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Number plates and V5s

Nero

Nero

Re: Tired
Had a bit of stress yesterday as I drove up to the Bedford office. Apparently, my back number plate fell off on the way, or was nicked at a service station, so it was just a matter of time before I was stopped by plod. Always a bit scary when that happens in an RS but they were very pleasant about it, having first established that I hadn’t stolen the car or was trying to avoid speeding tickets. I suppose being an old codger helps in that regards.
Anyway, interesting dilemma. How do you get a replacement plate without a V5 so I can drive home? It seemed to be quite difficult, and the officer said I couldn’t drive home (150 odd miles) without it. I managed to contact the local dealership, and they said they couldn’t officially do it, but if I came in, they would try and find a solution, which they did by doing all sorts of online checks with the Audi database, and theoretically breaking the law.
I’m a bit loathe to carry my V5 in future, and I can understand why they’ve introduced the rule, but I remember the old days when you could knock up a plate with a bit of yellow tape and stick-on numbers.
Moral of the story - Make sure your plates are screwed on, preferably with tamper proof screws
 
Definitely not a good idea to keep the V5 in the car! And remembering to carry it whenever you’re travelling any distance from home would be a royal PITA.

Have you given any thought to why the plate was nicked? Can you put the DVLA on notice that a cloning incident is likely, associated with your number?
 
Plenty of vehicles have been driven around with a bit of cardboard and a marker pen for the plate. Stopped once unlucky - chance of being stopped again on the way home - much less likely.
Another potential solution - 'borrow' a trade plate? Pure guess on that one, but I cannot see how anyone would stop you with one of those in the window.
 
Our little run around had its plates nicked a couple of years ago. Nothing has come of it - police thought they might be used for a petrol station fuel theft.
 
Sue Pertwee-Tyr said:
Have you given any thought to why the plate was nicked? Can you put the DVLA on notice that a cloning incident is likely, associated with your number?
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Not certain it was nicked. I would have thought the crims would take the front one too. It was only stuck on with a bit of double-sided, but actually, there was no sign of any residue on the holder. Ironically, the holder, branded with the name of the dealership, was nicely screwed to the tailgate, but not the actual plate!
The officer did say they would add a note to 'The Database' to the effect that if my number was seen rushing up and down the M1 on a Fiesta, they might suspect something. The trouble is, the proliferation of speed cameras on motorways makes it more interesting to use someone else's plates
 
Is there someone at home who can send you a photograph of it? I keep copies on my phone just in case.
 
JensenHealey said:
Our little run around had its plates nicked a couple of years ago. Nothing has come of it - police thought they might be used for a petrol station fuel theft.
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I don't know anywhere else that allows payment after fueling. Why does the UK do this?
 
Customary I suppose.

Germany I have driven many thousands of miles - pay after fuelling there. France too as far as I remember - Spain and Portugal certainly too. So not as rare as you make out - where are you?

Pre-pay only exists here with self-pay-at-pump, which is becoming more common, it has to be said, although mostly optional as a time saving option.
 
davidsrsb said:
I don't know anywhere else that allows payment after fueling. Why does the UK do this?
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I've never known anywhere where you didn't fill up then pay. USA, GB, around Europe I've always filled up first then paid. As mentioned above pre-pay is usually there only to save time.
 
boneman said:
I've never known anywhere where you didn't fill up then pay. USA, GB, around Europe I've always filled up first then paid. As mentioned above pre-pay is usually there only to save time.
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If you have to pay before filling, you can’t brim the tank because you don’t know how much you’ll need. So you’ll often buy less than you would otherwise have done, if you have to pre-pay.
 
USA is the only pre pay I have come across and usually only when they ask for a zip code to validate a credit card - which as a non US resident I don't have, then you have to pay up front in the shop. Recently more and more US gas stations seem to take non US credit cards without requiring zip codes which make things easier
 
Last time in the USA (Florida 2019) I had to prepay every time. Last time I paid for more than the tank would take and they refunded the difference.
 
I long for the days when an old fella in dungarees would run out and say ‘fill ‘er up ?’
 
For some bizarre reason, Signora will only get petrol at a station where she can get someone to fill 'er up (ooer missus). She's never self-served petrol in her life. Weird.
 
JensenHealey said:
Customary I suppose.

Germany I have driven many thousands of miles - pay after fuelling there. France too as far as I remember - Spain and Portugal certainly too. So not as rare as you make out - where are you?
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I've driven in most European countries (and lived in quite a few of them) and while it is mixed (and often mixed in the same country - France being a good example) I've encountered pay after fuelling more than anything else.
 
Bart said:
I long for the days when an old fella in dungarees would run out and say ‘fill ‘er up ?’
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When I first traveled round France with my parents by car in the late 1950s/early 1960s they were usually wheezy old boys, often with an arm and/or leg missing, who could barely stagger out to the pump. The petrol then had to be pumped, literally, by hand and it took an absolute age. I often wondered if the old boy would expire before the tank was filled.
 
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Interesting point Nero, but I guess you could take a photo of your plates, print them out A4, then laminate them and carry them in the boot for sticking up in the car window if ever required? Seems unlikely you would need to use them, but it's a pretty cheap solution.
 
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