Having read the "ideal Sierra Donor" post and having my idea of buying a 4x4 estate poo pooed. Can you guy's tell me the advantages/disadvantages of Q plates and AGE related plates pls.

I have heard rumors that Q plates are...well.....considered.........pants!?

Should I source the individual parts or stick with the donor. I want LSD 3.62 diff. Discs all round. I have ZX9 E1 engine and reverse gearbox.

So what do you think?

Age-related plates are sometimes regarded to give the vehicle a better resale value as Q imples to some people 'cobbled together' (I don't know if this is true or not) and they allow you to change to a personal plate if you choose. That said, an age-related plate can make the vehicle look older than it really is, the best option is probably to change the plate for a cheap dateless one if you don't want the plate to imply the car is old.

Q plates cannot be changed for personal ones, but have the advantage that you only have to pass a 'visible smoke' emissions test at MOT. You still have to pass the appropriate age-related emissions test at SVA though.

[Edited on 14/3/07 by matt_claydon]

You can't see the number plates when you are driving, so I guess it doesn't really matter!

When I took my car to the local DVLA office to be "inspected" it was raining and the car was up on a trailer. Woman came out to the car park, glanced at the car, asked me to take the bonnet off, she got me to read her the engine no and vin no, which she checked against the paper work. Then she went back inside.

No way could she tell that my steering rack came from the same Sierra as my diff from that 2 minute inspection. It was all down to the paperwork, rather than actually checking the car.

As long as you tell them it all came off one Sierra, with a V5, and a vin plate to back it up you'll probably end up with an age related plate (in my experience).

HTH

Mike

I grew up thinking that all cars with a 'Q' plate were stolen vehicles which had been written off by the insurance co. and had been consequently recovered and re-registered. When I became interested in building a kit, some simple research dispelled that myth but the stigma (call it what you will) is still there.

With regard to MOT, there is no advantage of having a Q plate as opposed to having an age related plate prior to 1st August 1998 or 'S' registered as all these vehicles get a visual smoke test.

Phil

Same here go for age related, My engine didn;t come from my doner and the chassis was bought new hubs gear box diff and steering is all you need.

again 2 minute inspection - guy was more woried about the engine number than anything else and that it match paper work provided.

I had to explain that my engine was not the one submitted with the vosa docs as it siezed before test - no worries VOSA & inspectorate aren;t that bad a bunch.

having a "Q" plate on a normal road going tin top car is a definite disadvantage and will effect its market value, but having a "Q" plate on a kit car doesnt really have any effect as you are not trying to disguise anything its obvious that its built of parts and is a kit.

Wether right or wrong, people assume an amateur built car on a Q and a professional build on a normal reg.
They often assume that the Q will be made of several cars and therefore "cobbled" together.
It is a perception widely held.

[Edited on 14/3/2007 by nitram38]

i'd actually prefer a Q plate, gives a kind of mystery about the car

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Originally posted by blakep82
i'd actually prefer a Q plate, gives a kind of mystery about the car

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I've never been called smart before :p

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Originally posted by nitram38

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Originally posted by blakep82
i'd actually prefer a Q plate, gives a kind of mystery about the car

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Like how many different cars it is made of?

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My car has a diff from an XR4x4 with fron hubs and axles from a 2.0i. The engine is off an R1 and other bits and pieces are from elsewhere. The correct registration is a Q plate, which I have.

I could easily have lied, found a V5 from any old car and passed it off as something else, getting me a G or H plate. I didn't really see any advantage of doing this. Maybe a few ill-informed buyers would be less likely to buy my car off me, but I'm not planning on selling.

I am going for a Q plate, for the plain and simple reason that its so much hassle to get an age related one. Couple that with the advantages come MOT time with a Q plate, then it made sense to me.

David

I pondered this when I bought mine car.

In the end I decided unless I plan to sell it is probably snobbery or misguided view that dictates a Non-Q plate.

I decided that it's the driving experience that matters so I got a Q. The MOT benefits are worth having as it's one less thing to worry about.

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Originally posted by TangoMan

I decided that it's the driving experience that matters so I got a Q.

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what's different about the MOT?

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Originally posted by blakep82
what's different about the MOT?

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thought thats what it was

Thanks guys

So Q's not all bad to those in the know. And I guess thats all that matter!

If I were to spot a cheap Donor Which one has the 3.62 LSD Diff, all 4x4's?

i wanted a Q plate as it never ages and all the other stuff about mot's.i think the 2.0l xr4x4 has a 3.9 diff and the 2.8l and 2.9l has the 3.6

[Edited on 14/3/07 by OX]

OK then Calvinx, font of all knowledge. Your vehicle is on a 'Q' plate, ours has an 'F' prefix. EXACTLY what advantages will your vehicle have at MOT, that ours won't have. As you are an ex MOT tester and ex UK VOSA tester, please give me a list of the advantages...........

Phil

I'm going for a Q plate. I've got a 2001 Carb'ed R1 engine. I know I've got to tweak it for emissions at SVA time but after that I can forget about emissions altogether. No mucking around at MOT time hoping it'll get through.

Please read the text in BOLD regarding MOT Emissions Testing.

The MOT tester will take the age of the vehicle from the registration plate and also assume that this is the date on which it was first used.

A - If your car has an AGE-RELATED plate he’ll assume that the engine is the same age as the plate and do the test accordingly. However, if your age-related plate refers to pre-Aug 1998 (‘S’ Prefix) you will continue to get the visible smoke test for the life of the vehicle REGARDLESS of the age of the engine. Remember though that this does NOT include PERSONALISED plates as in this case the vehicle will continue to be tested according to its age and NOT the vehicle registration number.

B - If your vehicle has a CURRENT/NEW plate or one that is after 1st August 1998, you will get a ‘basic’ emissions test, which is a basic check conducted to set limits carried out BEFORE the ‘CAT’ test. If you pass, GREAT. If you fail though you’ll be subject to a full ‘by-the-book’ CAT test, plus remember that if you fail this you’ll also fail the MOT. Of course there are plenty of CURRENT/NEW registered kits running around with reconditioned engines so in this instance you will have to prove the age of the engine to the MOT tester. Ideally you should have a copy of your SVA MAC ‘pass’ certificate, which will be sufficient. Otherwise you will have to get a letter from the engines manufacturer stating clearly what year the engine was made.

C - Cars with a ‘Q’ plate are regarded as being of uncertain age so therefore will continue to be subject to the visible smoke test.

Phil

Hellfire, that info is actually wrong,although the rules are confusing to say the least and MOT testers may not interpret them properly. To quote from VOSA MOT documentation:

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For emissions purposes only, kit cars and amateur built vehicles first used before 1 August 1998 and Wankel rotary engined vehicles first used before 1 August 1987 are to be considered first used before 1 August 1975. Kit cars and amateur built vehicles first used on or after 1 August 1998 ("S" reg) are required to obtain Single Vehicle Approval and should be tested to the limits stated on the registration document.

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And to that end I am very confused!!!

I have a V5 and the donor. However all thats been used from the donor are diff, front and rear hubs, steering column and for SVA steering wheel. Half shafts are refurbed, front uprights are fabricated and engine/gearbox are from a Hayabusa. Everything else is new.

I dont want the grief of emmisions at MOT as I dont want to fit a CAT.

So what are my options??

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Originally posted by iiyama
And to that end I am very confused!!!

I have a V5 and the donor. However all thats been used from the donor are diff, front and rear hubs, steering column and for SVA steering wheel. Half shafts are refurbed, front uprights are fabricated and engine/gearbox are from a Hayabusa. Everything else is new.

I dont want the grief of emmisions at MOT as I dont want to fit a CAT.

So what are my options??

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