MOT fail on 'legal' number plate

[kendz]

Just received a refusal of an MOT certificate based on the judgement that my number plates are illegal ("characters not correctly formed"). The plates on the car are the carbon domed effect available from demon plates, who sell them as BS standard road legal plates. I have had them for 6 years and they've never failed a test. The font is standard, although the characters are raised and in a carbon effect.

The MOT centre informed me that from 27th April 2009 stricter test rules have come into force when assesing number plates, basically of it isn't a standard plate, it's illegal. The only changes I can find from this date are that you are now allowed to have your country's flag to the side of the plate.

I guess the guys at the test centre are edging on the side of caution, just very annoying!! On contacting Demon Plates, their response is that 'some MOT centres pass, some fail the plates. Best to put on a cheap standard set for the MOT', lol!

Anyone else had probs recently??

 

[Alexander]

LOL, love the reply.

Yeah think new rules have come into play where by you have to have your country, website from where you bought the car and some sort of number on as well.

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

It will be stricter due to the amount of tits that tamper with them, making a U an O and so on.

 

[Barron]

my mot station passed my car with 3/4 plate on the front and blank (no BSA numbers etc) on the rear

 

[Leeshez]

My plates have been made since about 2003. They have been through several MOT tests. There cut down but the correct spacing etc. There is my web site on the bottom. No numbers or anything.

 

[BRUN]

we got stopped from making the 3D plates at the Motor World i used to work at years and years ago, from the local police who arrived to check our records were up to scratch

 

[Munson]

I can quite believe the rules for plates are getting stricter. No doubt it's all about the all-seeing eye - ANPR.

It's all becoming quite sinister IMO.

 

[Dip]

Bit of a joke IMO.
Probably is because of the the ANPR.

 

[Gav_r26]

I was told by a copper it was because of the ANPR, when he had a moan about mine cos they are the 3d font ones. Been on there since i brought the car and don't really wanna have to change them but mot is next month so may well have too.

 

[carrmrc96]

I've been pulled over because of my plates, police said it was because of ANPR. Can't believe they change the law to make it easier for them to read plates. There software they use must be rubbish. Read in the paper yesterday that police use software to find peadophiles from photos yet for some reason they cant make a camera to read more than 1 stlye of font!!!!

 

[Tom]

How about you all use the proper plates and stop being chavs.

Plates do not make you quicker.

 

[carrmrc96]

Who said it was to do with speed. lol :lolup:

How about you all use the proper plates and stop being chavs.

Plates do not make you quicker.

 

[Tom]

What is it to do with? Looking good?

You don't. You just look silly.
Proper plates FTW.

 

[Sir_Dave]

I was told by a copper it was because of the ANPR

This is bullsh1t . I used to work with one of the largest suppliers of ANPR cameras in the world and asked about this .... answer is, they can read 3D plates & incorrectly spaced plates without any problem whatsoever, they only get grumpy with the dodgy dots that make U's into O's, etc ... he was offended when i insinuated there software wasnt up to scratch lol

 

[EdV6220]

How about you all use the proper plates and stop being chavs.

Plates do not make you quicker.

Haha fair point!

 

[p4cks]

How about you all use the proper plates and stop being chavs.

Plates do not make you quicker.

Nail. Head. Hit.

 

[gaz44]

How about you all use the proper plates and stop being chavs.

Plates do not make you quicker.

Agree with you - why don't people just leave the plates alone? Saves a lot of hassle and money.

 

[White16valver]

I can quite believe the rules for plates are getting stricter. No doubt it's all about the all-seeing eye - ANPR.

It's all becoming quite sinister IMO.

+1

 

[182kev]

VOSA are hitting alot of MOT stations at the moment making them more cautious,try a different MOT station

 

[Gav_r26]

This is bullsh1t . I used to work with one of the largest suppliers of ANPR cameras in the world and asked about this .... answer is, they can read 3D plates & incorrectly spaced plates without any problem whatsoever, they only get grumpy with the dodgy dots that make U's into O's, etc ... he was offended when i insinuated there software wasnt up to scratch lol

To be honest i stopped listening to him when he tried to tell me my Ph1 had xenons! Errrrr no they aren't! I think he was just bored cos he was stood outside a station all day on traffic duty!

For the record the plates where on it when i brought the car, and are totally standard apart from the 3d font and are from halfords not some dodgy buyer off ebay. The whole point is i wanna leave them on cos i don't want to be f$%king around getting new ones made up when there is nothing wrong with these! Its not like if had them half blacked out or spaced to read something else. They are just normal plates that where fine till they arsed around with their rules cos their anpr system is w**k!

 

[Munson]

I quite agree that plates look better standard. In fact I think anything else is tasteless but, the subject seems more to do with tightening of the rules at MOT stations. It'll be because of ANPR, not bad taste.

EDIT: reading fail on sir dave's post. Hmmm.

 

[NOT! gary l]

It's nothing to do with ANPR, it's just an easy way for them them to get out of explaining whatever the real reason is.

I changed to German plates with the wolfsburg stickers in the middle (yes im a hardened criminal) although the numbers were the correct height and correctly spaced.

I put these plates on 2 weeks after buying a new car as soon as the paperwork for my private reg came through, a week later i was pulled and told the reason i was, was because my car 'flagged up saying it was uninsured' so either their system was not in synch with the DVLA or it was still showing as my previous car, irrelevant really.

They then looked around the car and pointed at my plates, "why do you have german plates, this is'nt a german car??" Erm, yes it is officer, its a VW. "well they are illegal, im writing you out a fine" i told him i had the originals in the boot and would happily change over there and then but he was'nt having it, i asked why they were illegal and he said (he was south african) "because our ANPR cant read those bold letters " So who (wrongly)flagged you up saying my car was uninsured? "yeah, its fine during the day but the backing is non-reflective" he sais, yes officer, which is why cars legally have to have a number plate light, by this time he was clutching at straws and getting real arsey, his mate, a thoroughly nice copper was rather embarassed and wanted to let me change them over but Schwarzenegger was on a rampage.

His eventual reason was if i was involved in a hit and run someone might think i am German and not bother reporting it.

Fair do's, i politely asked him as we were on our way if he was aware that while i had parked my car and was removing my year old daughter from her car seat, he came flying round a one way system the wrong way, far in excess of the 10mph speed limit, with no lights or sirens on, and screech to a halt to block me in as if i was a danger to society?

He replied with his immortal words... "If i find out you are uninsured, i will hunt you down and not rest untill i find you"

He was a grade 'A' pr**k and untill that point in my life held the rozzers with the highest regard, his mate on the other hand could not have been any nicer, i met him down the town a few months later handing out flyers for a local road safety awareness meeting.

They should ditch the 'good cop/bad cop' act and roll with the good cops, respect is key.

 

[jonathanedew]

I wouldn't dream of fitting anything but bog standard plates to my vehicle.

Think about it... it just gives the police a legit reason to pull you over because they don't like the look of your lowered suspension or whatever. Apart from which it's just chav to have displaced characters or weird fonts.