License plates

[pflaming]

  If the records prove this plate came with the car, since I only have the one, will DMV require I get a new pair?   And if they do, I wonder if I can use these numbers and letters on a personalized set? 

Edited August 11, 2019 by pflaming

[Plymouthy Adams]

call your local DMV tomorrow when they open up and get the straight skinny on what can or cannot be done and know the information you have received is current and correct.

[pflaming]

I agree. The plate says 1975, but the true year is 4413. I think that is March 4, 2013.

[desoto1939]

It all depends on how each state handle antique cars and the registration. In PA you can use a year of manufacture plate on your antique. But you first must purchase the regular Antique plate and then pay an additional $75 to register the Year of Manufacture Plate. Also note that most states used a two plate system and then went to a single plate system.

 

So if you have a year of Manufacture plate and not both plates then someone else might have already registered their car with the other plate that matches yours. If this happens then you can not use your plate.

 

Also you would be reguired to have the regular antique plate in the truck of your car. In Pa the regular antique plate is good for life and you own the plate so the cost of paying extra for a YOM plate is not worth the extra money for me. I have a YOM plate on the front bumper and the regular antique plate on the rear of the car and this works just fine for me. The front plate informs people at car shows what year the car was manufactured and it did not cost me anything else except the cost for the plate.

 

Rich HArtung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[Frank Elder]

1 hour ago, pflaming said:

I agree. The plate says 1975, but the true year is 4413. I think that is March 4, 2013.

Are calendar are You using ? 

[pflaming]

Oh, 4 is April, we are a month behind you. LOL

[James_Douglas]

I have been through this more times that I want to remember. In California here is the issues:

 

1. The local CA-DMV offices know nothing. In fact they know less than nothing when it comes to the old plates or transfering and registering old cars.  They get it wrong about 90% of the time. Do not call them or go see them unless you have talked to the SPU. See item #4 below. The SPU IS THE FINAL AUTHORITY ON ALL TRANSFER, REGISTRATION, AND PLATE ISSUES IN CALIFORNIA. All DMV offices have to defer to them.

 

2. About 10 years ago CA-DMV sent to the garbage heap all the old records of the cars. Due to that actress that got killed 25 years ago and the state legislature prohibiting the CA-DMV from giving out personal information from its records, they had no reason and no financial incentive to hang onto the records. All they will tell you is if that plate is currently registered to a car.  If the car has been out of the system for more than about 5 years, they will not have anything on it.

 

3. You MUST have two plates. (1946 CA cars only had one).

 

4. Call the CA-DMV special processing unit in Sacramento if you can get anyone to answer the phone. The last number I had for them is (916) 657-8035, it may be good or not.

 

5. If you really want to run that plate, Go to the local DMV and see if you can get that as a "NEW" black specialized plate. Just run one old one with one of the new ones. Even a CHP would probably not notice. Of course you can always get a set of old orange plates and use them under the YOM (Year of Manufacture program) if you want for a 1953 car.

 

6. Under no circumstance take an old pate to the CA-DMV and hand it to them. You will never see it again.

 

7. Read and understand item #1. Then read it again!

 

Good luck, James

 

 

Edited August 12, 2019 by James_Douglas

[TodFitch]

53 minutes ago, James_Douglas said:

I have been through this more times that I want to remember. In California here is the issues:

. . .

 

 

Wow! My one experience was much less painful than that. But that was back in '98 or '99 and a whole generation of DMV clerks have come and gone since then.

[Skrambler]

Nothing can worse than the Pennsylvania DMV, nothing. Living in a "Commonwealth" is a disaster. Or, should it be named an "Uncommonly Wealthy". Good luck!

[Cold Blue]

Registering a YOM plate here in Tennessee is a piece of cake. I got a pair of restored 1948 Tennessee plates from a member. I had an "antique auto" plate on my car. I simply took the antique auto plate to the vehicle registration office in my city, along with the pair of 48 plates, told them I wanted to use them on my car. They searched their records for that plate number, found none, and then voided the antique auto plates and registered my car using the '48 plates number. I paid an $81 fee, and Viola! All done in about 20 minutes. The '48 plates are beautiful on my car and are the period correct yellow background color to boot. And only one plate is required; I have two, but it is on display on the wall of my garage.

[Sharps40]

NC is easy.   Go get a NC YOM plate.   Go get a real plate from the DMV with your title and registration.   Stick the real plate with current registration in the glove box.   Put the NC YOM plate on the back of the car.   Go drive.!!!!  Show the real plate from the glove box if you get stopped.

[pflaming]

An acquaintance drove into rural bait shop and was immediately surrounded by sheriffs deputies, etc. thy asked for everything and when he was finally allowed to ask a question, he asked “Why? “. The took him to his rear license plate.and asked why it had been altered.

 

He was unaware of it and it took a while to sort out that his bro in law altered it as a JOKE, 

 

some joke! 

[Adam H P15 D30]

Never underestimate how stupid and unhelpful the CA DMV is. James hit the nail on the head!

Paul- you may have better luck since you go to a more rural DMV. When I have DMV dealings I do it in Sonora because the Bay Area DMVs are the worst!

better off with new black plates. 

 

Adam

[Worden18]

Put whatever damn plate you want on your car.  The cops won't even notice ?

[Plymouthy Adams]

29 minutes ago, Worden18 said:

Put whatever damn plate you want on your car.  The cops won't even notice ?

 

and on that advice you should provide your drivers license number and address to send the fine to you on the event     'they do take notice'

[Plymouthy Adams]

now for the real question....this day even now on the west coast has slipped into the period of time that business hours for most government offices are closed.  Please tell me you did not waste a day by not making an inquiry.  

[Young Ed]

41 minutes ago, Worden18 said:

Put whatever damn plate you want on your car.  The cops won't even notice ?

probably works where you live. We've gotten away with real plate on the back and vintage plate on the front for many years.

[T120]

The nine most terrifying words in the English language....?

[Pete]

Last summer I was coming home from a 7 day old car tour. Along the way my brake lights stopped working. I made it to within 2 miles of my house when a sheriff's car pulled me over. I figured he noticed the brake lights. Nope, he wanted to know about my YOM plate.

 

These plates are legal in Vermont and easy to get. The cop had never heard of it before. I had the current plate and registration in the car as required. I also had a printout of the Vermont statute on YOM plates -- a nice and helpful (yes, nice and helpful) guy at the DMV advised me to carry it as "someday you'll run across a cop who doesn't know the law."

 

So I showed all that to the cop and he let me go and thanked me saying, "You saved me a lot of time. I would have had to look through a book 3 or 4 inches thick trying to find that." He never mentioned the brake lights.

 

Pete

 

[Adam H P15 D30]

12 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

now for the real question....this day even now on the west coast has slipped into the period of time that business hours for most government offices are closed.  Please tell me you did not waste a day by not making an inquiry.  

Calling the CA DMV is a serious time commitment starting with the 1-2 hour hold time before you even talk to a human. Then the information you get will be incorrect running you in circles. I would try AAA first. 

[Plymouthy Adams]

wow......find it very hard pill to swallow to pay taxes for a government entity that does not serve the public well if at all and forces an individual to go to an outsourced third party for help and assistance...

[Adam H P15 D30]

3 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

wow......find it very hard pill to swallow to pay taxes for a government entity that does not serve the public well if at all and forces an individual to go to an outsourced third party for help and assistance...

Yes, that’s the way CA works now. 

[Pete]

In Vermont if you do a cold call to the DMV, you will likely get connected to an incarcerated prisoner. The last (and only) time I did this was, ironically, about YOM plates. The call was taken by a female prisoner. I explained my question. She said, hold on let ask a few of the other girls. I was on hold a while. She came back and said, none of them have ever heard of that either [click].

 

So now I drive the 2 hours to the state capital. They have all been knowledgeable, helpful, polite, and occasionally even fun to deal with. Please don't anybody tell them that they work for the government.

 

Pete

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

long before the state I previously lived in got at the counter print out of new titles..I pretty much got some of the same run around back in 1976.  I also took a 1.5 hour drive to the state office at the captiol, walked in with my documentation....walked out 15 minutes later with a title....the car was fresh in from Ethiopia.  

[pflaming]

I just confirmed an appointment for next week. Tuesday, the 20 th for an informational visit to discover what they will require. That way I know what to collect.

 

stay tuned, TBC.