The new news 24 thread

[lesapandre]

Grauniad article this morning on "cloning" of number plates.

Not sure what they are on about really - yes a lot of people replace plates because they get damaged, are a MoT requirement, a cherished plate change, nicked, and to tidy a vehicle up or the like.

Usual hysteria comprising nuns and puppies - and seeding into the media usually indicates government is considering changes - I'd hazard charges relating to change of ownership etc. We'll see.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/02/cloned-number-plates-investigation

[IronStar]

35 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Grauniad article this morning on "cloning" of number plates.

Not sure what they are on about really - yes a lot of people replace plates because they get damaged, are a MoT requirement, a cherished plate change, nicked, and to tidy a vehicle up or the like.

Usual hysteria comprising nuns and puppies - and seeding into the media usually indicates government is considering changes - I'd hazard charges relating to change of ownership etc. We'll see.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/02/cloned-number-plates-investigation

To be fair, I always found it shocking that you guys can just order plates off a random internet supplier, and not have them issued by a government body. Not to mention that you still run different plate types and fonts.

Our plates have multiple watermarks on them to prevent cloning, and it will be very painful and costly traffic stop if you tamper with them. 

[Kiltox]

55 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Grauniad article this morning on "cloning" of number plates.

Not sure what they are on about really - yes a lot of people replace plates because they get damaged, are a MoT requirement, a cherished plate change, nicked, and to tidy a vehicle up or the like.

Usual hysteria comprising nuns and puppies - and seeding into the media usually indicates government is considering changes - I'd hazard charges relating to change of ownership etc. We'll see.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/02/cloned-number-plates-investigation

There is basically no control over the supply of plates though, they do have a point. 

You can order plates online with no documents yet it’ll be a RNPS registered supplier that’ll make and deliver them, completely ignoring the rules they’re supposed to follow. 

[mk2_craig]

Currently losing my shit over this photo that my mate sent to me. I have no idea when it was taken (I suppose it could be any time after about 1991) 

[Split_Pin]

8 minutes ago, mk2_craig said:

Currently losing my shit over this photo that my mate sent to me. I have no idea when it was taken (I suppose it could be any time after about 1991) 

@MattJY to the pear-shaped courtesy phone please.

[paulplom]

Clio with a boot. Merc with no cills and the most beaten up road 'legal' car I've ever seen.

[Cord Fourteener]

Oops it's been a while!

Happly driving the ex @ruffgeezer 2002 V70 diesel manual and generally giving it an honest work life, just crossed 380,000 miles and it looks like the clutch is on its way out 😒

That plus a list of other niggles seems to make acquiring another seems like the financially better idea. 

740 is still good though, it's having some electrical and general specialist bodgery done at a garage but it's otherwise good to take up duties again. 

[ruffgeezer]

2 hours ago, Cord Fourteener said:

Oops it's been a while!

Happly driving the ex @ruffgeezer 2002 V70 diesel manual and generally giving it an honest work life, just crossed 380,000 miles and it looks like the clutch is on its way out 😒

That plus a list of other niggles seems to make acquiring another seems like the financially better idea. 

740 is still good though, it's having some electrical and general specialist bodgery done at a garage but it's otherwise good to take up duties again. 

Oh no, don't tell me that. 😪 

I don't have the space for heroics just now!

 

[artdjones]

5 hours ago, IronStar said:

To be fair, I always found it shocking that you guys can just order plates off a random internet supplier, and not have them issued by a government body. Not to mention that you still run different plate types and fonts.

Our plates have multiple watermarks on them to prevent cloning, and it will be very painful and costly traffic stop if you tamper with them. 

I'm not having a go at any particular country, but the ones that have complicated regulations on everyday activities don't seem to be any safer than the ones that don't.

[Cord Fourteener]

5 minutes ago, ruffgeezer said:

Oh no, don't tell me that. 😪 

I don't have the space for heroics just now!

 

I've had the best part of 3 years, doing 12 or 14k miles per year, daily trailer towing, family and band lugging, brutal short journeys with long distance in-between with little more than normal service stuff needed. 

So I won't be asking my money back 😅

It's done me proud in fact and I'll be search for another one.

[EyesWeldedShut]

11 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Grauniad article this morning on "cloning" of number plates.

The Gruniad is excelling itself (yet again?) with a totally muddled article - like you, I'm not sure at all what the point of the piece actually is?
Interested as I bought a set of plates last night with 'just' a photo of my driving licence and an electronic number plate authorisation certificate (eV948) No V5C. Looks like I was engaging with a crim? Best I surrender myself immediately

Being bored (i.e. procrastinating (yet again)) I went looking:
The original PMB is about 'ghost' plates : https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025-02-26/debates/7F6C2456-05E7-417B-BE9B-7DBA395BFEF5/VehicleRegistrationOffences(Review) Makes no mention of cloning but maybe they're going to whang in some more verbiage for the second reading (11th July) on the manufacture of plates?

The Gruniad suggest that the new submission includes : 

"Dr Michael Rhead, who has advised government bodies on the effective use of surveillance technologies in policing, approached registered suppliers and found more than 135 that were willing to provide plates without proof of car ownership, it is said."

“There is no vetting, no trading history requirement and no monitoring of members’ practices .... To date we have found over 135 DVLA-registered RNPS members nationally who were prepared to make cloned plates … and there will undoubtedly be more. One West Midlands criminal had recently supplied over 7,000 plates to the criminal underworld.”

Mr Big (the 7,000 plates guy) was not a RNPS member.  7,000 is a police 'estimate' - he was convicted on something like 320 (I think)
Also, being Devil's Advocate, - Dr Rhead's findings may be true but there's no requirement in law to prove you actually own the car -  ID + an entitlement to the number itself is sufficient, so, by that mark, 100% of the suppliers may be willing to supply plates without proof of car ownership?


 

 

 

[ruffgeezer]

4 hours ago, Cord Fourteener said:

I've had the best part of 3 years, doing 12 or 14k miles per year, daily trailer towing, family and band lugging, brutal short journeys with long distance in-between with little more than normal service stuff needed. 

So I won't be asking my money back 😅

It's done me proud in fact and I'll be search for another one.

It might be worth getting a proce from my mate Lee at LD auto services near Wrexham, he's a good lad, I'll dig his number up if you like.

[hairnet]

On 01/06/2025 at 21:47, Lord Sterling said:

 

 

maureen

extract digit

[Lord Sterling]

1 minute ago, hairnet said:

maureen

extract digit

vera

interact digit

[hairnet]

16 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

vera

interact digit

i have a friend who would be up for that but rover needs a friend

'i could be a friend to you......'

boggs might like rovers

 

[Cord Fourteener]

8 hours ago, ruffgeezer said:

It might be worth getting a proce from my mate Lee at LD auto services near Wrexham, he's a good lad, I'll dig his number up if you like.

Yes OK, worth a try, thanks!

[dollywobbler]

Eight years ago! This is why we generally leave catering to the Scotoshite Volvo Massive...

[loserone]

Ooh, whose was the Mégane coupé?

[dollywobbler]

Just now, loserone said:

Ooh, whose was the Mégane coupé?

I'm so old I can't remember. Was it Julian's? I mean, I only filmed it...

[Rustybullethole]

A light drizzle this morning though still good to give the paddock a hair cut after no mow May (any excuse to leave it be). Started to get a bit heavier though mowing fine so carried on. Whilst it's out i'll do a bit more and a bit more like you do. Just started on the edges of the drive (always do the first bits people see for maximum employee points) and ran out of petrol. It then turned into a monsoon.

Ship abandoned. 

[wuvvum]

Just had my insurance renewal through.  It's more than doubled since last year.  Which isn't entirely unexpected as I've had two accidents (although only one was my fault), but it means that realistically it's no longer affordable.  And it's not the sort of policy where I can just go online and compare meerkats to find a cheaper option.  So looks like it might be the end of an era.

This may not be a bad thing as I spend far too much time and money buggering around with cars and a reduced fleet would be more sensible, but I'm going to need to decide what I'm going to keep and how I'm going to insure it.  With no NCB and an at fault accident on my record premiums are going to go up anyway, although on the plus side I have a clean licence, I'm middle-aged and I live in a low risk area.

It also means of course that I'm going to have to sell lots of vehicles fairly quickly, which is probably going to be a tall order given that I'm just barely managing to sell a few vehicles very slowly.  I can probably get away with SORNing them and dumping them on the car park for a month or two, but test drives for potential buyers would then become rather awkward.

Harrumph.

[Split_Pin]

12 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Just had my insurance renewal through.  It's more than doubled since last year.  Which isn't entirely unexpected as I've had two accidents (although only one was my fault), but it means that realistically it's no longer affordable.  And it's not the sort of policy where I can just go online and compare meerkats to find a cheaper option.  So looks like it might be the end of an era.

This may not be a bad thing as I spend far too much time and money buggering around with cars and a reduced fleet would be more sensible, but I'm going to need to decide what I'm going to keep and how I'm going to insure it.  With no NCB and an at fault accident on my record premiums are going to go up anyway, although on the plus side I have a clean licence, I'm middle-aged and I live in a low risk area.

It also means of course that I'm going to have to sell lots of vehicles fairly quickly, which is probably going to be a tall order given that I'm just barely managing to sell a few vehicles very slowly.  I can probably get away with SORNing them and dumping them on the car park for a month or two, but test drives for potential buyers would then become rather awkward.

Harrumph.

One of my biggest automotive fears as well, whether it be through speeding or an accident that's my fault , it happens.

How long does an accident stay in record - 5 years? 

[Rust Collector]

Sorry to hear that @wuvvum. I was in a similar situation after I buried the Insight into a Hyundai; I couldn’t afford to insure everything anymore and I ended up just insuring 2-3 cars maximum based on what was useful to run for me and my partner.

It was gutting and I did feel like my time playing with cars was over, but I found that after about 6 months the prices I was getting quoted started to become more sensible again.

[richardmorris]

[wuvvum]

Ooh, is @Six-cylinder branching out into the funeral business?

[Six-cylinder]

2 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Eight years ago! This is why we generally leave catering to the Scotoshite Volvo Massive...

Oh yes, breakfast with the Scotoshite Volvo Massive, so tasty.

[reb]

👀 

Which particular scottish turquoise 850 is this I wonder 

[busmansholiday]

In June 2025, the UK is implementing changes to driving license weight limits, allowing holders of a standard category B (car) license to drive electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles with a maximum authorized mass (MAM) of up to 4,250kg. This increase from the usual 3,500kg limit for petrol and diesel vehicles will apply to various vehicle types usually driven on a category B license, including cars, SUVs, vans, and small trucks. 

 

Key Changes:

• Increased MAM for Zero-Emission Vehicles:

  Holders of a category B license can now drive electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles with an MAM of up to 4,250kg. 

   
• All Vehicle Types Covered:

  The increased weight limit applies to all vehicles that can normally be driven on a category B license, not just goods vehicles. 

   
• No Additional Training:

  The previous requirement for five hours of additional training for drivers of zero-emission vehicles up to 4,250kg has been removed. 

   
• Towing Allowed:

  Drivers can tow a trailer with an electric or hydrogen-powered vehicle up to 4,250kg, as long as the combined weight of the vehicle and trailer does not exceed 7,000kg. 

   

Impact of the Changes:

These changes are expected to benefit individuals and businesses who use electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles, allowing them to drive heavier vehicles without needing to upgrade their licenses. The removal of the training requirement and the inclusion of towing allowances further simplifies the process. 

[Split_Pin]

MOT pass for the ex Northernmonkey A4

Needs the front wheels swapping to the back as those tyres are new.

Just as well as Mrs_Pin is driving the 75 and the interior is getting a bit damp in places as both sunroof drains are blocked solid at the bottom end, despite me cutting the duck bills off to ease flow a few years ago. I'll need to get the arch liners off to unblock them from the bottom.

[BorniteIdentity]

4 hours ago, wuvvum said:

It also means of course that I'm going to have to sell lots of vehicles fairly quickly, which is probably going to be a tall order given that I'm just barely managing to sell a few vehicles very slowly. 

Stuff is very much selling in the real world, on the open market, away from weirdos who already have too many cars.

On the last page of this very thread was an article about record lows of new cars being manufactured.  Anecdotally, I see more and more people running older cars these days and just keeping them running which warms my cold dead heart.  

If you've got anything that's under 20 years old with a nice long ticket you WILL sell it.  

As for a smaller fleet? I'm now running just three cars for the first time in 10 years and I still ponder about flogging the Sierra and buying a van instead.  My head is a lot clearer and it won't be long until my finances either improve or I end up buying another hopeless old nail and setting myself back five years.  

Good luck man.  Less can definitely be more.