They Say There's no Such Thing as a Stupid Question - Licence Plates

[FlashingBlade]

So, now that my Emira is coming up to 18 months old, I need to deal with that particularly British shame of now driving an old car and thus a private plate might be in the offing.

I've not replaced a licence plate since the days they were held on with tiny screws and little plastic caps over the top. I've had a look at the Emira and it appears (stress appears, I could be wrong) that they're held on with adhesive pads.

How do I a) remove the plate from these pads and b) replace them for the new plate?

 

[JimH]

A bit of warmth (if needed) and a combination of a plastic trim removal tool and/or a bit of dental floss or fishing line if needed to cut through the adhesive pads should do the trick....

If you get a short number (mine's 5 digits) and use a shorter front plate you may also need to cut the front mount down a bit (short plates look "wrong" on the back of the Emira IMHO) - it unbolts once the plate is off which makes this easier.

If you intend to travel outside the UK you can add the UK designator and flag (without a blue background) which saves using a "UK" sticker (apart from Spain, Cyprus and Malta who, for some bizarre post-Brexit reason, still insist on a sticker...)

Displaying number plates

How to display number or licence plates, get plates made up, replace lost, damaged or stolen plates, and the national letters, flags and symbols you can display.

www.gov.uk

These guys are good for making up replacement plates with the options above and you can have a (legal!) short front and standard rear too (many others only make matching pairs...)

Plates For Cars Designer - Design Online

www.platesforcars.co.uk

 

[FlashingBlade]

Excellent. I agree that I think short plates look wrong. I'll probably go four or five digit too. Do they supply replacement adhesive pads too or do they need to be sourced from somewhere?

 

[NigeT]

A bit of warmth (if needed) and a combination of a plastic trim removal tool and/or a bit of dental floss or fishing line if needed to cut through the adhesive pads should do the trick....

If you get a short number (mine's 5 digits) and use a shorter front plate you may also need to cut the front mount down a bit (short plates look "wrong" on the back of the Emira IMHO) - it unbolts once the plate is off which makes this easier.

If you intend to travel outside the UK you can add the UK designator and flag (without a blue background) which saves using a "UK" sticker (apart from Spain, Cyprus and Malta who, for some bizarre post-Brexit reason, still insist on a sticker...)

Displaying number plates

How to display number or licence plates, get plates made up, replace lost, damaged or stolen plates, and the national letters, flags and symbols you can display.

www.gov.uk

These guys are good for making up replacement plates with the options above and you can have a (legal!) short front and standard rear too (many others only make matching pairs...)

Plates For Cars Designer - Design Online

www.platesforcars.co.uk

View attachment 55864View attachment 55865

I found warming the old plate with a hairdryer and then using dental floss to cut through the old adhesive pads worked great. The only issue is getting any old pad/adhesive from the plate holder before sticking the new plate on.

 

[Beachbum]

When attaching the new plate. Velcro !!!

 

[JimH]

Excellent. I agree that I think short plates look wrong. I'll probably go four or five digit too. Do they supply replacement adhesive pads too or do they need to be sourced from somewhere?

Replacement adhesive pads are available but expensive from the plate supplier but are readily available in bigger packs on Amazon which are much better value. Personally I wouldn't use Velcro on an Emira as there's no benefit in easy removal unless you're a light-fingered passer by.....