II currently use the tamper torx ad nylock on the back. In the past, I've pop riveted them on. You need a drill to remove the rivets.

ETA - make sure to leave a driver bit in your glovebox. Did the tamper torx to step daughter's car. When she re-registered after moving out of state, she didn't need to search high and low for the bit.

Thanks for all the info. This is a ford transit panel van so I'm sure I can remove the panels on the rear door (plate isn't in the bumper) and get access to the backside of the screws.

A neighbor in Phoenix used magnets on the back,
But glued four bolt heads and washers over the holes.

To look at it, you would think that you would need two wrenches

NC DMV offices used to sell these in their offices….

They have them at Home Depot.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Torx screws

Yep. I don’t even like Torx screws on shit that I buy. I see it when I need to work on something and say FUCK, and I have tools for them. I just don’t like them.

Best thing you could do is an alarm. Compustar with Drone Mobile with a prox. You’d get instantaneous push notifications to your phone. Double down with a dash cam and you’d have their dumbasses on video. I have the alarm setup that I described above. Dash cams are coming for all vehicles soon. It’s just getting that bad out there. More for smartphone distracted idiots compared to someone stealing your plates. But it’s just getting worse in general. Best of luck.

https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/...%20to%20the%20ground.

Plates must not be covered (this includes glass). A lot of states have this restriction.

I’ll second the torx security screws.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
We had an armed robber switch plates on our car. The plate we now had on our car belonged to Dominos Pizza. A detective called and said our car was recovered but wrecked. I told him it was just outside my office. He then figured the plates had been switched. It took HOURS to get a new plate with several trips to the police station and DMV. It has not happened again.

Early 70’s us Michiganders had front and rear plates. What was popular in Detroit was to remove someone’s legitimate front plate and replace it with a wanted rear plate (stolen plate, stolen car, whatever) preferably from the same make and model as not to draw attention.

I worked at a dealership back then, one of the porters used to keep his car spotless so one morning I went in and passed his car the front plate was dirty in contrast to the rest of the car. I went to him and said “Nothing personal but if you are swapping plates between your cars the front one is dirty and doesn’t match the back one.” He said “What you talking about? I don’t do that stuff.” (He was probably thirty years older than me)

So he went out after my prodding to see. He came in to the parts department maybe an hour later thanking me. Our dealer was tight with Detroit Police, he called them. The front plate was run, came back as from a stolen car. I saved that man from some grief.

Ultimately, if your car is in a parking lot, any level of deterrence will likely just have the thief walk 4 paces to the left or right and steal from a different car. Which is pretty much all you can hope for.

The least bit of planning will easily deter any tamper resistant screw. Having a matching bit helps, but honestly, a pair of pliers will easily grab a pan head screw of basically any design and turn it.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
Thanks for all the info. This is a ford transit panel van so I'm sure I can remove the panels on the rear door (plate isn't in the bumper) and get access to the backside of the screws.

If you're going to do that, use carriage bolts.

Most car parts places carry specific license plate screws that come with a specific tool that works for the screw in that package. I leave the tool in my center counsel so I know where it's at any time I need to remove by license plate.

If they break into my car to get the tool then I have much bigger problems. Never had it happen in 40 years of driving.

https://www.amazon.com/Stainle...TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Somebody stole a permanent plate off of my semi trailer. Pissed me off so bad that when I got the replacement, I put the bolts on and touched the back of the nut with a mig welder. Those plates were never stolen again. When I had to remove the plate, I ground the heads off the bolts with a mini grinder.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
Somebody stole a permanent plate off of my semi trailer. Pissed me off so bad that when I got the replacement, I put the bolts on and touched the back of the nut with a mig welder. Those plates were never stolen again. When I had to remove the plate, I ground the heads off the bolts with a mini grinder.

Reminds me, one day I was working in a different district and the senior guy called me because he knew I had tools in my police car. I get over there and he’s trying to remove a tag with those security screws and someone had spot welded the nuts on the back. I was laughing when Al asked for my bolt cutters after spending 15 minutes trying to get the screws loose.

He wound up chewing the tag into strips and tearing them from the backer plate with my bolt cutters. He handed the lady her receipt for the seizure, and I asked if he was gonna mail it to Raleigh. He was soooo pissed. It was right after some law changed and allowed regular cops to seize tags that the DMV officer used to do-IIRC it was when the DMV was folded into the NCSHP and basically did away with the DMV cops.

Steel backer screwed on normally. Then SS pop rivet the plate to that.
Put rubber washers between steel and painted car surface

In most states license plate covers are illegal. They defeat the reflectivity of the tag, screw with LPRs (license plate readers), and blind the EZ PASS system. With toll scofflaws causing losses in excess of hundreds of millions of dollars in the Northeast corridor, there is a lot of LE motivation to stop you and have it removed.
Our department does it all the time. As far as leaving the plate in the window… let me tell you about the fellow who had the window of his Thunderbird smashed for the partial pack of Salems on the console.
Thieves suck.

quote:

Originally posted by Hamden106:
Put rubber washers between steel and painted car surface

The spray version of Plasti-Dip does a nice job for that, too.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
It was right after some law changed and allowed regular cops to seize tags that the DMV officer used to do

This is something I hadn't heard of.
What conditions does someone create that cause police or DMV to seize their tags?

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:


This is something I hadn't heard of.
What conditions does someone create that cause police or DMV to seize their tags?

stop paying for you cars insurance. The DMV had a whole division of sworn officers who not only worked semi trucks but they seized tags.

But they got rolled into the NCSHP in 2000-2002 ish and you see troopers in black uniforms doing the DMV gig, but any sworn officer can seize a tag for no insurance.

It is a huge PITA for the citizen to get fixed.
Gotta go get new insurance, bring that to the tag place. Pay for a new tag. You get a fine for the lapse in insurance and you already had your tag seized and are never getting that one back.

Don’t know how they handle that in other states.

I don’t know about NC statutes, but in PA, the police will take tags if: displayed on a vehicle other than what they’re registered to.

Registration is suspended. Usually that results from non payment of fees, insurance lapse, and occasionally the DMV will issue a “pickup order” which do not always reveal a reason.

We carry surrender receipt books in the car.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Anybody remember the parody of “Crime Stoppers Textbook” from the Dick Tracy comic strip that appeared in Mad Magazine? I recall one concerning the theft of fender skirts that showed razor blades on the back side of the skirt and a thief’s fingertips lying on the ground.

Sorry, back to our regular programming.

Sounds like some Al Jaffe work.

(By the way, dude died this year, 102 years old. I was bummed but that's a damn good run)

quote:

Originally posted by Oscars father:
I don’t know about NC statutes, but in PA, the police will take tags if: displayed on a vehicle other than what they’re registered to.

Registration is suspended. Usually that results from non payment of fees, insurance lapse, and occasionally the DMV will issue a “pickup order” which do not always reveal a reason.

We carry surrender receipt books in the car.

Here you get ticketed and allowed to go on your way keeping your plates. They don’t do anything here to uninsured drivers.


Michigan as a whole is almost 26% uninsured. Detroit’s estimate alone is 60% uninsured.

Despite this being a No-Fault insurance state since 1973 we need to carry uninsured motorist coverage. Sure you can sue the uninsured driver but winning in court and collecting are different.