German Number Plates

SnakePliskin

Was stopped last night for speeding (stupid mistake just got a new car a few days ago) but as a side effect I was also given out to for having german style number plates. No dashes between the year and county etc....

But the guard told me if he saw me with them again he would report it. They were on the car when I bought it and kinda like them. Possible repurcussion on leaving them on?

Dont fancy any more hassle but kinda slow to change them too. Opinions?

NFD100

You've been warned then!

The law and the rules are here. Not just for you, but everybody: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/leaflets/format-vehicle-registration-plates.html

You WILL also fail the NCT

Gumbo

NFD100 wrote: »

You've been warned then!

The law and the rules are here. Not just for you, but everybody: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/leaflets/format-vehicle-registration-plates.html

You WILL also fail the NCT

no you wont!
German style plates comply with all laws, including font, character size etc the reason you got grilled is because yours dont, and thats because of the dashes etc etc

i put my old Audi S3 through the NCT last year with them no probs and also my E90 last month no problem.

Seth Brundle

The definition of the allowed fonts is quite vague:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1999/en/si/0432.html

-Corkie-

I have seen this thread several times and their is no definitive answer. One cop said here they were all illegal and another said they were ok on another thread.

Chris P. Bacon

NFD100 wrote: »

You've been warned then!

The law and the rules are here. Not just for you, but everybody: http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/vrt/leaflets/format-vehicle-registration-plates.html

You WILL also fail the NCT

It depends on the tester id say,i have them on my car and i passed no problem.

alexmcred

One of the cops here mentioned that it also falls to revenue to police this afair

alexmcred

alexmcred wrote: »

One of the cops here mentioned that it also falls to revenue to police this afair

It's up to revenue to police if folks have the correct plates
Surely you got the wrong end of the stick there.

Seth Brundle

Richie Cranium wrote: »

It depends on the tester id say,i have them on my car and i passed no problem.

It shouldn't depend on the tester. Its either black or white - is it within the rules or not. As the shape of the letters isn't defined (only really colours and dimensions are) then they can't say much.
Its like them failing you because your indicators aren't amber enough.

Chris P. Bacon

kbannon wrote: »

It shouldn't depend on the tester. Its either black or white - is it within the rules or not. As the shape of the letters isn't defined (only really colours and dimensions are) then they can't say much.
Its like them failing you because your indicators aren't amber enough.

True but a lot of the testers probably dont know what the rules is on them,so if it looks ok they will pass it i think.

alexmcred

RoverJames wrote: »

It's up to revenue to police if folks have the correct plates
Surely you got the wrong end of the stick there.

Yup


Format of Vehicle Registration Plates The format, dimensions and technical specifications of registration plates to be displayed on motor vehicles are laid down by law in the Vehicle Registration and Taxation Regulations 1992

Seth Brundle

Where in the legislation does it define the font/format?

alexmcred

Wasn't saying that there was a specific font/format but that it was revenue who are responsible

Gumbo

alexmcred wrote: »

Wasn't saying that there was a specific font/format but that it was revenue who are responsible

doesnt revenue create the laws but its up to the garda to enforce them?

dr.fuzzenstein

kbannon wrote: »

It shouldn't depend on the tester. Its either black or white - is it within the rules or not. As the shape of the letters isn't defined (only really colours and dimensions are) then they can't say much.
Its like them failing you because your indicators aren't amber enough.

Should be really, but anyone remember the thread on whether to keep left or right for a certain roundabout?
The German plates are to my mind far superior than those rather nasty Irish plastic affairs and should not only be legal, but compulsory.
This to me smells like another one of those things where many, many people in public office will have to get asked before we get some vague, wishy-washy answer, because we all know how much civil servants like to be definite about things!;)
Since there doesn't seem to be regulations either way I'd stick my ground against some jumped up copper who obviously enjoys throwing his weight around.

C4Kid

From a previous post on here about german style plates, it was pretty much agreed that having a D instead of IRL on the blue EU stripe at the side was illegal.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056020062&highlight=german+plates

That was it

Our man in Havana

Correct.

SnakePliskin

Well I do have the IRL on the blue EU background so should be fine there. Obviously a lot of opinions about this but surely if I get stopped by the same guard again common sense will prevail and he will realise there are better ways to use his time. Obviously mine are illegal as they are missing the dashes but surely there isnt a lot he can actually do unless he fines me and i take it to court.

FGR

SnakePliskin wrote: »

there isnt a lot he can actually do unless he fines me and i take it to court.

It wouldn't be a fine but a mandatory court appearance.

SnakePliskin

Maybe not worth the hassle methinks.

C4Kid

Maybe not worth the hassle methinks.

I'd agree with You on that one, the very reason I never bothered with them even though they looked amazing.

Wompa1

I'm actually in Germany for work at the moment and one thing I noticed was how much uglier the cars seem because of the dull license plates...I don't get what people are raving about on here about them being superior..maybe from an organizational standpoint but to me they make the cars look very plain

Seth Brundle

ForegoneReality wrote: »

It wouldn't be a fine but a mandatory court appearance.

On what grounds?

FGR

kbannon wrote: »

On what grounds?

Section 132 of the Finance Act 1992

It's basically not dealt with by way of ticket/Fixed Charge Penalty Notice. It's a direct summons. It's similar procedure to not having an NCT or not having appropriate tyres/lights on your vehicle.

The only difference is that no penalty points apply to this offence.

EDIT: The maximum fine in court has been increased to €5,000 since the original act. Both the Gardaí and Revenue prosecute for breaches of the above act. I wouldn't be surprised if most offenders are requested to produce their car with correct number plates instead.

Seth Brundle

ForegoneReality wrote: »

Section 132 of the Finance Act 1992

Yes but from what I can see, the driver would be alleged of isn't written into the legislation, the garda is effectively wasting their time, the drivers time and the courts time.
I'd love to know, has anyone ever been found guilty of an offence in the court for having German style plates (as long as the font was of the correct dimensions, etc.)?

wersal gummage

saw this the other day but hadn't time to post a question.

apart from the legality - whats the general view on german plates ?? cool or naff ?? i like the look of them i must say - was thinking of getting them made up. Can anyone recommend somewhere ??

Thanks:)

-Corkie-

www.eireplates.com

CiniO

In my region there's a few cars with german plates, but not only the german font, but as well the sign under EU flag on the left is "D" instead of "IRL".
And they are definitely not genuine german plates, as reg numbers are Irish (05-D-xxxxx).

I was just wondering. It's definitely not legal. But can't it be taken as falsifying documents, as pretty much number plate is a kind of a document.

One thing I'm sure that if that kind of car would drive into Germany, the driver most likely would be arrested.

johndaman66

wersal gummage wrote: »

apart from the legality - whats the general view on german plates ?? cool or naff ?? i like the look of them i must say - was thinking of getting them made up. Can anyone recommend somewhere ??

Thanks:)

I'm not really sure what all the fuss is about as a lot of the time they hardly look dramatically different from the pressed metal style number plates we are used to seing. Think they look quite good on German cars generally, especially Audis for some reason but they will look pants on the likes of a 95' corolla (have seen it done). Thats just my own personal opinion for what its worth.

L-M

-Corkie- wrote: »

www.eireplates.com

OP, just buy a new set above, get your county and get the dashes and no more will be said.

/Thread

wersal gummage

wersal gummage wrote: »

saw this the other day but hadn't time to post a question.

apart from the legality - whats the general view on german plates ?? cool or naff ?? i like the look of them i must say - was thinking of getting them made up. Can anyone recommend somewhere ??

Thanks:)

I think they look naff on anything other than a German car, Seats and Skoda ain't German in my opinion. Each to their own though

Neilw

RoverJames wrote: »

I think they look naff on anything other than a German car, Seats and Skoda ain't German in my opinion. Each to their own though

But every make and model of car in Germany has German plates, they don't look naff there

I think they are overdone now, too many cars with them. Standard pressed steel plates are the way to go instead of the cheap looking plastic plates.

furtzy

Very naff. Why not go the whole hog and grow a mullet and throw a Scorpions CD on as well I cringe every time I see them....very geek

Gumbo

Neilw wrote: »

But every make and model of car in Germany has German plates, they don't look naff there

I think they are overdone now, too many cars with them. Standard pressed steel plates are the way to go instead of the cheap looking plastic plates.

German plates are pressed metal plates, not plastic, expecially when you buy from eireplates.

furtzy wrote: »

Very naff. Why not go the whole hog and grow a mullet and throw a Scorpions CD on as well I cringe every time I see them....very geek

there a bit like Grape Fruit Juice, some like it some dont, if isee somebody drinking grapefruit juice, i dont say to myself "they look like a c*nt"

OP, if you like them, you get them, dont give a toss about what others like.

i havent got them on my E46, but the GF has them on her E90

L-M

Neilw wrote: »

I think they are overdone now, too many cars with them. Standard pressed steel plates are the way to go instead of the cheap looking plastic plates.

If they're over done, standard font plates are about 3,000 times worse :P

When the Father bought his Scirocco he took off the plastic plates before he drove it home, and put on a set of pressed metals. No convincing would make him get germans though

furtzy

kceire wrote: »

German plates are pressed metal plates, not plastic, expecially when you buy from eireplates.



there a bit like Grape Fruit Juice, some like it some dont, if isee somebody drinking grapefruit juice, i dont say to myself "they look like a c*nt"

OP, if you like them, you get them, dont give a toss about what others like.

i havent got them on my E46, but the GF has them on her E90

But if the person drinking grape fruit juice was dressed as a grape fruit doing it you'd think haven't they taken their love of grape fruits a little too far.....same thing with putting German style plates on a german car...its taking it a little bit too far

L-M

Grape fruit analagy's...

Boo-urns!

Vikings

Here is the definitive requirements:

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1990/en/si/0287.html

No mention of font.

Once it complys to the standards set out above, and there are quite a few, they are legal.

So if you keep your IRL flag, your county in Irish and your dashes where they should be, you will not have any issues.

Failing that you could get a summons - this does not apply specifically to german style number plates. You could have an "irish style" (:pac:) plate that does not conform to the standards and still be on the receiving end of a summons.

Quick political answer for reference:

http://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2009-11-26.657.0

The offence itself:

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1992/en/act/pub/0009/sec0139.html#sec139

Section 139 (1)(b) of the Finance Act 1992.

Can draw a fairly hefty fine too so better to be safe than sorry!

dcr22B

kbannon wrote: »

Its like them failing you because your indicators aren't amber enough.

Which happened me 3 years ago when getting my old 318Ci tested. Luckily I keep a full set of spares in the boot and I fitted them and went straight back in to get the tester back out. Cheeky git wanted me to make an appointment so I kicked up a fuss until one of his colleagues came out and passed it straight away.

Neilw

kceire wrote: »

German plates are pressed metal plates, not plastic, expecially when you buy from eireplates.

I'm well aware German plates are pressed metal, I have a set which I won't be fitting to my mk2 golf I was saying that the standard pressed metal plates are a huge improvement over dealer fit plastic plates.

Eireplates

The only thing illegal about FE font (German) plates is that the font size is 75mm. The Irish statute book states that they cannot be more than 70mm high with a stroke width of 10mm. The FE fonts do have a stroke width of 10mm.

Font type is not specified. So if a guard stops and tells you that the zero is illegal then ask him why? If he says because of the slash in the zero he is incorrect. If he takes out his measuring tape and says they are 5mm over the legal size then he is correct

I know a lot of my customers who have put through cars with IRL, county name, hyphens and German Font and have passed the NCT.

Running German font plates with D-Flags and stadt seals is only going to draw trouble on yourself. My advice is if you are going to run German plates then be sensible and make them legal as possible. I do state on my site that they are sold as show plates.

German plates are actually easier to read . Next time you see "Donegal font" plates or illegible italics just think which are more "illegal" :P

By the way we have designed a German font zero without the cutout which is proving quite popular with people who want to stay the right side of the law and yet want to run the FE Germant font plates.

dantt7

I have German plates on my e60, i have the IRL, county name in irish and i have the dashes. I was stopped my traffic corp last week in Kilkenny, he told me my number plates were illegal as they cannot be read by scamera vans, has anyone else been told this by a cop ? He also told me that if he stopped me again with those plates on the car he "would do me for it" those were his exact words

Eireplates

Bottom line is he is correct that they are illegal but I know that the cameras can read German Font plates clearly. After all its a legitimate european font. Would he say the same for Spanish, French or any other european font plate?

I bet if you had asked him he would have said that they are illegal because of the cutout in the zero. If you think you are going to meet him again and still want to run the German font plates get a set with the "full" zero. We are the only company that does them.

German font plates are a lot easier to read than the standard Irish plates. In fact if you meet a car coming towards you with german plates its at the last few seconds that you notice they are in fact Germans.

Our man in Havana

It is strange the way the Gardaí are picking on German plates yet they do nothing about the strange DL hieroglyphics and italic plates that are on the roads.

Seth Brundle

How do you know that they do nothing about italics?

Our man in Havana

It is evident by the amount of such plates that are on the roads.

Break all ties

A proper solution to the problem would be a system where only the government make and supply numberplates. I know it would upset the sellers of numberplates but it would put an end to the unreadable rubbish that is on some cars today.

A system where an authourised place such as the NCT would fit and make Irish numberplates would make sense. When someone imports a car the NCT would fit the new plates as part of the registration process. It would stop the current carry on of leaving NCTS with a new reg but displaying the wrong plates.

It works well in other countries so why not here?

ArphaRima

A proper solution to the problem would be a system where only the government make and supply numberplates.

Is it really that much of a problem though?

Besides I dont mind the german fonts. Only the "Donegal" fonts bother me, but to be fair the numberplates are usually the last of offences the garda is thinking about with that crowd..

Seth Brundle

Our man in Havana wrote: »

It is evident by the amount of such plates that are on the roads.

tbh I see more German plates than italics.

Our man in Havana

I guess that is down to where we both live me thinks.

L-M

I'm on my fourth car with German plates and the toll boots everywhere have never had a problem reading = there's nothing wrong with them.

/Thread