Run in with Garage - MOT / Number Plates / Supplier Details
Discussion
Turned up to pick my car up from its MOT and found there was a charge for £28 to pay for two new number plates!
The plates fitted were 3 months old and were just normal 'GB' plates I had made up WITHOUT the supplying dealer name/postcode on the bottom for that very reason. They were proper 3M plates, legally spaced, correct font and even displaying LGS BSAU 145D in the bottom right.
Anyway the garage had quite literally ripped off (and cracked) my original number plates (which were stuck on with heavy duty trim tape) and replaced them with ugly non-GB plates sporting a great big garage logo / telephone number on the bottom.
As far as I was aware it is not illegal to display a number plate without a supplying dealer but it is illegal to manufacture a plate (grey area) without placing your company name on the bottom.
Anyway I hit the roof and the tester swore blind he was right, he said he'd even bought a new number plate machine as he had replaced so may (I bet he had!!).
Anyway I got back to work and called VOSA who confirmed I was right and e-mailed me over the relevant notice. It appears this was a failure criteria for 2 months before they realised they had not cleaned up whe laws with regard to number plate manufacture.
http://www.motuk.co.uk/images/SpecialNotice10-07.p...
(which is replicated on a 9 page PDF on the .GOV site here:
http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/repository/S... )
Which states:
From receipt of this Special Notice the following items must not be used to fail a vehicle presented for test.
So armed with this I stormed down to the garage and the cheeky bugger called the VOSA guy who told him the same thing. I then noticed he had screwed the plates into my virgin front bumper and refused to pay for the MOT test based on this and the fact he had damaged my legal number plates. So we will see if he cancelles my MOT (I have the certificate, can he do this?).
Posting this in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar position.
Was I right to take issue with this?
Edit: Added .gov link
The plates fitted were 3 months old and were just normal 'GB' plates I had made up WITHOUT the supplying dealer name/postcode on the bottom for that very reason. They were proper 3M plates, legally spaced, correct font and even displaying LGS BSAU 145D in the bottom right.
Anyway the garage had quite literally ripped off (and cracked) my original number plates (which were stuck on with heavy duty trim tape) and replaced them with ugly non-GB plates sporting a great big garage logo / telephone number on the bottom.
As far as I was aware it is not illegal to display a number plate without a supplying dealer but it is illegal to manufacture a plate (grey area) without placing your company name on the bottom.
Anyway I hit the roof and the tester swore blind he was right, he said he'd even bought a new number plate machine as he had replaced so may (I bet he had!!).
Anyway I got back to work and called VOSA who confirmed I was right and e-mailed me over the relevant notice. It appears this was a failure criteria for 2 months before they realised they had not cleaned up whe laws with regard to number plate manufacture.
http://www.motuk.co.uk/images/SpecialNotice10-07.p...
(which is replicated on a 9 page PDF on the .GOV site here:
http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/repository/S... )
Which states:
From receipt of this Special Notice the following items must not be used to fail a vehicle presented for test.
- A registration plate obviously not displaying the name and postcode of the supplying outlet
So armed with this I stormed down to the garage and the cheeky bugger called the VOSA guy who told him the same thing. I then noticed he had screwed the plates into my virgin front bumper and refused to pay for the MOT test based on this and the fact he had damaged my legal number plates. So we will see if he cancelles my MOT (I have the certificate, can he do this?).
Posting this in case anyone else finds themselves in a similar position.
Was I right to take issue with this?
Edit: Added .gov link
Edited by AddieB on Monday 12th July 17:36
jamieboy said:
AddieB said:
I then noticed he had screwed the plates into my virgin front bumper
No idea what you can do about it, but I'd be pretty livid if I'd had my number plates taped on and the replacements were screwed through the bumper...Looks like he has used plastic lugs in the OE moulded locations on the rear, just the front is put on with self tappers and white caps.
k offjagracer said:
He can't cancel the MOT so if you have your car back there's not much he can do.
He has a repairers lein. He cant supply the plates, or any parts, without authorisation though, and he is liable for the damage.Either involve the trading standards dept. at you local council from the outset (if you can get hold of them - youll have tio jump through the Consumer Direct hoops first!), or pay under protest to recover your and take it from there (through the small claims track at the county court).
An Audi with a blemish on its number plate 
GC8 said:
jagracer said:
He can't cancel the MOT so if you have your car back there's not much he can do.
He has a repairers lein. He cant supply the plates, or any parts, without authorisation though, and he is liable for the damage.Either involve the trading standards dept. at you local council from the outset (if you can get hold of them - youll have tio jump through the Consumer Direct hoops first!), or pay under protest to recover your and take it from there (through the small claims track at the county court).
carreauchompeur said:
S Line Luxury said:
When i got my audi serviced one of the numberplates had a slight blemish on it, they replaced it FOC
Quality service
it's all part of the Imagine. Quality service
Image, Audi A3? . . . . . . . whats that then, overpriced VW Golf badly driven by little miss junior exec / low level recruitment consultant?
), I am not sure.....As a tester.
The MOT is being changed at the moment. Things that were fail or advisory (depending on how bad) are being removed. So brake discs pitted (re: corrodded) is now not an option to even advise. let alone Fail. The whole scheme is getting t the point where testers wonder if VOSA actually want us to fail a car.
HOWEVER.
The postcode thing is irrelevant to the MOT
UNLESS
The postcode comes within the prescribed gap around the main letters. For reference. I have NEVER failed a car on this. So basically, get VOSA to intervene on that. Next I'd be spekaing to Trading Standards about the damage to the front bumper. I'm assuming this is a independent not a main agent btw. A main agent is more likely to sort this for you with a lot less hassle than an Indie.
The MOT is being changed at the moment. Things that were fail or advisory (depending on how bad) are being removed. So brake discs pitted (re: corrodded) is now not an option to even advise. let alone Fail. The whole scheme is getting t the point where testers wonder if VOSA actually want us to fail a car.
HOWEVER.
The postcode thing is irrelevant to the MOT
UNLESS
The postcode comes within the prescribed gap around the main letters. For reference. I have NEVER failed a car on this. So basically, get VOSA to intervene on that. Next I'd be spekaing to Trading Standards about the damage to the front bumper. I'm assuming this is a independent not a main agent btw. A main agent is more likely to sort this for you with a lot less hassle than an Indie.
Rich_W said:
The postcode comes within the prescribed gap around the main letters. For reference. I have NEVER failed a car on this. So basically, get VOSA to intervene on that. Next I'd be spekaing to Trading Standards about the damage to the front bumper. I'm assuming this is a independent not a main agent btw. A main agent is more likely to sort this for you with a lot less hassle than an Indie.
VOSA have been fantastic. It was an indie, just round the corner from work so was just out of convenience really.
As I've not paid for the MOT I'm not sure where I stand. I'm not OCD enough to claim for repair to holes in a plastic bumper otherwise obsecured by the number plate - it was more of the principal.
Since I posted this I've been out for a walk and spotted at least 10 cars locally with his number plates (and he doesn't sell cars, just MOT/Service) - I think he's been pulling this racket for a while.
At £28 a pop, I paid £10 delivered for a pair of 3M plates off eBay cost price can't be much more than £5 so thats £230 profit on the 10 cars I spotted alone. Nice little earner.
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff