Dodgy fixings of number plates

GPoint · 13-04-2025 08:13PM #1

Seen some heated discussions about non standard plates in another thread.

How about dealers drilling screws into bare metal of a hatchback door or a saloon boot door?

Every car has factory fitted threaded holes where you’d bolt on a frame into which you insert your plate .

So many plates are screwed directly without a frame and not even straight, one white screw at the right edge and another off left edge because of the blue eu flag.

Some are not aligned and people don’t care.

If I was buying new car and got dealer perforating brand new car with screws I would reject a car.

Is there a deficit of frames and proper bolts or what. Cannot understand this.

mk7r · 13-04-2025 11:21PM

The dealers couldn't give a shite, send the apprentice out to attach the plate with some self tappers.

mikeecho · 16-04-2025 12:50PM

The last brand new car we bought, we told the dealer not to attach plates and not to clean the car.

The car arrived, and I spent a day pealing plastic off every piece of the interior and exterior

Saul Goodman 91 · 16-04-2025 10:01PM

It annoys me somewhat seeing the incorrect shape plates fitted on the back of all the Disco 3/4's. What's worse is they are drilled on by the dealers who will then leave two nasty holes each side if somebody wants to fit back the proper plate.

I notice with a certain Ford dealer also, whoever fits the plates persists with drilling them on even though they have clip in surrounds. They may as well save the money and stop using those surrounds if the person fitting them does not know how they are supposed to work.

I used to fit plates when I worked in a main dealer and I would always use the proper holes where possible. It may have been seen as a bit sad or anal by some, but I know it's what I would have liked on my own car and that's why I did it.