Bending a Numberplate

[BTB 500]

The alloy ones with reflective fronts are legal.....but not very nice and don't last five minutes compared to a good old Perspex one as the letters are not protected behind anything.

That's definitely not the case with the ones Halfords sell - the characters (which are printed, not stick-on) are covered by a clear outer layer.

 

[Mickyh7]

I actually just poured boiling water, straight from the kettle on to the centre of the plate, as I pressed down the loose end, (with the other end attached).
Result.
It cooled down and held memory within 20 seconds.
My main worry was, I have '3D' plates, and was worried they drop to bits with the heat.?
3 D plates, puts me in the 'Tosser Group' on here.
However I like them!

 

[ALFAitalia]

3 d are fine......if illegal now.....its 4d you are talking about.....and yes that puts you in that group!!!

 

[Teego]

I read somewhere that there might be a move to make numberplates less easily changed. Here in France that means rivets, not screws.

RayH

Too many Day of the Jackal copycats over there.

 

[baxlin]

Yes....my mystake....I thought you meant the pressed ones. The alloy ones with reflective fronts are legal.....but not very nice and don't last five minutes compared to a good old Perspex one as the letters are not protected behind anything.

Mmm. My 3-wheeler has a pressed metal rear plate which I bent to follow the curve of the back end. It carries the provider’s details and the British Standard number. I bought it as the previous perspex one had delaminated and cracked, getting an MoT advisory. The current plate has passed several MoT tests, the latest one being last week.

 

[Wolfie1]

Use adhesion promotor first to prep the surface after cleaning it

 

[Pontoneer]

I read somewhere that there might be a move to make numberplates less easily changed. Here in France that means rivets, not screws.

RayH

I use pop rivets , with small receiving washers behind the threaded holes for the standard machine screws .

I hate sticky tape which invariably lets go , or when trained monkeys fit plates they end up squint and just look awful .

I prefer metal plates too .

 

[Pontoneer]

The standard number plates that Halfords sell are aluminium. I've had two made up in the last year, and very nice they are too. I seriously doubt they would sell them if they were illegal.

Depends on the age of the car .

 

[BTB 500]

when trained monkeys fit plates they end up squint and just look awful .

A pet hate of mine - I've followed some really nice/expensive cars with crooked rear plates

 

[Gfromleeds]

If you shop about youll get some like mine are aluminium with reflective "number plate" adhere to the front so would be easy to bend to any position you want!
And they came from a registered garage so must be legal

 

[MarcusS212]

Don't you have Plexiclick in the UK?
That's what I use on my car.

https://amzn.eu/d/baR8F6r

 

[ALFAitalia]

The plates would be stolen by villains in about five seconds if we used those!! The only people I know that use them are people who tow caravans with different cars....makes swapping the plates over much easier.

 

[MarcusS212]

The plates would be stolen by villains in about five seconds if we used those!! The only people I know that use them are people who tow caravans with different cars....makes swapping the plates over much easier.

Ah, I see.
We don't have that problem in Sweden. Yet...

Also our caravans have their own distinct numberplates, we don't use the same as the towing car.

 

[DesireeE]

Pressed metal plates are indeed legal:

Pressed Metal Number Plates

Browse our pressed metal number plates and find your new metal number plate. The metal plates we use are 100% road legal and are offered with express delivery.

www.number1plates.com

"If you’ve ever wondered about the legality of pressed metal number plates, rest assured – they are 100% road legal for use in the United Kingdom. ... our pressed metal ones, comply with DVLA regulations and British Standard (BS AU 145d) requirements."


I bought pressed metal plates for my MB from Halfords, they fit into the new Wurth plate holders which were easy to fit onto the motor and easy to fit the plates inside and I think they look the bees knees. I like the overall clean look and no visible fixtures or fittings or sticky pads that may or may not work. I did wonder about the ease of being stolen, but since I have a private registration number, that worry soon flew out the window.

I really am not one who like plates with a black screw top lid on a 'white' front plate, or yellow back plate for that matter, even worse if it is a cherished number plate, I will confess to smiling when someone has used a bit of black/yellow/white tape to block it out to give the appearance of a clean look, but then it depends on how it is done, as I could just as well think to myself ... nahhh! Really??? Funny how folks can be so quick to judge others handy work eh, myself included obvs

 

[Muckypaps]

Pretend it’s an Audi and stick it on the dash.

 

[ALFAitalia]

I'm sure all the suppliers are not lying about the legality of their metal plates....but equally the law says that they need to spring back if they get bent.. like perspex...not like metal.....so someone is wrong somewhere.

• • Flexibility:
    The material must be flexible enough to deform and return to its original shape if bent, ensuring it can withstand impacts and remain legible.

 

[BTB 500]

Depends how far it's bent. Aluminium will return to the original shape if not too far. And perspex will snap if bent too far.

 

[baxlin]

And that quote doesn’t say that it must return to its original shape by itself, just that it must be flexible enough to return. Flexible doesn’t necessarily mean springy - a piece of wire is flexible…

 

[ALFAitalia]

I'm pretty certain it means that it should spring back itself when bent....or what would be the point.

 

[DesireeE]

I asked Copilot the question and the answer that came back was interesting I thought: