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Post by gainsb1 on Sept 7, 2020 19:25:51 GMT 1
For some time now there has been a strange habit of advertisers covering up number plates on cars that are put up for sale. Just why, I cannot fathom as it is a legal requirement to display number plates on the highway.
The DVLA quite rightly made MOT history available to the general public (for some time now) in order that you can check for defects/failures etc when enquiring about cars. This, no doubt, was intended to make it (relatively) safer for people buying a car to know what might be wrong with it, as indicated by its' last MOT.
I cannot see any reason for covering up the number plate other than to deceive but am willing to hear of any valid reasons before making a decision whether to make it a requirement that number plates are not covered in order to place an ad on this site.
A recent article in last weeks Classic Car Weekly highlighted a scam of this nature.
Please feel free to comment.
Leigh (Area rep)
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Post by Al Ramone on Sept 10, 2020 13:47:07 GMT 1
I totally agree.
I ended up buying a car with a terrible number plate because the owner covered it up when selling on eBay
ANU560L
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Post by gainsb1 on Sept 12, 2020 7:37:43 GMT 1
I totally agree. I ended up buying a car with a terrible number plate because the owner covered it up when selling on eBay ANU560L I really DID buy a blue 120Y with the number FCK559S. My first Datsun!
Leigh (Area rep)
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Post by geordiechris on Sept 20, 2020 18:49:02 GMT 1
I also find this frustrating. I was looking to buy a camper this summer and frequently decided against viewing a vehicle after checking the MOT history and finding a long list of corrosion issues. The only reason I can think of to hide the number plate (other than what has already been mentioned regarding hiding the history) is to stop criminals cloning the number for a similar car in order to defraud someone or commit a crime.
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Post by gainsb1 on Sept 21, 2020 15:11:51 GMT 1
I had thought of this but,in general, thieves only have to drive down the road to find a similar car to the one they want to clone and the registration plate won't be covered up. Also, if I were a thief after a car that I'd seen on a website with its number obscured I would simply 'phone the seller and ask for the number, saying that I wanted to check its MOT history on-line. Thus, I still cannot see any reason to hide the number plate. I think it's a strange habit from the past.
Leigh (Area rep) |
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Post by geordiechris on Sept 25, 2020 11:52:45 GMT 1
Well I tend to agree...and not being a criminal myself I couldn't say for sure. But if someone were to 'say' wish to steal a red Datsun Sunny and found a suitable car, they would know that as soon as the owner reported the car stolen, the police would be looking for it. However...if the thief had found a similar car advertised for sale somewhere and made duplicate number plates then these could be fitted to the stolen car to hide it from suspicion whilst it was being moved. I don't know...maybe this is a bit far fetched...most likely it is to prevent MOT history checks.
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