Where do you buy number plates?
Where do you buy number plates?
Author
Discussion

IAmTheWalrus

Original Poster:

1,054 posts

75 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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After being hit by falling road debris from a lorry in front, I have noticed the front number plate is smashed up. The last time I bought plates I went to halfords and within a year or two the ink that made up the letters was running down the plate so that was shockingly ste.. Has anyone here bought plates that were still good years later? Thanks in advance.

Scrump

23,947 posts

189 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Fancy plates

IAmTheWalrus

Original Poster:

1,054 posts

75 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Thanks, do you have actual experience of using their plates?

IAmTheWalrus

Original Poster:

1,054 posts

75 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
quotequote all
It is asking about size though, is there a standard size?

Scrump

23,947 posts

189 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
quotequote all
Yes, I have bought many number plates from Fancy Plates.

I continue to buy from them because the plates I have received from them have been good quality and have lasted. They also make the plates without having to send documents.

Cold

16,742 posts

121 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Yep. No complaints here. They'll do road legal plates without the requirement to forward documents to an unknown email address. thumbup


anonymous-user

85 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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I used www.proplates.co.uk for some sticky plates, good quality and all legal reflective backing etc

Std size is 520x111mm

anonymous-user

85 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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IAmTheWalrus said:
The last time I bought plates I went to halfords and within a year or two the ink that made up the letters was running down the plate so that was shockingly ste.
I always buy plates at Halfords and have never had the slightest difficulty with them. So much simpler to walk in and buy your plates immediately over the conter rather than faffing about sending documents to a remote supplier and then waiting for the plates to arrive.

Halfords definitely recommended.

car user

712 posts

155 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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I've used both Pro Plates and Fancy Plates, neither required sending documentation and both have all legal markings without any obnoxious logos of branding. The ones from Fancy Plates are still on the car 7 years later and look as good as new. The Pro Plates ones are still fairly new but quality was fine.

I tried Halfords once, the first set they made they managed to swap a couple of the letters around so they had to go back and make a second set, the second one the letters were wonky and there were defects and air bubbles between the layers so handed those back too.

sherman

15,326 posts

246 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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I have always used my local motor factors. Walk in show the documentation. Hang about 5 mins look at the window wipers etc and they are ready.
Can have it all done and fit them on the car in less than half a day.

Grebby

116 posts

234 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Halfords now only do aluminium plates. Basically a big printer prints out your plate and they stick it onto an aluminium backing plate.

I got some the other day and the quality seems fine. Can't say anything about longevity though.

IAmTheWalrus

Original Poster:

1,054 posts

75 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
quotequote all
Yeah, I had similar experience at Halfords, they gave me one with bubbles, I didn't see them when I bought them so took them back to get the ones where the ink somehow ran down the plate, anyway thanks for the suggestions guys, fancy plates has a sale on so looks like they are a lot cheaper than Halfords.

Chubbyross

5,011 posts

116 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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+1 for fancy plates. I’ve tried several companies in the past and their plates are the best quality. Delivery is quick too.

B235r

408 posts

80 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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I always use www.platesforcars.co.uk

Can't be arsed finding all sorts of documents just to get a set of number plates made

smithyithy

7,940 posts

149 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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Main dealer laugh

timbo999

1,547 posts

286 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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smithyithy said:
Main dealer laugh
Not as daft as it sounds... the last set I bought was from a BMW dealer and they cost £24 - significantly cheaper than Halfords.

smithyithy

7,940 posts

149 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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timbo999 said:
Not as daft as it sounds... the last set I bought was from a BMW dealer and they cost £24 - significantly cheaper than Halfords.
I think I paid about £50 for the pair from Porsche recently, but that included fitting as they wouldn't do 'supply only'...

Bit pricey but I wanted the official dealer text on the plate laugh

Flumpo

4,024 posts

104 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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smithyithy said:
timbo999 said:
Not as daft as it sounds... the last set I bought was from a BMW dealer and they cost £24 - significantly cheaper than Halfords.
I think I paid about £50 for the pair from Porsche recently, but that included fitting as they wouldn't do 'supply only'...

Bit pricey but I wanted the official dealer text on the plate laugh
Not as silly as it sounds, if you have an expensive Porsche and it has a halford plate on the front, first question the next buyer has is what did you hit?

Whatever excuse is offered up for having a mismatched plate I can see some people picking the other car that doesn’t.

InitialDave

15,169 posts

150 months

Saturday 10th April 2021
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I think the best quality plates I had were from a local parts store (Parkers in Leicester), but I may be misremembering.

They were made in such a way that they were slightly crimped/heat sealed round the entire edge, so I'd imagine they would be very resistant to delaminating or getting muck migrating inside the plate.

faa77

1,728 posts

102 months

Tuesday 28th June 2022
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Sorry to bump an old thread.

Are people still using Fancyplates? Their TrustPilot reviews are a bit hit/miss.

Just looking at Pro Plates reviews, they seem much better.