irate coppers

[SilverSaloon]

wife just phoned me a bit upset as plod had pulled her over as her rear numberplate wasnt on the back of the car. Thismorning we went out to the car and noticed it had fallen off on the driveway due to the sticky pads being rubbish in the really hot weather we have just had. Anyway, i suspended the plate in the rear window and she went to work in the car. I went to Hellfrauds and got some new sticky pads and was going to fit them tonight.

anyway, she got pulled over by the police and she explained the above, but although they let her on her way in the end they really laid into her, which is a bit unnecessary IMHO.

i'm usually quite supportive of the police as they do a good job overall but i think they were well OTT on this occasion for something that wasnt crime of the century, and we had tried to display the reg plate best we can as a temporary measure and considering she had the two young kids in the back of the car which were a little upset that the police took her into the back of the cop car.... handling the situation a little better may of been more appropriate.

apparently they will be visiting the house tommorow to ensure the plate has been fixed back on!!

rant over! lol

 

[renault12ts]

Fit the plate, reverse up against your garage door so that they must ring the door bell...then give them a piece of your mind.

 

[Mr. B]

Would you rather she'd been given a FPT and spoken to softly softly ?

They said they would call back just to make sure you fixed the plate BUT they won't.

 

[SilverSaloon]

Would you rather she'd been given a FPT and spoken to softly softly ?

i think she could of been spoken to "softly softly" and not given a FPT to be honest. sensible policing shouldnt be hard.

and to say they will come to the house tommorow to check (whether they really will or not who knows), but sounds like a bit of waste of police time to me.

thismorning i was behind a car with the reg plate H18OCY or something with illegal font, spacing and dodgy placed bolt to spell the words HI GOEY (i think)..... i bet they never get pulled.

 

[SilverSaloon]

thinking about their "planned visit"..... if its parked off the road can they really then enforce it to be fitted - if she was let on her way and they accepted it was to be fitted when i got home etc etc then if the car was then parked up on the driveway and not driven on the road surely they couldnt then give a ticket? not that i'll try that of course. sticky pads (£3.60 odd from Hell Frauds - a right rip off) are in my other W124 as we speak. Their revisit plan sounds a bit flawed.

 

[Mr. B]

Take it on the chin. Fix the plate and forget about it.

 

[MOCAŠ]

To be fair to them, they probably come across drivers who claim their plate has just fallen off and promise they're about to get it put back on all the time, when in fact they're aiming to get away with camera-enforced endorsements.

I think they're within their rights to be firm (though hopefully not rude) and to reserve the option of checking that it's been put right. Having properly displayed number plates is pretty crucial after all, especially at the rear.

And dare I point out that plates retained by screws (as MB intended) tend not to succumb to the weather and other vagaries...

 

[renault12ts]

To be fair to them, they probably come across drivers who claim their plate has just fallen off and promise they're about to get it put back on all the time, when in fact they're aiming to get away with camera-enforced endorsements.

I think they're within their rights to be firm (though hopefully not rude) and to reserve the option of checking that it's been put right. Having properly displayed number plates is pretty crucial after all, especially at the rear.

And dare I point out that plates retained by screws (as MB intended) tend not to succumb to the weather and other vagaries...

...except it was visible (I understand) in the rear window.

 

[MOCAŠ]

...except it was visible (I understand) in the rear window.

...behind glass, which would presumably reflect the flash of a speed camera. That could be seen by the police as a ploy (though I'm not suggesting it was in this case).

 

[SilverSaloon]

Take it on the chin. Fix the plate and forget about it.

i intend to, just wanted to vent/see what others thought....

And dare I point out that plates retained by screws (as MB intended) tend not to succumb to the weather and other vagaries...

i like the plates to look "clean" with no bolts etc - downside is some sticky pads are not as good as others, as i've just found out.

the hellfrauds ones are used on my other w124 which show no sign of falling off, whereas the ones on my wife's car came from a different motor factor so hopefully the new ones will hold.

it would be funny (well probably not) if the cops did come round tommorow only to find both the cars with no number plates on as the sticky stuff hadnt held, i'd probably be (a) in jail and (b) when i get released, sleeping in the shed. lol

yes plate was supported at the bottom of the tailgate window with the satnav window sticky thing wedged in the trim/rear wiper trim. thats what annoys me the most, i spent 10 mins making it secure etc. maybe SWMB should of gone to hellfrauds and got the sticky pads herself but i'm a bit "special" when it comes to making sure its positioned correctly, we all love W124s after all, and they cant have a crooked number plate.

 

[Dieselman]

Just for fun, put the same plate on both cars.

 

[SilverSaloon]

i'm surprised the coppers never mentioned the veg oil smell that seemed to surround the car

 

[BTB 500]

Make sure you thoroughly degrease the surfaces that the sticky pads are going onto (meths is good).

 

[Stratman]

Phone the police tomorrow and tell them you've been burgled.

That'll stop them turning up.

 

[Merc Owner 2B]

Just for fun, put the same plate on both cars.

Or fit it upside down!

 

[Dieselman]

Put both plates on both cars, it's legal.

 

[Merc Owner 2B]

considering she had the two young kids in the back of the car which were a little upset that the police took her into the back of the cop car....

Were the kids left alone whilst their Mother was taken into the Police vehicle? If so then I'd raise a formal complaint against those concerned.

 

[SilverSaloon]

Put both plates on both cars, it's legal.

that was what i wondered; surely i can fit/show/display them however i want on my own private driveway???? their visit is flawed IMO. can they give a fixed penalty noticed for the day before?

like i said, i'm not going to try and find out though!

 

[davethemus]

i'm surprised the coppers never mentioned the veg oil smell that seemed to surround the car

and now your avatar makes sense to me...

 

[MB-BTurbo]

...behind glass, which would presumably reflect the flash of a speed camera. That could be seen by the police as a ploy (though I'm not suggesting it was in this case).

Would waxing or using a sealant on a plate have a similar effect...?