Registration Plate Fixings

[MichaelM]

When my Gen 4 Prius was delivered two years ago, I thought it strange that the front registration plate was screwed in place but the rear one was just stuck on.

Yesterday the rear plate came loose.  I took it off only to find two neat screw holes that could have been used to fix it permanently.

I went to my local Toyota dealer who had supplied the car and asked for it to be fixed back properly with screws.  On being told that they no longer used screws and only stuck the plates on, I asked “why are there two Prius models similar to mine outside the showroom with plates fixed with screws?”  A quick discussion followed between the receptionist and someone from the service department, all visible behind the red glass screen, and they agreed to use screws to refix it.

Surely the cost saving made by sticking it on with four or five bits of tape rather than drilling holes in the plate then fixing it with two screws cannot be that significant?  Not to mention the security aspect of being able to pull off a plate that is stuck on with tape.

[fordulike]

I can only imagine some dealers use sticky fixers to attach the number plate for aesthetic reasons. I've had number plates before, where the screw fixings and caps made the number look less than ideal. Plus, screws and holes could create a leak/rust problem around the hole area at a later date. Then again, it could be coz they're lazy buggers 😀

[TheProfessor]

My October 2017 Prius Excel has screwed on plates. Both metal, which is rare in the UK.

I always replace my plates when I get a new car, as I don't like carrying around the dealership advert on it. In my experience, the screw on ones are actually easier to remove. It takes few seconds, and is nearly silent, to remove with a screwdriver. Some sticky pads come off easily, but some are so difficult to remove I've destroyed a few plates in the process. It can also be quite noisy.

So it boils down to this... Most dealers and customers favour sticky pads because they're quicker to fit, no tools required, padded ones are more forgiving to the curves of the car, they don't suffer from water ingress, delamination, or other issues caused by drilling holes into the plates, they're harder to mess up, easier to fix if you do mess up, and your plate will remain legal for years until it falls off...

One issue I've personally suffered from with screwed on plates, is when the plastic screw cap inevitably falls off revealing a rusty screw head underneath, this looks like a black dot, which can alter a letter into looking like a different letter. On mine, it changed a C into a G. Police were not happy when I passed an ANPR vehicle and it flagged my number as fake.

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[BhxTrev]

Hi Michael, 

Please name & shame this garage!

[kithmo]

Some dealers are not technically capable of drilling holes in the number plate that align with the existing screw holes in the body.

[BhxTrev]

Hi Kithmo,

WHAT? If that’s true I don’t think I’d want to purchase a new car off them. It’s such a simple job, I’ve drilled & fixed in place many plates in the past. I’d be worried about taking my car to that garage for service! 

[stevecrvn]

i always stick plates on as drilling the plate can cause damp to get in to plate . Use a good quality tape and they have always been fine

[kithmo]

3 hours ago, BhxTrev said:

Hi Kithmo,

WHAT? If that’s true I don’t think I’d want to purchase a new car off them. It’s such a simple job, I’ve drilled & fixed in place many plates in the past. I’d be worried about taking my car to that garage for service! 

Hi Trevor, on your own car you are more likely pay more care and attention to what you're doing and what you are capable of and what a trainee technician (the person most likely to do the job) is capable of, are probably two different things. I've even heard of different number plates being fitted front and back to two identical cars in one dealership. On the front one number and on the back the other car's number and vice versa on the other car.

My last Prius+ the rear number plate was disbonded from the perspex  at 6 months old when I bought it, because the plate was drilled 1/2" too high on one side, leaving the plate 1/2" lower than where it should have been and more susceptible to water draining off the rear hatch directly on to the plate, causing the disbond. The salesman agreed to replace it and what did he do ? he used the original plate as a template and drilled the holes in the same place, leaving me with the same problem and probable future disbondment. I went home and  re-drilled the plate myself in the correct place and filled the hole he had drilled and painted it.

[Duffryn]

I recall that when I worked temporarily at a Toyota dealership (allbeit nearly 20 years ago!) they kept a set of home-made templates for each model in the range.

I always replace the numberplates when I change my car too, if only to remove the EU flag as well as dealers advert. Find Halfords plates quite satisfactory. 

[BhxTrev]

Hi Duffryn,

When I bought my Gen4 Prius, I remember telling the salesman that if the number plate had an EU flag on it I wouldn’t accept the car! As it is they made sure there was no awful EU flag, but it’s refreshing to read that I’m not the only one that doesn’t want this almost ‘imposed’ flag on my plate!!

[MichaelM]

4 hours ago, Duffryn said:

I recall that when I worked temporarily at a Toyota dealership (allbeit nearly 20 years ago!) they kept a set of home-made templates for each model in the range.

I always replace the numberplates when I change my car too, if only to remove the EU flag as well as dealers advert. Find Halfords plates quite satisfactory. 

When they did refix my plate with screws, they did it very quickly and neatly.  So I am sure they must have used a template to position the drill holes.

[FROSTYBALLS]

6 hours ago, Duffryn said:

I always replace the numberplates when I change my car too, if only to remove the EU flag as well as dealers advert.

Think the purpose of having the name of the number plate supplier (in most cases dealers) is to show they have been made up by one DVLA's registered suppliers. Registered suppliers are legally required to keep records of number plates they supply, who they are supplied to, what proof was provided by the purchaser, and that the plates meet the required British Standard.

[PeteB]

TBH I couldn't remember whether mine were bolted on or stuck on, but I checked last night and they used bolts.

On each plate, one bolt was black, the other yellow/white to match the background.

[TheProfessor]

Think the purpose of having the name of the number plate supplier (in most cases dealers) is to show they have been made up by one DVLA's registered suppliers. Registered suppliers are legally required to keep records of number plates they supply, who they are supplied to, what proof was provided by the purchaser, and that the plates meet the required British Standard.

That's completely true, but Toyota (as with many other car dealers) here also add an extra section to the bottom of the plate with their name/website on. There are no regulations regarding the size of the actual plate, only the size and soaking of the lettering and a minimum distance from other markings or the edge. So you can add room is the sides to display whatever you want. By comparison, Halfords use a small etching to display their name, which is all but invisible unless you're up close and angling the light just right. Other companies use a very small font for it that is the same height as the border, so blends in very well.

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[Duffryn]

11 hours ago, BhxTrev said:

Hi Duffryn,

When I bought my Gen4 Prius, I remember telling the salesman that if the number plate had an EU flag on it I wouldn’t accept the car! As it is they made sure there was no awful EU flag, but it’s refreshing to read that I’m not the only one that doesn’t want this almost ‘imposed’ flag on my plate!!

A thought did cross my mind to have the England flag to replace that damn EU one, but as the wife is proudly Welsh I'd imagine that suggestion would have been vetoed PDQ! UK one perhaps, but eventually settled for plain but with a red border surround.

[FROSTYBALLS]

That's not completely accurate - 

Flags, symbols and identifiers

Flags and national identifying letters

You can display one of the following flags with identifying letters on the left-hand side of the number plate:

Union Flag

Cross of St George

Cross of St Andrew - also known as the Saltire

Red Dragon of Wales

The letters, or national identifiers, you can have are:

GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB

UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or UK

CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym

ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng

SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco

WALES or Wales

You’ll still need a GB sticker when travelling in Europe if you display one of these national flags and identifiers. The flag must be above the identifier. You can’t have the flag or letters on the number plate margin, and neither can be more than 50 millimetres wide.

Euro symbol

If you display the Euro symbol and Great Britain (GB) national identifier on your number plate, then you won’t need a separate GB sticker when travelling within the European Union.

The Euro symbol must:

be a minimum height of 98mm

have a width between 40 and 50mm

have a reflective blue background with 12 reflecting yellow stars at the top

show the member state (GB) in reflecting white or yellow

[FROSTYBALLS]

38 minutes ago, TheProfessor said:

That's completely true, but Toyota (as with many other car dealers) here also add an extra section to the bottom of the plate with their name/website on. There are no regulations regarding the size of the actual plate, only the size and soaking of the lettering and a minimum distance from other markings or the edge. So you can add room is the sides to display whatever you want. By comparison, Halfords use a small etching to display their name, which is all but invisible unless you're up close and angling the light just right. Other companies use a very small font for it that is the same height as the border, so blends in very well.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 

That's not completely accurate - 

Flags, symbols and identifiers

Flags and national identifying letters

You can display one of the following flags with identifying letters on the left-hand side of the number plate:

Union Flag

Cross of St George

Cross of St Andrew - also known as the Saltire

Red Dragon of Wales

The letters, or national identifiers, you can have are:

GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB

UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or UK

CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym

ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng

SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco

WALES or Wales

You’ll still need a GB sticker when travelling in Europe if you display one of these national flags and identifiers. The flag must be above the identifier. You can’t have the flag or letters on the number plate margin, and neither can be more than 50 millimetres wide.

Euro symbol

If you display the Euro symbol and Great Britain (GB) national identifier on your number plate, then you won’t need a separate GB sticker when travelling within the European Union.

The Euro symbol must:

be a minimum height of 98mm

have a width between 40 and 50mm

have a reflective blue background with 12 reflecting yellow stars at the top

show the member state (GB) in reflecting white or yellow

[TheProfessor]

I never mentioned anything about the Badge on the left. I'm referring to an area added underneath the plate, adding a couple inches to its usual height. You can put whatever you like in an area added below as it's outside of the area covered by the regulations. The Badge on the left is indeed covered by the rules you cited, and is optional. You do see illegal plates with other logos in that area, such as Football teams, car brand logos, etc.

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[BhxTrev]

Sounds like more red tape junk from the EU. Most of my folks who live in Wales do have the Welsh emblem on their number plate. I personally prefer just a plain plate after all it’s only there as a registration number though mine like many other folks is a personal number, which makes life easier in remembering my number as I get older!!!

[MichaelM]

Of course the real advantage of having plates screwed in place and not stuck on, is that they can be removed to clean and polish behind them!!

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

The last time we had plates attached with adhesive pads (Honda Civic), during hot weather one side of the rear plate would slowly slide down as the adhesive softened. After a couple of trips to the dealer, they re-attached both plates with screws. 

[Heidfirst]

I have been going through most of these issues for a few weeks now ...

Had the thick no. plate pads on the rear but in the extreme heat had experienced them losing adhesion & rear plate starting to move (I think that the tailgate being slightly curved doesn't help). This stuff seems to adhere better plus the plate is removable should you want to get under it & polish. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00D6OI99G

When I get a chance, though, I think that I will probably make a template up (I have an oversized plate that imo looks better than a standard sized plate) & drill for screws.

[kithmo]

3 hours ago, MichaelM said:

Of course the real advantage of having plates screwed in place and not stuck on, is that they can be removed to clean and polish behind them!!

 

OCD ? 

[MichaelM]

3 hours ago, MichaelM said:

Of course the real advantage of having plates screwed in place and not stuck on, is that they can be removed to clean and polish behind them!!

 

 

18 minutes ago, kithmo said:

OCD ? 

Doesn't everyone do this??    

Not OCD but OCP  - Obsessively Clean Prius !!