their hard earn't cash on a personalised plate, go to the time and trouble of having it mispaced to read something, then cover it so people can't see it?
I’ve just laughed at myself as the Civic had a private plate which was miss-spaced and then tinted.InitialDave said:
This. I have never understood silly number plates. Like duff bulbs and being excessively noisy, it just gives a reason for you to get pulled over.
I’m doing myself no favours here, but the Civic also had HID headlights, LED sidelight and numberplate bulbs, and was excessively loud. I got stopped lots, surprisingly! I never got any points or fines from being stopped though – must be good at passing the attitude test. ETA: just realised this thread is a year old!
Edited by Bradley1500 on Tuesday 20th June 17:20
I ran pressed plates on my 1982 BMW 635CSi in the early 2000's.
I was 24 years old and had a 6 Series.
Was I a nobber? Probably.
Was it fashionable? Not yet. (ahead of the curve natch
)
The real reason I did it was that they looked 'German' and they were able to be bent on the front to fit the bumper shape as anyone who owns and E24 will attest that getting UK plates to look right on these cars is a PITA.
Tinted plates? Pah! Doesn't bother me as much as people getting bothered by it gets me.
Also, I reckon the persepx cover over the Lotus (1990's) Elan and some other cars on here that people 'like' is no worse.
Dear god just like the fact these kids are in to cars at all and not just football and computer games, there is hope for the human race!
I was 24 years old and had a 6 Series.
Was I a nobber? Probably.
Was it fashionable? Not yet. (ahead of the curve natch
)The real reason I did it was that they looked 'German' and they were able to be bent on the front to fit the bumper shape as anyone who owns and E24 will attest that getting UK plates to look right on these cars is a PITA.
Tinted plates? Pah! Doesn't bother me as much as people getting bothered by it gets me.
Also, I reckon the persepx cover over the Lotus (1990's) Elan and some other cars on here that people 'like' is no worse.
Dear god just like the fact these kids are in to cars at all and not just football and computer games, there is hope for the human race!
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