Q plate debate

[miketomcat]

This is in no way a dig at anyone. I've had kit cars on and off for 20 years and I often hear "i don't want a Q plate " or "a Q plate is more difficult to sell". So my question is why don't people want a Q plate? Now I can see it if you have a replica you don't want people to know it's not a real one. But any other car it means no one knows the age (my tomcat had an age related plate and it always just looked older than it was), it says look this is a kit car/home build and proud of it and it says look this is tested and legal. I intend to make sure I get a Q plate on my ibex so discuss tell me what you think.

Mike

[Bowie69]

I will just take pride in the fact that I have one of the few legal bobtails in the country when it is is all finished! And a Q will let people know that....

[miketomcat]

That's kind of my point I don't understand the stigma.

Mike

[Davedef90]

I thought Q plates were a thing of the past. Remember reading it somewhere, possibly here that they were being phased out.

[Daan]

qoute from the -landranger- saint:

I have a modified chassis and if that mean's a 'Q' plate, I will not be chasing an iva.

That statement says it all I suppose. The problem with the q is that, because people dont like them, they will be hard to sell on if you decide to. Why? because people dont like Q's! its a retoric circle basically. One good reason is that it removes about 90% of the potential insurers that want to touch it, I found to my expense.

I had this discussion with Peter best insurance (Who i believe are not to be trusted, send me a PM and I tell you why): they basically would not touch it, since I changed to a q-plate. My argument was that the car previously was illegal and they would happily insure it, and now it is legal, they wont touch it. no logic there.

Another reason is that you dont quite know why it is on a q-plate from the face of it: Is it because it was an insurance write off that has been repaired, or is it because it was stolen, had been given a false identity, and then recovered and legalized by putting the Q on? or is it because it is build up from more than one car?

I do agree with you, I am happy to run it, because if it comes to it the bad day that awkward questions are going to get asked, you know youre in the right.

Maybe because I am foreign and havent got the negative preconseption of a Q plate that I am happy with it. Most people rather drive an illegal motor than face up to the hassle. It appears to be the least popular subject of any forum or magazine, even just talking about it puts people off. I wont say anymore about it therefore, there is always the PM.

Daan

[miketomcat]

I guess it's harder for the modified land rover as daan points out to many unknowns but surely a kit car it's different just by being a kit limits the number of insurers and it's definitely made up of parts.

I would and have happily bought Q plate cars on the basis it has been checked rather than take pot luck. A correctly registered kit is worth more regardless of plate.

Mike

[Bushpig110]

Q plates have been phased out, you will now get an age related plate which depends on the parts you have used, hence why Gigglepin have challenge trucks on new reg because the truck started with a new chassis,

That said I can see nothing wrong with Q plates it is only other peoples perception and like most things that change in the motor industry is driven by the insurance companys, If they had there way cars and that means everything on the Uk roads would be factory standard

And that will be a very sad day if they ever win that fight

[miketomcat]

Q plates have been phased out

Not according to here:

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/q-registration-numbers

Plus they would have to replace Q with something else for the cars built from several others of different ages.

Mike

[FridgeFreezer]

I suspect most people who build/modify cars (esp. Land Rovers) don't want the inspectors looking too closely at their handiwork.

[dirtyninety]

Most insurance companys refuse to insure, or charge the earth to insure Q plated vehicles.

They won't insure me generally because im young (22) and a Q plates are high risk vehicles.

Atleast thats my experience when getting quotes for different vehicles.

[Pollywog]

Would DVLA allow a personalised registration to be transfered to a Q plated vehicle?

If vehicles are given Q plates or new registrations how does that effect the emissions tests at MOT time & for that matter taxation classes?

[Les Brock]

Q plates are non-transferable - ie Its a Q for life

Emmisions were based on the year of the manufacture of the engine and spec from the workshop manual - at least mine was

[smallfry]

I think its because a Q plated vehicle has a questionable past in the eyes of most people.

I am NOT talking about proper kit cars.................although again even with them a Q still has a certain stigma.

A car could have been a write off, stolen recovered, badly repaired, built from odd bits (Land Rover ) have bad workmanship, and outright bodges, stolen parts etc etc...............there no way the ordinary man in street is going to know, and he or she certainly ISNT going to lay out good money for it.

On the other hand, any vehicle with its original/age related/personal number, even if its obviously heavily modified, is just that. An modified vehicle with a value mostly relating to its "percieved" age.

I believe that this is why they are so hard to insure too. Its hard to put a value on AND its them who are going to have to take the risk on your possibly dodgy modifications and workmanship.

Example. If someone like Overfinch modify a vehicle, it has a percieved value. If you were to do EXACTLY the same in your garage at home, using EXACTLY the same parts, and possibly even BETTER workmanship, what would it be worth in the eyes of a prospective buyer ?

Probably not even half...............................

Same goes for the insurance companies.

[miketomcat]

But that's the point if it has a Q it has been inspected by VOSA/DVLA and it won't have stolen parts as they check that as best they can (though it maybe stolen and recovered and rebuilt). I think your more likely to get all of the above on a normally registered truck. Just take a look at the pages and pages on the pass the bucket thread when was the last time you saw a Q plate on there.

Mike

[CwazyWabbit]

I think you are perfectly right Mike however the majority of insurance companies don't want to go to the extra effort of actually working out what they are insuring, if it's not on the handy drop down list it's too much trouble for them to bother.

Also the general public are no doubt scared of the thought of buying a car built by 'some bloke in his garage' and I would imagine have no idea of the degree of scrutiny it has undergone to allow it to have a Q plate.

The pass the bucket thread is a great example of poor .... erm... 'craftmanship' ...... and I wouldn't be massively surprised if the uneducated masses incorrectly assumed that all Q plates were like the non Q-plates in that thread.

So Q plates are stigmatised through laziness and poor education, both traits you couldn't accuse their owners of having

[UdderlyOffroad]

So Q plates are stigmatised through laziness and poor education, both traits you couldn't accuse their owners of having

This. Like/+1/retweet/hashtag getalifeMatt

So I guess, if you're planning on keeping the truck for the forseeable, it comes down to finding an insurance company who knows what they're talking about?

In other words, this debate is only really relevant if you plan to sell it? "My truck, I'll do what I (legally) like!"

[mickeyw]

I always felt it came down to high insurance premiums/difficult to get cover etc, only because as said above, so many insurers can't be bothered with a little extra effort to understand what the owner has.

I am under the impression that Q plates are only required when there is no clear single vehicle identity that the majority of components originated from. In the case of current builds with chassis mods etc, when an IVA may be required, it's still possible for a non Q-plate to be used. Say for instance where someone bobtails a truck, changes the WB, body type etc, it can still be based on one single vehicle.

Agreed that a Q would mean it's been checked out by VOSA (at some point), but that doesn't mean it hsan't been fiddled with since. Of course any inspection probably has dated paperwork (same as an IVA) that will give potential buyers a guide to how valid it may still be.

[miketomcat]

I've never had trouble with insurers but then all my Q plates have been kits so I guess I'm limited to a handful of companies. Having said that they are the same companies that will touch modified vehicles as most insurers won't even think about mods.

Your right a Q is only issued if the points don't add up so in my tomcats case 1 donor so original plate if the chassis is unmodified or age related if you use a different new or altered original chassis or some not all of your running gear is from else where. If you use running gear from random sources or a second hand chassis you get a Q. The only other reason for a Q is if for some reason they can't trace the age of a standard vehicle this used to happen with ex military or grey imports but is very rare now as they can normally workout the age of these.

Mike

[Bowie69]

OK, maybe now I am thinking I don't qualify for a Q, it is all essentially the same vehicle, just with a P38 lump and 15" off the back. Things change I suppose, and it was a couple of years ago when I first looked into it.

[Aragorn]

The DVLAs INF26 info sheet states a modified chassis gets a Q.

Some intersting points here:

http://www.the-ace.org.uk/chassis-and-monocoque-modification/

Seems like according to that, engine mounts are "free" and dont count as a modified chassis which is handy. It also reads like removing or adding non structural things like body mounts is also allowed?