Licence Plates

[StrikE]

Hi,

Looking to get plates for my car, back number plate will be standard 20'' x 4'' but the front plate i was wanting to make it smaller up front.

I had the square plate on the RB & liked it more than the usual standard plate but unfortunately the holes that have been drilled on the hatch are physically the same dimensions of the square plate [externally]

I know at least 2 members on here that have smaller plates bobby & baz.

Do you ever get pulled for the plates?

If i was to get pulled by plod & had a standard plate in the boot would i get a fixed fine.

Any help or advise would be good folks

Many thanks

Del

[scouk]

http://www.newreg.co.uk/services/dvla_numb...lic_plate_rules

As long as you keep 11mm roudn the edge you'll be legal!

My one is shorter than standard. THe full width looked daft with 5 charaters, WAY too much white space.. so cropped it down while still keepign a standard size gap gap between edge of plate and edge of lettering.. As a result it doesn't look like a short plate because it's in proportion so a standard plate so looks normal. I also made up a legal limit one with just the 11mm border but didn't like it...

[C_WRX]

The plate I have in the front is shorter in length only, personal plate so less digits allows for it. Never had any bother - same with the wifes in fact.

Think they are more interested in the lettering/digit spacing, and that the height of the lettering is standard so easily read.

If you get pulled are you not told to get it MOT'd and produce the certificate at the station to prove you changed it. If it's in the boot they know fine well you'll swap it back over again !

[Jon B]

you won't get told to mot it but you will get a producer and a defect notice which you have to take to an mot station for them to stamp which states that at the time they saw it the plate was in fact road legal... ie spacing and lettering was legal...

i've always had the smaller rectangular plate on the front ... (like the new bike plates) and standard on rear....

IMO all that should matter is that speed cameras (the feckers) can read you're rear plate clearly as that is all they see.....

[Lainey]

We put a motorbike style number plate on our scoob on the front approx 10" x 2" and kept a normal one on the back and we were pulled by the plod.

Had to change it back and get an MOT station to stamp the producer, never put the small one back on as the plod took a photo for their records so knew we would get stopped constantly with it.

We used to own a black clio rsi and put black plates with silver letters (like the old style) and we were always getting stopped, they told us there was nothing else they could do other than keep making us get the car stamped at an MOT station - after about £50 we got fed up and changed them back. Pity though coz they really suited the car.

[notsosmall]

Ive got a 3/4 size plate on the front and standard on the rear

Never had any bother so far, fingers crossed it stays that way it has been on a few months now

[bobbyc]

Never had a problem Derek, normal size lettering just the plate cropped a bit

Edited January 25, 2010 by bobbyc

[wrxmania]

I think I'll chop the length of my front plate too when I get it (waiting for transfer) as it's also only 5 digits. Looks much better on previous other cars as, again, too much white - still standard plate, size, manufacturer visible etc.

Brian

[StrikE]

Yup that looks like what i want Bobby

I will get the router out tomorrow

Brian get you details changed over in Glasgow dvla office, i was in there for 5 mins today getting mine swapped over

Thanks guys for all the replies, i will post a few pics when i get everything finished

[wrxmania]

I would have done it in Edinburgh or Glasgow but it's only open 9 - 5 and I'm in work from 8am and NEVER out before 5. They also no longer open on a Saturday as they used to so had to admit defeat and post the form! First time I've ever done that.

All in the name of customer service lol

Brian.

[badbaz]

Wasn't on the forum last night Derek.

Mine is about 80% character size. I made the plate the same size width wise as the section on the front bumper for the plate to be mounted on. Then made the height proportional and then got the characters cut from vinyl by the guys who did my graphics. Stuck it all together and voila!

When you see the car with the graphics on it, the plate isn't immediately obvious and that's probably why I've not had any problems. The other thing is 80% isn't that much smaller, it's clearly not a bike plate or such like. So far so good on that front and the car has been all over the UK with that one on.

Go for it mate! Remember the smaller it is, the less drag for Spa!!!!

[StrikE]

Got my plates made up today, fitted the back plate first with no problem.......more than i can say for the front

I know why the plate screws are so far out from normal, some nice person has fitted the plate by means of 'lining it up straight' and then just blasting 2 self tappers through the plate into the bumper behind and not even bothering to take the 40 secs required to line up the existing holes & drill correctly.

Call me a perfectionist & over reacting but ffs man now i have 2 bloody great holes in my bumper where there shouldn't be

The upshot being stick with the boring standard plate or modify one, even worse the 'extra' holes drilled are not straight.

Bahhhh!

[scouk]

That's pretty bad for a new car... Noticed someone did that to my bugeye when I swapped the plates over, but to do that on a new car is piss poor!!

[badbaz]

A word with the vendor maybe Del?

[BJM]

If it's a hatch 12x3 fits perfectly covering holes. Just fits perfectly with the shape in the bumper.

[StrikE]

  badbaz said:

A word with the vendor maybe Del?

I could but what are they going to do? replace the bumper/fix it for 2 screws that are unseen by a standard plate because that's all they will say.

Still fizzin Got my square plate on just now & looks brilliant [and 100% pull proof]

I will try a custom plate & just keep a changer in the boot

[BJM]

As above 12x3 covers those 'extra' screw holes. I had the same problem.

[bobbyc]

Derek your not being a perfectionist it's your pride & joy,

I had the same with the GB mate, you pay mucho £000000's only for some lazy muppet in a garage to fire self tappers in (Grieves take note) Iv'e lost count on the number of high end market cars you see with rust marks running down a plate from a couple of scabby self tappers, it's the little things that let garages down, demand a new bumper mate that'll sort them out.

[neill54]

had a very small plate on mine for three years apart from mot time got pulled in the summer and was treated like i had committed mass murder my two biker cops!

received a £60 fine and they took loads of pics and even moaned at the square import plate i had on the back at the time too i they never asked me to get it changed really as i got no mot style ticket to get stamped

car does look far better with a small plate but it just aint worth the costs hassle involved in my opinion

neil

[darthmaul]

i had a small plate on my scoob untill a copper said the problem with having a small plate on the front is anpr camaras cant read them. which is true but now this is what changed my mind if it was to be stollen then the cameras wont be able to track it as it goes past anpr camaras so your pride and joy could be lost forever . my reply to this officer was point taken so im back on big and meets and shows then i use show plates

[Joe G]

As far as im aware it is legal to have a smaller plate on the front of your car if it is an import and there is nowt the plod can do about it. Will try and find the regulation on it as i had it looked up when i was pulled for smaller plate.

[scouk]

  Joe G said:

As far as im aware it is legal to have a smaller plate on the front of your car if it is an import and there is nowt the plod can do about it. Will try and find the regulation on it as i had it looked up when i was pulled for smaller plate.

That's true as long it still has the same plate that it arrived in the coutnry with.. if the Numberplate is replaced for whatever reason I believe it must conform to the UK standard sizes.. Only exception being cars classes as "historic" vehicles which are allowed the white on black numberplates if it had those origonally..

TBH - I have more of an issue with dodgy fonts and blatently confusing backgrounds than the overall size of the thing.. As long as it's easily readable by humans and ANPR systems I don't see a problem.. IMHO

[notsosmall]

  ScoUK said:

TBH - I have more of an issue with dodgy fonts and blatently confusing backgrounds than the overall size of the thing.. As long as it's easily readable by humans and ANPR systems I don't see a problem.. IMHO

IMO my plate is far better/eligable than one with dodgy font or mis spaced letters ect

[StrikE]

  ScoUK said:

As long as it's easily readable by humans and ANPR systems I don't see a problem.. IMHO

yeah same here legal fonts & readable

[StrikE]

Bump for info