Albert27 Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Hi folks. My rear number plate needs replacing before M.o.T as it's cracked badly. Bought the plate from Halfords thinking it would be fairly straightforward. The screws just keep on turning! Had a look from the other side by removing the panel in the boot. The bolts seem to be in a metal casing and very little access. How do i get this plate off? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philf1 Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Can you grip the heads with a pair of pliers and turn as you gently pull? Otherwise you could cut the heads off the screws the plate will protect your paint then use the pliers on the screw shaft When you put the new ones on use the adhesive pads so no more screws 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isetta Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 Sometimes when the screw spins like this, you can pull on the plate (by getting hold of edge or inserting a lever down the back (one that won't damage paint of course)) and then turn the screw whilst pulling / levering, this sometimes gets them moving. but I have had ones where the nut (more like a kind of threaded insert pressed into the metal and acts like a fixed nut is spinning and I have had to cut the head off the screw with dremmel type tool or simialr to get plate off, and then wrestle the nut type insert out with some mole grips. and then when fitting a new plate use plastic nuts and screws, but it needs getting behind it to hold the nut on. yes the jobs which seem simplest often are not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert27 Posted April 11, 2017 Author Share Posted April 11, 2017 1 hour ago, Philf1 said: Can you grip the heads with a pair of pliers and turn as you gently pull? Otherwise you could cut the heads off the screws the plate will protect your paint then use the pliers on the screw shaft When you put the new ones on use the adhesive pads so no more screws Do you mean hold the heads of the screws with pliers? I tried holding the metal casing but that didn't work - no grip at the angle i had. What tool would i need to cut the heads off? Once that's done, am i right in thinking the plate will just come off and then as you say just stick the new one on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert27 Posted April 11, 2017 Author Share Posted April 11, 2017 8 minutes ago, isetta said: yes the jobs which seem simplest often are not. I have found this so true in my short car maintenance career! I haven't got a dremmel tool but will try the lifting the plate slightly as you suggest. Is there any other way of getting the head off with more conventional tools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isetta Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 assuming the number plate is plastic and is no good (you don't mind destroying it), you could just get hold of the ends of it and bend it until it breaks. if you are lucky it might break in line with the screws. anyway, if you just break it all off so the screws are left there sticking out you will have better access to get pliers, mole grips etc on them. I have seen some cars with new number plates fixed on with sticky pads but I am not a fan of those because I have seen cars where they have fallen . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Smith Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 15 hours ago, Philf1 said: Can you grip the heads with a pair of pliers and turn as you gently pull? Otherwise you could cut the heads off the screws the plate will protect your paint then use the pliers on the screw shaft When you put the new ones on use the adhesive pads so no more screws I had to do this, but only for one side. I`ve got a screw in the other end of the plate. It was few years ago now so I can`t remember exactly but I might have levered the old plate out to hold the screw steady then unscrewed it. As another poster said, what should have been a really quick job took ages in the end, I found it really frustrating that Ford had used such a flimsy method of attaching the plate screw. Interestingly the first rear plate I had put on the black numbers / letters started fading within a year. The guy swapped the plate, but the second one is also fading, albeit a bit more slowly. The front (white) plate is fine though. Has anyone else had this problem ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Smith Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 18 hours ago, Philf1 said: Can you grip the heads with a pair of pliers and turn as you gently pull? Otherwise you could cut the heads off the screws the plate will protect your paint then use the pliers on the screw shaft When you put the new ones on use the adhesive pads so no more screws Bleedin` hell Phil, you don`t keep your cars long do you ! This made me think about the cars I`ve owned (since I had to run my own car) : Ford Escort 1.4L Mk4 estate : 1994 to 2000 Ford Escort Escort 1.8TD LX estate : 2000 to 2013 Ford Focus 1.6 Ghia estate : 2013 on And the only reason I sold the Escort I bought in 2000 (it was actually a 1997 model) was the dreaded rust..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRedman Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 I had this problem I sawn the head off with a hacksaw blade then drilled new holes in the boot to take self tappers 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philf1 Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Sticky plates on is fine best to use 3m tape which you can get on a roll if you get the plate level it should never move Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devonboy Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 In my part of the world stealing of number plates is rife. sticky fixers are the easiest target for thieves. I bought a set of oversize number plate fixing screws from eBay complete with the plastic surrounds for just £1.20 The screws are one way only so once in you cannot unscrew them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Smith Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 Why do people steal number plates ? What do they do with them ? Surely using them, in these days of ANPR cameras is asking for trouble ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney871 Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 They would only have to steal a couple of tanks of fuel or run a couple of speed cameras and they've got their use out of them.You can get tamper-proof plates that shatter and de-laminate if someone attempts to remove them.Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isetta Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 someone stole my dad's plates. I told him to tell the police so it was on record in case any come back from someone misuing them. he could not be bothered. luckily he never had any problems. Assuming the thief puts them on a car of same model and colour it could cause the original owner a lot of problems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert27 Posted April 13, 2017 Author Share Posted April 13, 2017 Thanks for all the tips. Will let you know how i get on.....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney871 Posted April 13, 2017 Share Posted April 13, 2017 someone stole my dad's plates. I told him to tell the police so it was on record in case any come back from someone misuing them. he could not be bothered. luckily he never had any problems. Assuming the thief puts them on a car of same model and colour it could cause the original owner a lot of problems That's called cloning and can cause all manner of heartache for the legitimate registered keeper.Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devonboy Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 On 13/04/2017 at 3:48 PM, Justin Smith said: Why do people steal number plates ? What do they do with them ? Surely using them, in these days of ANPR cameras is asking for trouble ? Good Morning, Please be aware of a relatively new crime trend in the Harlow area whereby suspects are stealing index plates from vehicles and then placing other stolen ones back on the vehicle. The latest offence occurred in the Markwell Wood area of Harlow whereby a VW Golf was targeted. The stolen plates were FR62 JKY so please remain vigilant and report any sightings via the 101 system. Also please just check when getting into your vehicles that your index is still correct. Kind Regards and Thanks for Reading, Harlow Community Policing Team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 5 hours ago, Devonboy said: Good Morning, Please be aware of a relatively new crime trend in the Harlow area whereby suspects are stealing index plates from vehicles and then placing other stolen ones back on the vehicle. The latest offence occurred in the Markwell Wood area of Harlow whereby a VW Golf was targeted. The stolen plates were FR62 JKY so please remain vigilant and report any sightings via the 101 system. Also please just check when getting into your vehicles that your index is still correct. Kind Regards and Thanks for Reading, Harlow Community Policing Team so just so im right, they are stealing the plates, the putting other stolen plates on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney871 Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 It's a way of incriminating someone else for their crimes.Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arwen Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Since when was your registration number known as your "index"?! Kinda glad i live in "the wilds" of Scotland now. Never known anyone to have had a number plate knicked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney871 Posted April 17, 2017 Share Posted April 17, 2017 'Index' is a Police term that is bleeding into general use due to the many 'fly on the wall' shows on tv nowadays.Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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