Yet Another Consumer Rights Issue For Me!!
 

Hi All

Been away from these pages for a good while now, but I know you talk sense, so have decided to voice my dilema here ;)

MOT on the Honda yesterday, yes - it's really 3 years since I left the Subaru Clan!

Anyway, to the point ....... Honda Main Stealer, Sevice and MOT ...... drop car off and go shopping.

Telephone call within 15 minutes - they have failed the car on the Nuberplate!!!!!! WHAT? That Numberplate has been like that for 13 years - never an issue, EVER!!

The two groups of characters are 22mm apart and the regulations are for a distance greater than that, so they say (and, yes, I know the groups are 1cm too close - but, it's never even raised a question before!) But, Mr Anal MOT Tester tw4t will fail it ..... unless .....

Unless I pay them to put legal plates on, yes they do the plates on site (how f'ing convenient!!! :mad: ) ...... that will be £50! WTF!! £50 I said, you must be joking you thieving gits .... fail the car and I'll take it elsewhere more reasonable! OK, we will make it £40, they came back with!! I said that's still a rip-off but OK just do it FFS!

Go and collect car, new plates on, Service done - some warranty work put to Honda for approval ...... all good. The Service Manager has reduced the plate cost to £35 (I think he was expecting me to be in his face) ....... Paid up and come home.

Decide to look how much a set of plates are online - £17!!!!! So, even at £35 I was shafted - not happy ..... but at least I have an MOT a 3rd year service done.

I wanted to check the rules and it states 33mm between the groups of characters, mine is 22mm ..... OK, my plates are illegal (but not noticeable really). I go to check that their plates are correct .................................

Guess What??????????????

The plates they have put on are ILLEGAL!!!!

The gap between the group of characters is 56mm YES 56mm!!!!!!!! That's 23mm out!!!

The useless bunch of to55ers!!!!

My car goes back in on Tuesday for some warranty work ....... now, what do I do?

My instinct is to reject the plates as they are not fit for purpose, tell them to correct it and give me my £35 back. Of course, I am entitled to demand my money back as is my right - end of, I don't have to accept anything else.

But, I need plates to drive home (I will take my original illegal plates with me to fit) - BUT, can they stop me leaving the Garage with illegal plates? (even if I have been driving with those same plates for 13 years without any problem?) Will they alert the Police? Will they release the car at all?

Should I take the boys with me?

Over to you ................................................

Fcuk off :)

The standards state that distance but that will be a minimum distance. There will be no MOT or police officer that will ever penalise you for having a larger gap between the groups. The reason between the gap is to allow the two groups to be easily identified, a larger gap can only aid with this.

This is why I don't drive a Honda.

VW have never screwed my plates up.

Pete, don't motability pay for all this? ;)

The Road Traffic Act and Regulations I have read through state 33mm - not a mention of it being a MINIMUM.

All the Numberplates I have measured on my driveway are 33mm exactly - and every car up the road are 33mm ...... I think the MOT Tw4tester is simply making a point.

It's not a minimum it is an absolute 33mm ...... unless you can point me to words which say MINIMUM?

Wouldn't that be nice?! :D

Why is it that people are such dicks, I mean, come on - a plate which is 1cm too close and you fail a car because of it?

The only defence for the MOT actions in the replacement plate is that 33mm is a minimum ...... but I cannot find any evidence that is correct.

Indeed, I have the Numberplates which they put on when I bought the car new - yes, 33mm EXACTLY!!

Nah, they have messed up ...... I'm going to have such fun as they made so much of my plates being wrong, failing my MOT and then they fit plates which are also wrong!!!!!

Just asking what the situation is if I demand my money back - no legal issue with that - but, can they stop me driving away with the plates on that I have had for 13 years .... the Service Manager actually said after the MOT that he expects me to swap them back again (indicating that when I return on Tuesday he expects to see my old plates on the car!)

They have serviced the car twice before and not a word about the plates, they let me drive off then - so, I guess they will have to this time?

How about I put my old plates back on and dump their plates on their desk and demand a refund? That would be interesting!?

Welcome back Pete!:thumb:

£35 for number a plate? They must have known you're loaded.:lol1:

Put your old plates back on. Take the ones the Honda garage sold you back and ask for a refund as the spacings are wrong. They cant void the MOT now its passed. Then buy a new set elsewhere that are legal and cheaper than they charged you.

Private registration plates are so pretentious so in my book you get what you deserve:)

First sensible reply .... thanks.

But, can they stop my car leaving with illegal plates .... that's my only issue.

Plus, if they state that the 33mm is a minimum? I cannot see the word minimum used in any regulation - I can also show them every car on their forecourt with a 33mm gap!!!

It's rough justice on them for being so f**king anal over a 1cm gap! :lol1:

They have no right to stop you leaving there premises what so ever. It's non of their business what plates you have on as your not going there for an mot. You already have one of those :lol1: All an MOT really means is it was all ok and legal at the time of the test. What happens after that has nothing to do with them. If you can show them the plates they sold you are illegal they are not fit for purpose and you are entitled to a refund.

Actually, technically, they passed a car with their illegal playes on - after failing it with my illegal plates on!!!!!

You couldn't make it up .... I'm going to have some fun with them when I slap their plates on the desk and demand my money back, I'm sure I don't have to allow them a chance to put it right - I don't need legal plates until 12 months time :D

If they offer to replace them say "no thank you, i have already replaced them so yours are no longer needed". They had their chance to sell you theres and ballsed it up.

Pete, take the new plates and cut out a 23 mm vertical strip between the groups. Super glue the two halves together sans the strip. Win.

Interesting suggestion Tony ...... I'm just a bit concerned about what the supplying Dealers name will read along the bottom - maybe 'Useless To55ers'? ;)

I was actually beginning to miss you.:facepalm:

Now you're not too sure? ;)

Pete, you're sounding almost ........ "anal" with this one ..... next you'll be disconnecting your crank sensor for an oil change and buying a kn(c)ocklink! ;) :D

I'll never be that sad ......... :lol1:

Surely we need to get the UN involved in this, seems quite serious

testers are not required to measure the gap and the manual is for guidance only and should only fail if it's clear the spacing is wrong.

No, but their cars are sh1te :thumb:

Well he measured it and failed the car!

Call the UN - I'm on a crusade! :D Hodgy you're right!

Only issue with my Golf is it's too comfortable and luxo inside...I don't want to stop driving. :lol1:

I'm more interested in how they got the spacing so wrong themselves - how embarrassing for them when I shove the plates up their collective ramps! ;)

If this is now more about principal than money, why not just get some legal plates made up, put them on the car when you take the ones back they have fobbed you off with?

Plus, that way you have them ready for next years test. :thumb:

Surely you can use the extra set of plates on your caravan

I assume you do have one?

Another PS classic
Get a refund
Write to papers
Facebook partition
Write to David Cameron
Shop them to govt mot dept so they loose their licence
Demand that all the cars on the show court that have illegal
Spaces are illegal and should be crushed

I think you should certainly go back and ask them what they mean by it all. I would expect them to produce a fully legal set of replacement plates to their own requirements all fitted free of charge while you wait Pete!

Les