German Style Plates?

rightyabe

Seen a add on donedeal there now for German Style plates
http://cars.donedeal.ie/donedeal/classifieds/viewFullPhoto.jsp?cid=6041862&ad=2074733

Just wondering has anyone got them and would the be legal?

Atomic Pineapple

Nope they are not legal

gaza4

they are not legal along with any other non standard font number plates and may not pass the NCT (although i know if some that have)

as for the guards well its up to the guard to nit pick at your reg font if they want to...

apart from that they look class IMO but only on VAG cars obviously!!!! lol

sean1141

the ones in the pic are not road legal. i have a set of pressed metal plates on my car in german font but with the irl euro flag and county name. passed the nct 2 years ago and is going back for test with them again today. never got any problems from the guards either and have been true a few checkpoints

Marlow

The irish statuebook has no requirement for the font. It only defines the size and spacing and that it has to be a plain font, so german font number plates are legal, if the font is the right size, the irish county name is there, the irl euro logo is there and the dashes are there.

Any deviation from that (leaving out the dashes, no IRL logo, no irish county name, german TÜV stickers) etc. will make the number plates illegal.

I have never had any problems with neither NCT nor Garda with german font number plates. It's when the other shenanigans are added, that you attract attention.

/M

sean1141

i have no dashes and i passed the nct today.

Marlow

sean1141 wrote: »

i have no dashes and i passed the nct today.

Then the NCT tester didn't care. The law requires them for cars registered after 1.1.1991. For cars before that they are not required.

/M

sean1141

Marlow wrote: »

Then the NCT tester didn't care. The law requires them for cars registered after 1.1.1991. For cars before that they are not required.

/M

passed the last time too:D i know they are ment to be on it but it would only have been a visual if they failed

black marker would have fixed that :cool:

gaza4

the problem is that what the NCT says and what the Garda say can be different. i've had hassle from guards and the "well it passed the NCT" didnt always solve the problem. bottom line guards make up their own rules most of the time and will, if they feel like it, give you a hard time about anything they can find...

Marlow

gaza4 wrote: »

the problem is that what the NCT says and what the Garda say can be different. i've had hassle from guards and the "well it passed the NCT" didnt always solve the problem. bottom line guards make up their own rules most of the time and will, if they feel like it, give you a hard time about anything they can find...

Well, if the plate is legal and all they complain about is the german font. Like the case where they acuse you of trying to avoid ANPR and/or the M50 toll, you might want to point out to them, that in that case they wouldn't be able to pick on german tourists over here either, which is .... unlikely. The ANPR system was developed for the german market originally, before introduced here.

Then again, I have never ever had any garda complain about my plates. You have to be a right d***head if they go that far with plates that have all the elements that make them legal.

/M

gaza4

garda pulled me before, their system said my tax was out even though it wasnt. spent ages looking round the car and said my plates were illegal because of the font. i said it passed the NCT and in my opinion they were more legible then most custom plates. he agreed but still said i had to show proper plates at the station within 10 days...

the reg plate in question

This is from the NCT Manual:

Marlow

hellboy99 wrote: »

This is from the NCT Manual:

Yep. Those dimensions have to be obeyed. The font doesn't matter, as long as it's plain, which the german font is. 3D or sans or the likes are not allowed.

Some of the german font plates, the font is slightly over the dimensions. Eireplates actually has a specific german font, where they resized it to make it 100% legal and just to avoid hassle also closed the gap in the zero for example.

/M

Ardennes1944

anyone bought plates that are exactly like standard ones but with the german font?

Marlow

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

anyone bought plates that are exactly like standard ones but with the german font?

If you read my posts above, then you'll understand, that is what I have.

/M

Testament1

gaza4 wrote: »

they are not legal along with any other non standard font number plates and may not pass the NCT

TBH I wouldnt use the NCT as a marker of number plate legality. My car failed on number plates and a couple of other very minor things during the summer. I sorted everything bar the number plates. I left them as they were and they passed second time round

Ardennes1944

Marlow wrote: »

If you read my posts above, then you'll understand, that is what I have.

/M

is it eireplates where you got them though or what?

andyseadog

pah, eireplates!

i wanted 2 pressed 'jap style' plates for my car. 50 quid! :rolleyes:

nice plates, but gopping hell, prices to match.

Marlow

Deutschlandfürimmer7 wrote: »

is it eireplates where you got them though or what?

Yes.

andyseadog wrote: »

pah, eireplates!

i wanted 2 pressed 'jap style' plates for my car. 50 quid! :rolleyes:

nice plates, but gopping hell, prices to match.

Most motorfactors charge you like 30-40 quid for plastic plates. 50 quid for pressed metal plates including shipping isn't bad at all.

/M

andyseadog

Marlow wrote: »

Most motorfactors charge you like 30-40 quid for plastic plates. 50 quid for pressed metal plates including shipping isn't bad at all.

/M

my local motor factors is 8 euro for a plastic plate... which is fair taking into account what it is, and thats whats on my car now. hard to justify 3 times that for a snazzy looking one :pac:

-Corkie-

Join vagdrivers.net and you will get a discount. Trevor is one of the admins there. A sound fella too.

DjKlubster

gaza4 wrote: »

the problem is that what the NCT says and what the Garda say can be different. i've had hassle from guards and the "well it passed the NCT" didnt always solve the problem. bottom line guards make up their own rules most of the time and will, if they feel like it, give you a hard time about anything they can find...

Thing is with the NCT From what i understand... Is that its a car test that tests your car mechanically not Visually...

So if you pull up to a checkpoint and the gaurds say your number plate,Tints, Exhaust are illegal... And you reply with ''Well it passed the NCT''..There not going to take that as an answer because these things arent tested..

And just on that point as well... About springs.. I think Nct will pass any springs as long as fitted correct or whatever.. But through been recently checked at a checkpoint... The gaurds dont seem to have any problems with lowering springs... But they dont like Coilovers...They reckon lowering springs are Safer.. but that could be different with other gaurds.. He couldnt understand how mine were standard springs though..lol...Mine are soft standard springs so with any weight on them they will look low..

TestTransmission

DjKlubster wrote: »

Thing is with the NCT From what i understand... Is that its a car test that tests your car mechanically not Visually...

So if you pull up to a checkpoint and the gaurds say your number plate,Tints, Exhaust are illegal... And you reply with ''Well it passed the NCT''..There not going to take that as an answer because these things arent tested..

I don't know where you get your info but the NCT tests/checks all 3 of those items.

DjKlubster

TestTransmission wrote: »

I don't know where you get your info but the NCT tests/checks all 3 of those items.

The only test they do on exhausts are emissions and im pretty sure they dont do anything bout tints or number plates.. Thats just from seeing mates cars going in for the test..

Im sure if ya sent a car in tomorrow with german plates(illegal ones), a really loud exhaust and windows tinted illegally...it will pass with flying colours..

TestTransmission

DjKlubster wrote: »

Im sure if ya sent a car in tomorrow with german plates(illegal ones), a really loud exhaust and windows tinted illegally...it will pass with flying colours..

wanna bet?

DjKlubster

TestTransmission wrote: »

wanna bet?

Do it in athlone!!! Could be different in other places...

but i know that one the girls i know brought her civic coupe into athlone for nct last march i think it was... and that car had the loudest exhaust in roscommon town at the time and the back three windows tinted and it passed on both..

Now the exhaust fully illegal and the tint was illegal because the main back window was tinted...

fair enough she hadnt a funky number plate but still shows that they dont test the visuals..

Marlow

Tinting back windows is legal. It's the front ones, what they go after.

/M

TestTransmission

DjKlubster wrote: »

Do it in athlone!!! Could be different in other places...

but i know that one the girls i know brought her civic coupe into athlone for nct last march i think it was... and that car had the loudest exhaust in roscommon town at the time and the back three windows tinted and it passed on both..

Now the exhaust fully illegal and the tint was illegal because the main back window was tinted...

fair enough she hadnt a funky number plate but still shows that they dont test the visuals..

Look what came into effect in April 2010

DjKlubster

Marlow wrote: »

Tinting back windows is legal. It's the front ones, what they go after.

/M

No the back two on the sides are legal... the main back is illegal because of interfering with the view of the driver... unless the tint is under the percent which makes all tints legal..

Marlow

DjKlubster wrote: »

No the back two on the sides are legal... the main back is illegal because of interfering with the view of the driver... unless the tint is under the percent which makes all tints legal..

That is completely bull****. I have factory privacy glass and the rear is tinted in the same manner as the rear side ones.

There is also no requirement for a rear center mirror for example in van's with bulkhead etc. You still have your side mirror.

So I dunno where you got that notion from, but it's gospel. You aren't allowed to tint more than 70% in the back and back side windows, but there is no difference from the rear side windows to the back window.

/M

DjKlubster

TestTransmission wrote: »

Look what came into effect in April 2010

Look alot of things come in to effect... Enforcing that is another thing which isn't done...

Atomic Pineapple

Marlow is correct, you can tint the back window as much as you want as well as both rear sides, only the front sides and windscreen have the limit.

Its all in the NCT handbook.

Dont always believe what the lads outside MacDonalds tell you

Atomic Pineapple

DjKlubster wrote: »

Look alot of things come in to effect... Enforcing that is another thing which isn't done...

It is enforced, its part of the NCT!

Marlow

And the changes are enforced. I've heard of plenty of people having issues because of this.

/M

Solair

It's becoming a much more enforced issue as optical scanning of plates is used for tolling and, increasingly, for traffic law enforcement.

"Unlike legal requirements in most other European countries, a standard uniform character font is not required. The rules simply require legible black sans serif characters, no more than 70 mm high and 36 mm wide, on a white reflective background."

DjKlubster

Marlow wrote: »

That is completely bull****. I have factory privacy glass and the rear is tinted in the same manner as the rear side ones.

There is also no requirement for a rear center mirror for example in van's with bulkhead etc. You still have your side mirror.

So I dunno where you got that notion from, but it's gospel. You aren't allowed to tint more than 70% in the back and back side windows, but there is no difference from the rear side windows to the back window.

/M

I'm 100% sure you'll get away with a 100% tint for example in the side windows.. But you wont get away with 100% tint on back window.. As i said if the tint is legal then theres no problem putting it on back window..

Graham_B18C

DJK, I know of someone that failed not too long ago on their tints. The back three can be as dark as you like AFAIK and the front two have to be under a certain percentage. They will also fail over illegal plates and an exhaust that exceeds 99db (I also know another guy that failed with a Nur Spec about two weeks ago)

Marlow

DjKlubster wrote: »

I'm 100% sure you'll get away with a 100% tint for example in the side windows.. But you wont get away with 100% tint on back window.. As i said if the tint is legal then theres no problem putting it on back window..

At 100% tint, you can't see through them. Then you've got a commercial 70% is basically more than enough for people not being able to look in and it's the front and front side windows that are tested.

This discussion is pointless. But the changes in the NCT are enforced. I've brought 6 cars through the NCT in the last 6 months, so I've seen a bit of it. And I've been to Castlerea, Athlone, Mullingar and Port Laoise test centers.

/M

DjKlubster

draffodx wrote: »

Marlow is correct, you can tint the back window as much as you want as well as both rear sides, only the front sides and windscreen have the limit.

Its all in the NCT handbook.

Dont always believe what the lads outside MacDonalds tell you

It might be in the nct handbook But in garda's heads it seems to be different..

Marlow wrote: »

And the changes are enforced. I've heard of plenty of people having issues because of this.

/M

Look they probally are enforced in most places but im saying it wasnt enforced back in march,, Nearly a year after it was introduced... :rolleyes:

TestTransmission

DjKlubster wrote: »

I'm 100% sure you'll get away with a 100% tint for example in the side windows.. But you wont get away with 100% tint on back window.. As i said if the tint is legal then theres no problem putting it on back window..

DjKlubster wrote: »

It might be in the nct handbook But in garda's heads it seems to be different..



Look they probally are enforced in most places but im saying it wasnt enforced back in march,, Nearly a year after it was introduced... :rolleyes:

Can you not just admit you're wrong and move on

DjKlubster

TestTransmission wrote: »

Can you not just admit you're wrong and move on

why would i admit im wrong when im not??

On paper everyone is right by what there saying...But reality is different..

-Corkie-

DjKlubster wrote: »

why would i admit im wrong when im not??

On paper everyone is right by what there saying...But reality is different..

The reality is you are wrong.;)

Tallon

DjKlubster wrote: »

On paper everyone is right by what there saying...But reality is different..

Exactly... Paper is what holds up in the eyes of the law, not 'reality'

Graham_B18C

DjKlubster wrote: »

why would i admit im wrong when im not

You are wrong, the tints can be as dark as you like on the back windows. The front windows do get tested. The exhaust also does. Two friends of mine have failed their NCT over both of these things.

I don't know of anyone that failed over Reg plates though

Graham_B18C

I should show more restraint in this forum...the question in the OP has been answered.

Thread Closed.