Discussion
do some people blank out the registration number when posting pictures of their car on forums or Facebook?
I can understand if you're ragging round a track day you might not want your insurers to know but otherwise?
Can you trace address's from a number plate to pop round and steal it? But then hundreds of potential thief's see it "in the flesh" so why hide it on social media?
Just curious
I share your frustration, I've mentioned it before regarding some TVR dealers. Some don't bother so you can check a vehicle history.
Various dealers (usually small franchises) have done it for years, a kind of nudge for you to concentrate on the vehicle condition maybe, rather than its age? Personally, I think it is sometimes to avoid you easily finding out too much. You can nowadays trace how much a car has been advertised and sold for previously even at auction in some cases. Cazana is a reference I use sometimes although their data is not infallible!
https://cazana.com/uk
Previous advertised sale prices are from carandclassic.co.uk and their like, not Autotrader.
Some private sellers have copied dealers because they think it's a good idea.
The paranoid think their pride and joy may get cloned; but there must be a reason why you see masking tape on wrecked car number plates on car transporters. Perhaps these are the easiest to clone?
Various dealers (usually small franchises) have done it for years, a kind of nudge for you to concentrate on the vehicle condition maybe, rather than its age? Personally, I think it is sometimes to avoid you easily finding out too much. You can nowadays trace how much a car has been advertised and sold for previously even at auction in some cases. Cazana is a reference I use sometimes although their data is not infallible!
https://cazana.com/uk
Previous advertised sale prices are from carandclassic.co.uk and their like, not Autotrader.
Some private sellers have copied dealers because they think it's a good idea.
The paranoid think their pride and joy may get cloned; but there must be a reason why you see masking tape on wrecked car number plates on car transporters. Perhaps these are the easiest to clone?
There is an element of tin-foil hat to it, yes. I think the biggest threat (in their eyes) would be the risk of someone tracking the address of the car from the registration (which could be done, if you knew how) with a view to raid it for a rare part, or even take the whole car itself. Plenty of these cars live out on the street.
The counter argument is 'Oh well, you'll have to blank your registration out when you drive around on the road too then', but then people might go to a forum/page centered around a certain type of car, if they're on the hunt for something. The chances of a dodgey character seeing said car on the street purely by chance would be much slimmer.
That said, I never blank reg numbers out on my own cars. I'm with you, I don't see the point. If people want to find out where I live (or where the cars live....usually two different places
) then they could still do it quite easily.
In short, you're more likely to catch a virus on your PC which hacks into your browser cookies and steals all your banking information than for somebody to use a picture of your car on the internet for undesirable purposes.
The counter argument is 'Oh well, you'll have to blank your registration out when you drive around on the road too then', but then people might go to a forum/page centered around a certain type of car, if they're on the hunt for something. The chances of a dodgey character seeing said car on the street purely by chance would be much slimmer.
That said, I never blank reg numbers out on my own cars. I'm with you, I don't see the point. If people want to find out where I live (or where the cars live....usually two different places
) then they could still do it quite easily.In short, you're more likely to catch a virus on your PC which hacks into your browser cookies and steals all your banking information than for somebody to use a picture of your car on the internet for undesirable purposes.
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