Q Plates - can't change them now.

[MattH]

As the DVLA contact for the MMA I get notifications to do with registering vehicles.

This letter arrived recently and is quite important.
If you have a Q plate, DVLA will only consider changing it to an age related plate IF THE APPLICATION IS MADE BY THE FIRST KEEPER WITHIN 12 MONTHS of Registration.

SO if you have a Q plate on a car and it was registered more than 12 months ago, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE IT.

I have managed to get a few members cars off Q Plates in the past, including a Superbird, but it won't be possible now.

What you will need to do is get a proper age related plate at the start when first registering, which I can help with.

[RobTwin]

Yikes! Cant be many Q plates still around tho... haven't seen any on 'our type' of cars for ages. Maybe just the occasional 'plastic pig' kit car...

But I was wondering, is this JUST for Q plates or do you think they might extend this to, say, a 1969 car imported to the UK in 1977 and allocated an S plate?

Just in case we ever do decide to re-register the Satellite...

[morgan]

Yikes! Cant be many Q plates still around tho... haven't seen any on 'our type' of cars for ages. Maybe just the occasional 'plastic pig' kit car...

But I was wondering, is this JUST for Q plates or do you think they might extend this to, say, a 1969 car imported to the UK in 1977 and allocated an S plate?

Just in case we ever do decide to re-register the Satellite...

Dunno. But I would get on with it anyway - seems like they are shaking up the rules on lots of things at the moment in the old car scene. Stands to reason this may be next - after all the process must be the same. When I got my Charger moved from a 79'T' for an age related 'F' I had to prove the age and go and get it inspected (MattH wrote me a cover letter of authority). Point is that whilst it is obvious to us it might not be for the inspection man so it might be an idea to move before they DO close it...

[GJUK]

Good to know.
The government are properly cost cutting right now.

[ScottyDave]

Mmmm my Chargers on a T plate, was probably imported in 79. I think 1973 should be an L plate, no way I could get it anywhere to be inspected at the moment.

[RobTwin]

.... no way I could get it anywhere to be inspected at the moment.

Likewise, it's gonna be at least a couple of months before we could take ours anywhere like that... wherever that would be

[cadboy]

Interesting to know the facts, but you have to wonder what will be next.

[GJUK]

I believe they are making it up as they go along.

"Errr Dave, you know by doing this thing we talked about in the pub on Friday... We now have to deal with this, this and this..."

"Oh ****. Just send out some letters and advise we're working on it"

[MattH]

My 73 car is on a T plate (79). I plan to keep it that way, as it now part of the car's history and an age related plate would lose some of that.
The age related issue can be dealt with by a letter from me with some good photos of the VIN and fender tag and whole car etc, which is what I have done for alot of members over the years.

Stu , do you really want to change it, as the history of you car goes back years on those grainy old photos of yesteryear.

[Blue]

I think there is an element of making it up as they go along, there will be a quantity of vehicles that don't naturally fall into the catagories they have set and those will need to be dealt with as they arise. The trouble with government legislation is it's often poorly thought out and what starts as an attempt to simplify things rapidly escalates into something far more complicated than it originally was.

[Dave999]

it will be another cost cutting exercise

read an article the other day that said not issuing tax discs has saved £10 million. but the number of untaxed vehicles on the road has increased dramatically costing an estimated £58 million in lost road tax and expenditure in managing the situation.

obviously can't believe anything you read in the papers but even if its 10 million that's not good, you don't even break even because the 100s of people you made unemployed, who used to stamp out the perforations and add the silvery bits etc are now even less likely to be driving a car that is in a higher tax bracket

think someone has blown their boots off with that idea.....



Dave

[Super Sloth]

In the case of 2nd / 3rd gen chargers on late 70's plates, why can you not simply put a plate of your choosing on there as normal? It's against the law to put a plate on there that makes the car seem newer, but whats to stop you putting any "private" age appropriate plate on?

[RobTwin]

My 73 car is on a T plate (79). I plan to keep it that way, as it now part of the car's history and an age related plate would lose some of that.
The age related issue can be dealt with by a letter from me with some good photos of the VIN and fender tag and whole car etc, which is what I have done for alot of members over the years.

Stu , do you really want to change it, as the history of you car goes back years on those grainy old photos of yesteryear.

Thanks Matt - we have spoken about changing it a few times but never got round to it, partly cos we aren't familiar with the procedure and partly cos we are in two minds whether to leave it on an 'S' for the reason you mentioned.
Aesthetically, i'd rather have it on a G as I just think older cars look better with the correct year on the reg plate - it's all part of the overall package.

But laziness and 'history' will probably win and stay as-is

[Rebel]

I know the Q plate was usually given to vehicles of an indeterminate age, as well as older American cars though, there's a lot of ex military land rovers that are on Q plates. They don't seem to be registered at all if they're being shipped abroad to see service somewhere and the military have their own registration system for active vehicles which doesn't seem to mean anything when the vehicle is returned to civvy street.
Think there's still a fair few American recovery trucks on Q plates over here.
Back in the days of every toe rag out there nicking an RS turbo or Cosworth and deciding to abandon them somewhere when they'd had their fun instead of torching them. The ones that were recovered and returned to the road after repair were usually given a Q plate, signifying that they were stolen / recovered and repaired. Which could be where the stigma of having. A Q plate comes from. Of course there's the kit car brigade as already mentioned.

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with a Q plate, it's another oddity / talking point. Don't really see why a Q plate should devalue a car either. Would a 30k charger on an F plate really be worth more than an identical condition and model on a Q plate?
If so, why?
It's just a bunch of letters and numbers.

However, for those people that it does create problems for, it's a shame that they've changed the rules

[drewcrane]

I read this whole thread, this is insane, complicated, and yall have fewer of these "said "cars on the road then we do ,we dont even have an inspection, (besides emissions ,and they are grandfathered for 25 plus year old vehicles) used to, but no more,and not enough law enforcement to even enforce "said " laws.