|
I can't think of a good reason to balnk out the reg plates, but maybe I'm still recovering from Christmas.
|
|
Something to do with cloning perhaps?
|
|
|
|
OK, I've just thought of one - to stop people cloning the plate - but if you drive/park it in a public place, you don't put tape over it, do you?
|
I am just on the net to a man who does plates by post from ireland. I have a Red spice Touran but dont want to pay my congestion charge - what reg will fit - I know I will do a google search.............. Ah Ebay
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
|
|
OK, I've just thought of one - to stop people cloning the plate - but if you drive/park it in a public place, you don't put tape over it, do you?
If you were to clone a car, you would do so with a car as far away as possible. Therefore eBay provides a lovely medium with lots of pictures of cars just like yours but at the other end of the country that you can merrily clone for a couple of months before tickets get issued and you move on to the next car / reg.
Cloning a car that you would see in local car park would be problematic, as you stand more chance of getting caught, perhaps even by the cloned car's keeper.
|
|
|
May have to start doing just that. With all this new ANPR stuff coming in cloning is going to become much more of an issue.
Yes, it's possible someone could just clone your car from seeing it, but sticking the plate in full view on Ebay is just tempting fate.
|
Ping!
Marketing opportunity
Number plate covers - - - - - -
YOu saw it here first folks
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
|
|
Can't see anyone wanting to clone the Tipo I've just put on Ebay - the cost of a new pair of plates would just about buy it...
|
|
|
But the smart guys who can read and write will just copy the number from the tax disc!
Oooooh , another opportunity tax disc covers!
Maybe the real answer is to paint your car a mixture of colors, what is the chance of a cloner having a yellow front ns wing, a red bonnet, a blue front os wing.................
--
pmh (was peter)
|
Maybe the real answer is to paint your car a mixture of colors, what is the chance of a cloner having a yellow front ns wing, a red bonnet, a blue front os wing.................
a Polo Harlequin looks ever more attractive :)
|
I just sold a car on Autotrader (very quickly too!) and I blanked the plate.
The reason? Because eveyone else does... :-)
|
|
|
|
How do you copy the Reg from a tax disc when its a picture of the whole car? Not seen many adverts showing a cars tax disc on E Bay!!!
|
How do you copy the Reg from a tax disc when its a picture of the whole car? Not seen many adverts showing a cars tax disc on E Bay!!!
Depends on the photo of the car i.e. quality and how good your viewer software is.
another meaning for zoom zoom!!
|
|
|
|
>> Maybe the real answer is to paint your car a mixture of colors, what is the chance of a cloner having a yellow front ns wing, a red bonnet, a blue front os wing.................
Or put a b/w pic on e-bay.
|
The only real solution to cloning would be for the UK to move away from home-made plates made up with sticky backed numbers on a piece of plastic.
Proper embossed metal plates with holographic watermarks manufactured for the DVLA, and can only be issued by the DVLA. It can't be that hard for them to do, I mean every other country in the world does it.
|
It's all b#####.
Cars on Autotrader are pictured with unblanked plates.. So why clone from ebay when more choice on Autotrader and a helpful search facility?
Metallic grey BMW 530d 250 miles away...
:-)
madf
|
|
It may be b### to you, but it isn't to the thousands of people who have had their plates copied. This is a problem and it is not helped by the high percentage of records that DVLA admit are inaccurate or out of date.
|
|
|
|
They (the machines?) have just made tampering, altering, not having etc... a number plate an arrestable offence - sneaked in on some general crime bill.
Looks like that's ready for when RFID / NANPR / Smartplates / SkyNET goes live.
|
Not forgetting that for £2.50 you can get the address of that nice motor that's advertised for 1000's of pounds and take it for nothing one dark night.
|
|
|
|
'Proper embossed metal plates with holographic watermarks manufactured for the DVLA, and can only be issued by the DVLA. '
Last time I replaced a plate it cost £6,how much would these cost?
|
I believe now the issue is actually the physical removal of the plates. Dealers insist on their fancy branded surrounds which pop open with a thumbnail and release the plate in seconds. What happened to the good old nuts and bolts (oh yes, the personal plate wannabes have used all those turning their 8's into H's etc!)
I don't know why Ebayers and plenty of other car forum posters delete the number plates either. It seems futile when the real crooks know how to get the numbers they need in any case.
|
I'm surprised that so many people do it.
After all, they're selling the car and any potential cloning is more likely to affect the next owner than them.
But if a solution were needed, perhaps it might be easier to make it necessary to show a V5 to get a plate printed?
|
I believe in France the US licensing of cars and plate issue is done locally by states or areas.
In the UK - like much else it is centralised. Hence it does not work properly and there is no local input to ensure it is correct..
madf
|
They blank the number plate to prevent prospective bidders carrying out HPI or DVLA checks. Sound suspicious or what?
Genuine dealers don't seem concerned about cloning and leave the number visible on internet sites for prospective purchasers so why should "genuine" ebay sellers need to worry?
|
Just imagine if the printing and issue of plates was done by the DVLA - they'd cost at least £50, take six weeks to appear, and then 50% would get stolen in the post....
Remember the fiasco over passports when they installed a new "computerised" system.
|
|
dont know if im missing something here but to make up no. plates in england and wales you need to be registered as a supplier with the dvla,also as a dealer who changes no. plates you also need to be registered and its a one off £40 fee.You then have to keep all records of the names and addresses of anyone you supply no. plates to and the registration and vehicle details they have to supply id .they are now made on computer and the registered person who orders the plates has to have their post code embossed on them for future police interest.
|
dont know if im missing something here but to make up no. plates in england and wales you need to be registered as a supplier with the dvla,also as a dealer who changes no. plates you also need to be registered and its a one off £40 fee.You then have to keep all records of the names and addresses of anyone you supply no. plates to and the registration and vehicle details they have to supply id .they are now made on computer and the registered person who orders the plates has to have their post code embossed on them for future police interest.
I can give you the names and web addresses of probably half a dozen companies who will supply you with a set of "show plates" with no questions asked - it would be easy to google for too.
|
|
The cars that I have sold on Ebay have had their number plates blanked out because of scammers copying the ads & saying it is their car but adding that they want a deposit of £300 with a buy it now price less than it is worth just to get a quick buck. Also I had nothing to hide because when you put the ad in you get a choice of automated description which links you to a cheap ebay version of HPI which gives you full reg details and outstanding finance, crash damage etc. It happens less now but the risk is still there.
|
|
Cumfray1's is the first answer that makes sense - but not really a problem for me selling a banger with no reserve and a start price of £25.00 - if it makes three figures I'll be amazed.
|
Maybe to also stop you doing a data / HPI check
paul
|
The cars that I have sold on Ebay have had their number plates blanked out because of scammers copying the ads & saying it is their car but adding that they want a deposit of £300 with a buy it now price less than it is worth just to get a quick buck. Also I had nothing to hide because when you put the ad in you get a choice of automated description which links you to a cheap ebay version of HPI which gives you full reg details and outstanding finance, crash damage etc. It happens less now but the risk is still there.
>>
Right-on !
When I sold a car (with blanked plate) on EBAY I got a torrent of scammer scum-mail trying to diddle me out of my car for nothing !
|
If you want some plates without all this hassle just pop round to your nearest caravan dealer. In their shop you'll invariably find white and yellow stick-on backing plates and a full selection of regulation sized numbers and letters. 10 minutes careful application and hey-presto! instant number plates with the characters of your choice.
|
|
"Last time I replaced a plate it cost £6,how much would these cost?"
How much do new car dealers charge for the plastic ones now?. Only new car buyers would need to be troubled with the cost of the plates, used cars would have them already have them attached. Whenever I had to buy new plates in the US I only paid the equivalent of about £30.
Even if you double or treble that figure, a one time charge of £90 on a new car that costs thousands wouldn't be too bitter a pill to swallow if it meant that your new car couldn't be cloned and cause you a headache.
As they are embossed metal they don't crack and deteriorate like some of the plastic ones I have seen, so the only time you would need to buy plates would be if it fell off or was stolen and more secure mountings could reduce the chances of that.
In my 14 years of motoring I never had to replace a lost or stolen plate and US plates are transferred from car to car which leaves more scope for dodgy fitting which you don't get in the UK as almost all plates stay with the car for life (private regs excepted of course).
|
|
|
>>'Proper embossed metal plates with holographic watermarks >>manufactured for the DVLA, and can only be issued by the DVLA. '
>>Last time I replaced a plate it cost £6,how much would these >>cost?
In Western Australia they cost me AU$25. That is about 10 of your pounds. Not that they would be that cheap in the UK but that gives an idea of the manufacturing costs.
|
|
They don't require a great deal of engineering. Big press, blank aluminium plates, stamp and go. In the US some prisons manufacture the plates and because inmates make considerably less than minimum wage, costs won't be high at all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tha plates are blanked for the same reason that if you see a delivery truck carrying cars with plates, they have usually taped over the plates. here's why:
Let's say I steal a blue Mondeo - it will be reported missing , so I will want to change the plate pronto. However I know that if I just fabricate a number police/ANPR will compare that number with the DVLA record for that number and if they don't match , probably will try to pull me- which might not be convenient .
So I keep a lookout for Mondeos in similar spec and colour to mine- as soon as I see one, that's the number I get plates for. In fact now I can get caught by cameras, etc, knowing that the owner of the original car will get the summons.I can get away with this for at least a couple of weeks.
So if I am a crim, EBay is a great way to find apparently legit numbers- the cars are even classified so I can find a legit number in minutes , completely anonymously .
That's why you are wise to delete the plate from photos you put on EBay. Otherwise you might find yourself in a few weeks getting papers for offences committed elsewhere and at times you were at home tucked up in bed!
|
|
They blank the plates so you can't check the mot adiviseries. I will not bid on these cars.
|
|
An old thread and it was posted before you could check the Mot history. Cars have their plates blanked to stop cloning which was rife a few years back and still quite common today. I did it until the Mot history check became available so don’t write off a car that has its plate covered so quickly.
|
|
The guy who collected my old Xantia for parting out covered part of the reg with gaffer tape before putting it onto the transporter. Said it was to stop cloning which he suggested was rife amongst some Eastern Europeans.
|
|
On the opposite end of the scale, there are quite a few diplomatic missions in London using cars with what can only be described as "bold" personalised registrations - e.g. USA1 and AUS1 - which only a complete buffoon would think of copying onto a rusty, 30 year old banger. Having said that, more than a few diplomatic missions are somewhat averse to paying the CC, and with something like £116million owing in unpaid charges, who knows?
|
On the opposite end of the scale, there are quite a few diplomatic missions in London using cars with what can only be described as "bold" personalised registrations - e.g. USA1 and AUS1 - which only a complete buffoon would think of copying onto a rusty, 30 year old banger. Having said that, more than a few diplomatic missions are somewhat averse to paying the CC, and with something like £116million owing in unpaid charges, who knows?
I’d pay it but immediately introduce a charge/fine/tax on British diplomatic vehicles in my own country to cover it plus all costs. Fair’s fair.
|
|
They quite rightly argue that the CC is a tax and they are exempt from paying taxes.
|
|
|
|
|
Few years ago we had an issue where our Honda Civic plate was cloned well over 200 miles away. Car never went there but another car with the same colours/specs etc.. was caught in the camera with our number plate.
At the end a retired police officer came to our house to investigate and he was convinced car's number plate was cloned. Since then I've never advertised a car on eBay or AutoTrader with full number plate on display.
|
|
|
