Number plates

[Tunni123]

Hi everyone.
Just a quick question.
Was wondering if anyone has got 3D raised carbon fibre number plates or just 3D and what there opinions are on them ? 

Tunni

[Horizon]

[quote="Tunni123"]
Hi everyone.
Just a quick question.
Was wondering if anyone has got 3D raised carbon fibre number plates or just 3D and what there opinions are on them ? 

Tunni
[/quote]
Are the 3 D plates legal ? There are dozens of number plate options that may pass the MOT but the police can still take as illegal.

[lezmtaylor]

Never be afraid to challenge the Police, they are quite often wrong, ask what section of the Traffic acts are they quoting etc.

Lez

[Reusch]

X5sport is your man to ask but I'm sure there illegall

[Graeme]

From the .gov website: https://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-pl ... ber-plates

2. Rules for number plates
Your number plates should:
be made from a reflective material
display black characters on a white background (front plate)
display black characters on a yellow background (rear plate)
not have a background pattern
Characters on a number plate can be 3D.

There you go...

Graeme

[Tunni123]

Thanks for the reply, think I'd just keep spares in the boot incase police have a problem with them  ).
Going to order some the weekend so will put some pictures up once there on 
Hopefully they look good!!

Tunni

[X5Sport]

The MOT Manual Sec 6.3 details the font and construction to be used from 2001....I would be more concerned with the spacing than anything else.  The Police may comment but the VOSA/DVSA Inspectors can both demand removal and have a cherished plate taken away, and they can also pull you over too.

6.3 – page 5

Registration Plates – Additional Information

Older style registrations must meet the registration plate requirements according to the date of first registration of the vehicle, with a format style similar to that illustrated below e.g. letters on one line, figures on another, or a larger space between the two groups of characters.

Testers are not required to physically measure the characters or their spacing and the following information is provided for guidance only. Registration plates should only be rejected for character dimensions or spacing if they are clearly incorrect

Larger plates may be fitted to some vehicles registered before 1 September 2001 with characters 89mm high and other relevant dimensions that are subsequently larger.

These are not age related and usually consist of three letters followed by four numbers. They must conform to the same standards as other UK registration plates, depending on the date of first registration. This includes the optional display of the distinguishing sign of the UK.

Imported vehicles whose construction/design cannot accommodate standard size number plates are permitted to display registration plates with smaller characters, in line with those for tricycles and quadricycles detailed in the table. Their margins and vertical space between groups may also be reduced to 5mm.

Borders

Registration plates can optionally display a non-reflective border with a maximum width of 6mm and not closer than 5mm to the characters.

[Marrow]

Ran them for nearly 3 years passed mot very year and never been pulled

[Spandex]

The MOT is irrelevant. It tests a subset of the regulations so passing it doesn’t really tell you that everything on your car is legal - it just tells you the bits they tested were legal at the time. As demonstrated above, they check very little to do with plates.

The specification for number plates is described in BS AU145d and contains a load of stuff about durability, etc, but as a buyer all you really need to do is ensure you’re buying from a manufacturer that is registered with the DVLA (you can look this up online) and ensure that the plate has BS AU145d written on it (along with the other required text identifying the manufacturer) to confirm its compliance.

BUT, this won’t necessarily save you from being pulled and it won’t even save you from a trip to court, because some officers are generally suspicious of anything outside the norm. There was a case late last year, detailed on pepipoo.com, where a driver ended up in court because he had raised metal plates, despite them meeting all the requirements I mention above. He won the case, but I imagine it was a stressful few months and if it had been me I’d now be questioning whether it was all worth it just to have slightly different looking number plates.

[Marrow]

Ha ha I have metal pressed plates on my M3 too I am such a bad boy  )

Again run them for a very long time and had them on my RS4 previous so must be about 8 years now same reg same plates no issues.

You make your choice and the risks I suppose.

[Spandex]

[quote="Marrow"]
Ha ha I have metal pressed plates on my M3 too I am such a bad boy  )
[/quote]
Pressed metal plates aren’t (necessarily) illegal. That’s the point. The problem is that some police officers aren’t aware of that so you could find yourself wasting a lot of time and effort proving yours are legal in court.

The risks are more about getting stopped for something else, then them spotting the plates while they’re going round the car looking for problems. I doubt they’d stop someone just to take a closer look at what someones plates are made of.