Possibly not related to the fabia section but I don't use any other part of the forum and its being transfers onto a skoda...? (Feel free to move it to its correct home if it has one)

Anyway... I'm after some advice. I have a 1992 ford escort xr3i, it's sat in storage for the past 8 year or so due to it needing work. Now has come the time for it get scrapped... Only downside is I have a private plate on the car, only a 5 character one also ands is valued around £800. It seems a shame to let the plate go and get scrapped!

How can I remove the plate? It's got no tax or mot and hasn't for well... 8 year or so!

Car needs a MOT to remove the plate iirc.

If you have the v5 youll be able to put the reg on retention or onto another car, best to go to your local dvla office or have a look online

If you have the v5 youll be able to put the reg on retention or onto another car, best to go to your local dvla office or have a look online

Not without an MOT for the car the plate is on.

If the donor is scrap the repairs will probably cost more than the plate is worth.

God knows what it would need for an mot...

4 tyres

Brakes front and back

Brake lines...

Brake cable

Throttle cable

A new battery...! The list is pretty endless.

So without an mot it's pretty impossible to remove its private plate.

Thought that was the case. I'm sure iv read people restoring the strangest of things just to removed a plate worth thousands from it.

Hmm, so I've heard people getting dodgy mot's "wink wink" and all that....

If I got it mot'd is that all it would take to remove the plate?

So without an mot it's pretty impossible to remove its private plate.

Unless you know an MOT tester willing to risk everthing, yes.

Because they do spot check old cars not on the road for a while that get an MOT to have the plate taken off.

I wouldn't consider it.

The MOT rule is so all the old scrappers lose thier plates, thereby allowing the DVLA to reissue them and auction them off for millions.

Scrap value about £150..

Might eBay it then, car with private plate fitted... Might be worth something to someone!

A lot of value in the car really, just don't have the time to strip parts and mess about for the sake of a few hundred quid, very easy to make a phone call and have someone take it away within an hour and the cash in my hands!

The MOT only proves someone is prepared to say the car was in suitable condition on the day to pass the test. If your just MOT'ing it to transfer a plate then a week later you strip it to refurb DVLA haven't got a leg to stand on. It doesn't need to be roadworthy to transfer a plate, just have a bit of paper to say it was on a specific day if you see what I'm saying.

I'm with you, thanks for the advice.

I wouldn't treat the DVLA as idiots, because the inspectors are not.

But that's just my opinion.

For reasons I can't really post about it's safe to say at least some of the inspectors are totally incompetent.

Swansea and the regional offices are no better, they issued a family members private plate twice and then refused to deal with the error. Now if DVLA won't deal with a V5 they issued relating to a cherished plate they sold on a car they allowed to have the plate transferred onto that someone has had in continuos use for a decade that DVLA provided a dealer with the tax disc for then who does? If that didn't make you laugh they then told her she would be fined for having an untaxed car if it wasn't SORN or taxed by the end of the month.

For reasons I can't really post about it's safe to say at least some of the inspectors are totally incompetent.

Swansea and the regional offices are no better, they issued a family members private plate twice and then refused to deal with the error. Now if DVLA won't deal with a V5 they issued relating to a cherished plate they sold on a car they allowed to have the plate transferred onto that someone has had in continuos use for a decade that DVLA provided a dealer with the tax disc for then who does? If that didn't make you laugh they then told her she would be fined for having an untaxed car if it wasn't SORN or taxed by the end of the month.

'Big Cough' Computer says no! (rings a bell) they are complete tools when it comes to a bit of common sense.

Not that i'm advocating breaking the law but im sure if you explained the situation to a couple of MOT Test stations one of them will take the bait and issue you with a certificate as long as you give them your word it will be SORN off road the next day and scrapped. As long as it passes emissions test then they could effectively say all the stuff that you know is wrong with the car failed the day after they inspected it. Its not endangering anyone's lives if you never drive it. I don't see the harm personally and why should you lose your Number Plate just because they invent some ridiculous rule that should have no bearing on the transfer process.

I can't understand why you just can't put it on retention if you pay the fee

and then just scrap the car... Some rules are stupid.

I can't understand why you just can't put it on retention if you pay the fee

and then just scrap the car... Some rules are stupid.

As I touched on above Gary, if you could do this all the scrap yards would have retained all the old reg numbers of cars they crushed.

The propper private ones that show no age, not the cheapo ones like W28ALR if your initials are ALR you put on your car to make it look older.

This would have meant they wouldn't have all gone back to the government, which now sells them off in DVLA auctions for millions of pounds every year.

It would have devalued the private reg industry and reduced government income.

Limiting the supply increases the value of those available and creates a market for the DVLA to sell recycled ones to.

Asked a few people, seems £50 gets you an mot without seing the car. Hah.

Not that I've gone ahead with it yet due to reading the car also needs to be taxed!

Good luck.

You might have had a valuation of £800 suggested by an internet registration mark site - but that doesn't mean it's worth that - and in the end it's only really worth whatever someone might buy it for. At least ring around 3 or 4 different ones and check out what they suggest.

Have you tried putting into a site such as Euro Car Parts and seen what the DVLA database suggests it's on. You might find it's already on another car!

Asked a few people, seems £50 gets you an mot without seing the car. Hah.

Not that I've gone ahead with it yet due to reading the car also needs to be taxed!

Buy 6 months, sell back 5 months. Job done. Cost about £10-£20 I guess, depending on tax rates.

To get tax you'll need insurance as well. DVLA will query why it has not been taxed for years, especially I guess because it has not been SORN. They could possibly fine you for not being sorn / taxed backdated to when the last tax expired.

Ah, forgot the need for insurance. Sorry!

It's only been out of use for 8 years, so presumably it's been SORN?

Edited 10 January, 201313 yr by booke23

Sorry not sure if I mentiond it but its sorn and has been since I purchased it.

Yeah it's not worth taxing, insuring and getting a dodgy mot over a few hundred quid. Spoke to a few people and it seems breaking for parts for a few weeks to get the best value then scrapping it would get the most value from the car. The xr3i engines seem quite popular with rally series's so someone might want it for a project.