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

Who cares? Next to no one picking up a new car will have that car three years later so it's not their problem. The dealer just wants to get the plates on as cheaply and quickly as possible. The employee doing the work doesn't care as they won't be at that dealership for much longer. The manager doesn't care as they don't plan to be at that awful job any longer than they have to be. And on top of no one caring, no one is going to notice. On top of no one noticing, no one is going to say or do anything even if they did.

There literally isn't anyone involved who cares, would notice or would ever say anything. It's usually an owner years down the line who notices the rotted out hole and even then they wouldn't normally care as it's just a shed on its last bit of work before being scrapped.

You, being a person who noticed the issue, were annoyed by the issue and then actually went and did something about the issue are an anomaly, or what the modern consumer society would call 'a massive fking weirdo'.

It's a very sad reflection of just how many have cared so little for so long about the small things that really matter.

Just to update, car was away for two days last week and returned to me with the damage repaired and a new hole-free plate. I have examined it and can't really tell where the holes were made so I'm satisfied with that. When I dropped the car off the staff member I had been dealing with throughout was genuinely apologetic and said it wasn't good enough.

Why'd you want a short plate? They look dreadful, especially if they're fitted to a plinth for a standard width plate. But I guess it's extra attention points for those that have a cherished plate.

Funny that when I was living in France I got fined because my (French) plates were sticked. Apparently it's mandatory that they have to be fitted with rivets, even screws are not allowed.

I think it's the same in several other countries.

Does this law only apply to French registered vehicles? I often wondered how they could enforce this on foreign cars where such legislation does not exist. I suspect most police and gendarmerie don't pay any attention.

Yes, I believe so.

ETA: I bet they would have a lot of fun with the Swiss plates otherwise...

I got a brand new car last year and was rather annoyed to take off the self tapper attached plate to find nice pre drilled holes underneath sitting unused. It doesn't help when they attach the self tappers at the outer edge leaving no room for shorter plates. I had to attach with sticky pads and tidy up the leftover holes the best I could but they are still visible if looking for them.

Yes I have a 6 digit plate and yes it looks better being shortened by a couple of inches than having a full size plate and lots of yellow space.

Exactly.

When I did my work experience at the now long gone Tom Garner Peugeot in Manchester at the age of 16, they had me doing pre delivery inspections on then brand new 307s, 206s, 406s, etc. They just let me, a daft 16 year old lad who they didn’t know, loose on these brand new cars with a drill, screws and screwdrivers, fitting the numberplates, as well as other jobs like adding washer fluid, topping up coolant, etc. With one of the cars, a 307 HDI, the washer fluid reservoir wasn’t properly attached, so several litres of washer fluid ended up all over the workshop floor.

If you use the correct sticky pads and properly prepare the surfaces to be stuck together, they'll easily last as long as screws.

I use the 6mm thick sticky pads from Halfords. It is the biggest pain in the arse imaginable trying to remove a plate that's been fitted using these pads, I have absolutely no worry whatsoever that they'll ever fall off. Even better, you don't have rusty screws or holes drilled through the plate, causing the plate to delaminate and fail an MOT down the line.