Hello wise ones,
Can you help me out with a motoring mystery? What governs how a number plate is fitted to a car? I have noticed that some plates look smooth as if they are stuck on. Very nice. Others have studs or nuts or something, if you will pardon my French, holding the plate on. Sometimes this interferes with the aesthetics including to the point of making certain letters or numbers look different.
Is there a nice way to fix a number plate, to get it smooth, and if so, who does it? Or am I stuck with Halfords and their nuts?
Many thanks in advance.
Alijazz
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Would depend on how the original plate was fitted to the car? Most are screw holes but you get either black or yellow screws to go through and thus not interfere with the digits.
Alternatively you can get backing chrome plate things that would bolt to the car and then the number plate sits within them held by clips I think?
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Thanks BobbyG!
Very helpful.
Alijazz
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Hi Ali -
As far as I know it's up to the dealer who supplies the car when it's new. They always used to be screwed on with little white-headed screws at the front and little yellow ones at the back.
But it must take much less time to stick them on, and maybe they buy them in with self-adhesive gunge on them already.
On the new B-class (I got it yesterday - will give some first impressions, for anyone who may be interested, in a separate thread tomorrow) the front plate has had to be bent to go over the slightly pointed front end. Time will twll whether the glue holds....
Someone will be along soon to give us a definitive answer, instead of me doing my church-organist stuff and making it up as I go along1
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Hi Avant!
You got your new car! Mine is arriving tomorrow and I can have it next Tuesday!
This plate thing is a pain. I could have them put my plate on from new, if I wait another week for them to do the time-consuming DVLA thing. But I want to pick up the car as soon as possible. So it is being registered as normal, and I will have to do the plate later. But this has made me obsessively look at people's plates. And some people's plates are full of nuts and it makes their letters look wonky. Conversely, new cars seem to have pretty, smooth plates.
I am having a bad enough time of things with having to Improve My Driving. I don't want to be sent on an Improve My Registering course because I've messed that up as well.
Let us know what your car is like! We want photos! Is there a photo gallery here? I must look round when I get a minute.
Thanks again,
Alijazz
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You can get sticky tape stuff for number plate sticking on from Halfords - have used it on a couple of cars where I didn't want to drill (and on caravan - don't say anything!!)Works well - not had plate fall off anyway!
--
Phil
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"And some people's plates are full of nuts...."
And some are full of dentures - not mine fortunately and I'm sure not yours!
Being a pleb I just rely on the dealer to stick them on, and I was wondering what the problem was - I think you must have some personalised plates. Some people put the screws / nuts in odd places as it makes the letters / numbers look more like someone's name. (Someone's going to report this threwad as offensive if we're not careful - another reason to stick to glue!)
So glad your Suzuki is swift after all - they must have found one somewhere in the UK after all. Maybe see what the dealer does with the original plates and smile sweetly at the service manager and see if they will do the same with your own when Do Very Little Action have got round to doing their bit.
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Hi there Alijazz...
If you go to www.dvla.gov.uk you will get official info on what design etc of number plate is allowed and how it must be fitted.
To get the 'smooth' effect you refer to the number plate has to be fitted without screws or screw covers showing and must be either stuck direct to the vehicle usually with double sided adhesive pads or a plastic frame is first screwed to the appropriate area then the actual number plate is affixed to it accordingly with the double sided adhesive pads.
Your local car accessory shop should be able to supply you with everything you need for a simple DIY job.
Geordie
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Had 2 plates made up last year from partco they supplied lengths os excellent double sided tape specialy for the job so no screws it's very very good, made by hills the people who manufacture the Number plates
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Used double-sided tape to fix my last new plate, and it's worked fine.
Use a soft pencil to mark the alignment of the plate before you peel off the backing, as you can't re-position it.
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Thank you all. All this is so useful. The thing about coming here is that unlike in general fora, everyone is really picky about their cars and completely understands about car aesthetics. Whatever bizarre style or mechanical problem there is, someone else has overcome it before!
Most normal people would think we were freaks. I used to until I had my mid-life crisis, which is now so extensive and car-centric that I don't think there is any going back.
Have a great day.
Ali
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Yes my mid life crisis took a turn for the worse about 3 years ago, my petrol head trends got worse, ended up building my own car! THEN joined the Gym & started using a sun bed! Still enjoy the gym but gave up sun bed as my skin started looking like David Dickinson!
Last year i tried to solve midlife crisis by buying a Rover... Didn't work.
Still flirt with my the girls in the hairdressers & barmaid in my local
I've now come to the conclusion it's all part of becoming a dirty old man....HELP!
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You can stick them on with double-sided tape - problem is that in some areas people steal them! Hence screws (either self-tappers with plastic covers) or plastic nuts and bolts are used. I prefer the plastic bolts, so long as you have access to the back of the panel to hold the nut.
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Thanks everyone. The plate is not the full mid-life crisis - it will promote our business, not me. But I would like it on there. I think a good start would be to ask where the nuts would fall on the various digits/letters before deciding whether to go for sticky.
Thanks, friends, for all your helpful information and suggestions. As ever.
Alijazz
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Wife's last car had plates stuck to plastic frames which were stuck to the car - very well stuck (5 stickies) - I needed a paint scraper to change one when it got damaged.
When we changed it I asked the dealer to use sticky tabs for the new car and they refused on the basis that they fall off (ha ha). A month later one of the bolts they used on the new car was missing!!!
I prefer the sticky tabs - Halfords have them in various thicknesses for use where the location is not even.
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"I prefer the sticky tabs"
Me too. I still wince when I see bolted plates not quite aligned, which seems to be all the time...
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I still wince when I see bolted plates not quite aligned,
Better that than led on the floor of the auto car wash, which can sometimes be seen when hot weather has softened the glue of the pads that were holding the plate on.
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>> I still wince when I see bolted plates not quite aligned, Better that than led on the floor of the auto car wash, which can sometimes be seen when hot weather has softened the glue of the pads that were holding the plate on.
Proper motorists (like what I am) would never use such a contraption as an auto car wash. I understand that other parts have also been known to drop off!
Geordie
(A senior citizen but not your average Victor Meldrew)
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I got my wife a personalised plate (here in New Zealand, so it's a proper one featuring her name), and on our previous car the front plate was stolen, destroying the number plate plinth, the day before the car was due to be traded in. For the new car I secured the plates with stainless steel security screws which have a smooth top and two small holes. I think they are known as 'snake-eye' screws.
For fans of sticky tape, 3M make a black double sided tape for attaching trim such as badges. The 3M part number is 06383 and it is called Automotive Acrylic Plus Attachment Tape. You really could stick an elephant to the side of your car with this stuff.
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>>You really could stick an elephant to the side of your car with this stuff.<<
How to stick an elephant to the side of my car was to be my very next question!
Seriously, though, everyone. Thanks very much for all the advice. It's been very helpful. My poor dealer is going to wish I had never discovered this forum.
Alijazz
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I replaced the plates on my car with nice GB ones. They came with self adhesive pads which I used.
No mess, no screws, and no screw-damage-based-water-ingress 2 years on. Look good as well.
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