Has anyone bought any German plates for their car and used them??

I've just bought some from http://www.germanplates.com - www.germanplates.com as they seemed to be the cheapest and they're made and shipped from Germany (although i'm back in Germany next week and now find out they're only €10 each!!)

EUtags.com wanted £35 each, but I paid $49 including postage and packaging, which isn't bad as it only took £24.37 from by paypal account!! now that's a good rate!!

So anyone used them?? I know they're not legal but want to know if anyone's had any bother from the boys in blue. there're loads of foreign cars around where i live so hope the police wont even look twice!!!

Another thing, i'm going to buy the German stadt badge, anyone know where the M5 was built? there's 16 badges on eutags.  is it Bayern?

You do have a point!  but I think they make the car look good!!!  insurance wise I can't see a problem, but the police may take interest. It's not as if they're making the car any different by having tin plates with D instead of plastic with GB or EU.

I was looking at other boards that came up in google for a search and many people use them without problems, in fact i never found a post where someone got into trouble, one guy was told to change them and that was it.

Oh well, did it now!!

I take it you mean an normal english style plate - i.e E323 BMW? and not a german style plate?

You can have anything you want on the plate as long as the letters are spaced correctly - you can even put rude words on them!

Pikey

J7 VNK

My advice is DONT use them on the public highway.

Your rear plate MUST be yellow with black letters/numbers, the front ones are white.

The D for Germany ( in English) is a legal mark that must show the country of redgistration of the vehicle.

The only right hand drive cars with German redgistration plates and a GB sticker are british forces serving in Germany, and this arrangement was arrived at after the BFG plates were withdrawn following terrorist activity that lead to a warrant officer being killed in calais, and a Royal Air Force chaps 18 month old child being killed in Germany, (they missed the driver).

I dont care what other forums tell you, you arent just into messing about with redg plates, you are messing with anti terrorist measures, not a good idea at the present time.

-it is also a condition of your insurance that your car be roadworthy i.e. with a current MOT and not obviously having any 'instant fail' items. Numberplates that don't meet UK regulations would fall into that category and could make a loss-adjuster's day.....

cheers

They seem fine to me ewe, but they are not what I would call german plates.

We used to be able to buy pressed metal ones here, which I what I would class those as.

Ok, mixed opinions!!  rr_ww  exactly, that's what it's all about, living!!!

Kevin the plates are my reg number (but not the J7 VNK as the car is 1990)  but it's original H993 NRX,  but i am actually going to try a white back one until told otherwise!!!  i'll keep the others in the boot and in 2 minutes it can be back to normal!!

Uwem3, i like them!!  but i opted for the Deutchland badge!!

I'll ask my friendly copper friend his opinion and what the worst that could happen is!!   as for anti terrorist ......... there;s a few cars drive around heathrow, 7 series and merc, black with tinted windows, RHD, 4 big blokes in, uk registered and they sport nigerian flag and symbol!!  i've seem those around for months!!  really dodgy looking geezers

J7 VNK wrote: Uwem3, i like them!!  but i opted for the Deutchland badge!!

The D badge is where I think the problem would be.

Foriegn flags are ok, but not on the number plate, on Uk redg cars you can have England, Scotland, Wales, Union, or Euro flags, or none at all.

Even horses Irish ones are wrong, if the car is redgistered in the UK 

[/QUOTE]

This is nothing new. You can often see Jamaican and Pakistan flags on cars in London.[/QUOTE]

I don't just mean the flag on the car, but on the number plate in place of the GB or whatever else.

So I opened a can of worms, sorry you guys don't agree. I'll let you know if it turns my life upside down.

Anyone got these?

I quite fancy a set!

Mags

Mags wrote: Anyone got these? I quite fancy a set! Mags

I've got the black ones with M Power on instead of motorsport, also didn't think the white would suit the car! £15 each

J7 VNK wrote: I've got the black ones with M Power on instead of motorsport, also didn't think the white would suit the car! £15 each

That sounds better, where did you get those?

Mags

http://www.dubmeister.co.uk - http://www.dubmeister.co.uk

JC , e30 m3 wrote: I've got plates from EU tags on my car and I think they look great, somehow more suitable for the Lhd E30 M3 than the british style plates. I'm no fan of the italic or comedy plates but these EU tags plates are really good, correct font, stadt badge, proper bmw motorsport surrounds and made of pressed aluminium. They cost £170 but worth it I think (in a mad kind of way!!)

Woo Hoo, one person who agrees!!  Well, I ordered my plates from Germany, pressed alu. However the stadt badges are said to only be available from the government in Germany according to the german I got the plates from. So I'll buy mine from EU tags too, although £12.50 each is harsh, and you need 2 or them and 2 date badges to be fully correct!!  £50 just for badges!!

By the way I paid £24 for 2 plates from Germany  but through an American site. Look weird without badges

I haven't actually got the badges yet! just the plates and holders!!

Yeah, I suppose they look a lot better!! although not sure what they look like in the flesh as they're just website versions!

Chaps, Ive only just got round to reading this whole subject but it is one that interests me cos I think German plates look the biz. There was one mention of legality that I can't see answered so here goes. In an E30 I would say that you have much less chance of being pulled being LHD but if you were there are 3 options

1) Do nothing but be told to change them back - Ideal

2) Get a VDR (Vehicle defect rectification) Ticket which means you have 2 weeks to get the old plates back on but you have to go to a MOT testing garage and they will stamp the ticket to say all is correct  which you then have to send off to your local Police headquarters - costs 10 quid - less than ideal

3) Get a 30 quid ticket for having plates not conforming to regulations - woeful

I would say that if you got pulled over in a city you might be ok but should you get stopped by a traffic cop (these are spotted by their silly white hats, they are particularily arrogant and keep calling you 'driver') it is much more likely to be option 2 or 3 as they have to justify their existence.

One story of a traffic cop is that while on 'speeding duty' on the Isle of White he stopped his wife for speeding and gave her a ticket as the man was infamous for having no discretion. How sad.

My sentiments exactly!!  Plates have arrived from Germany this week!!  took only 5 days!!  but I'm waiting for the surrounds (which serve 2 purposes, 1) is they look the part, 2) they can be changed in seconds!!

But where are my surrounds

On the legallity isue I would suggest you are more at risk from the growing non police enforcement agencies than you are from the police themselves ( traffic depts excepted).

The highways agency (bosses of all the scamera partnerships) have recently had a motorist fined £100 for sticking his fingers up at a mobile speed camera van (the Talivan), and he wasnt even speeding.

Your biggest problem will be the " meter maids", who are now largely private companies acting on behalf of local authorities, they are being given the powers to deal with minor motoring offences.

I may be missing the point here, of what you are trying to achieve, or I may just be getting too old, but why do you think German plates look better ? 

Why do you wish to attract attention to yourself when the only likely result will be some kind of fine ?

Also bear in mind, if you have a private plate it can be withdrawn for number plate offences.

EvoDude wrote: Now I do fancy a set of the surrounds. I take it they screw into the body and the plates stick on top? Which have you gone for black or white?

Black M Power, didn't think white would suit a blue car

Nigel, I do appreciate what your saying, I think they would be on a par with these plates which have illegible italics or spaces to trying and spell words. Its childish and cheekey and like you say, inviting trouble. I would only ever use them at a show or the like.

With personalised plates, if they have been altered, you first get a warning and a ticket, the second time the plate can be revoked by the DVLA and has to be re-registered - at a cost of course. Was also designed for the bikers who have tiny plates - if they can be caught!

Neil