[myqhenry]

anyone know if u can keep the european license plates when u drop off the car to be delivered back to the states? I think it would be a nice touch to replace the front US license plate with the euro plate.

 

[SONET]

I think this might actually be covered in the ED FAQ. Whatever the case, I have read of people keeping one plate, but I think you have to specifically request it (I don't know about getting both though). IIRC they are going to change the license plate frame in the front to the US-style frame, so you would have to order that and change it back.

In Calif. it's not legal to run the European front plate like that and I doubt they would let you get away with it for long. I have seen lots of crazy stuff on cars here, but never that.

I'm sure someone that has actually done the ED will reply soon enough.

Anyways, good luck with your ED. I didn't have the time to do it that way this time, but I am planning to do ED next time... what a great way to buy a car!

Good luck

--SONET

 

[steve]

You can keep one plate from ED and carry it with you. A plate needs to be left on the rear of the car for identification of the car (I guess they don't want to spend their entire lives checking VINs).

 

[Nat Brown]

You'll get your plates back. In my case I told the dealer not to touch my car when it got in, so it came with the rear plate still attached and no dealership license plate holder and placard. So, for a month I drove around with my Euro plates, feeling pretty cool. I removed the Euro plate yesterday when I got my new California plates. It was a sad day, but I made up for it by getting a really nice license plate holder.

In California, and in all states were you're given two license plates, both need to be displayed in order to be legal. Here are a few things that are illegal in California that everyone seems to like to do (you could see an excellent display at Bimmerfest):

• Running clear corners without an amber reflector (sedans and coupes with blocked out or white reflectors)
• Running tint on the front windows
• Running amber or blue lights
• Running a license plate holder with a tinted shield or anti-photo radar shield

--gary

 

[JonW]

When I dropped off my car at EH Harms in Munich, they asked me to keep the rear plate on. And they asked if I wanted the front one. So I took the front one myself. When I picked up my car from the dealer here in the US, that rear plate was gone. And then I put the one I kept on the front. I no longer live in a police state like California, so I can keep the German plate on the front of my car without the threat of time in prison.

 

[Nat Brown]

I no longer live in a police state like California, so I can keep the German plate on the front of my car without the threat of time in prison.

I'll refrain from making comments about Indiana. That would be too easy.


Ok, maybe one: Is it true the farmers in Indiana refused to accept Daylight Savings Time because they thought their crops would get one less hour of light each day?

--gary

:bigpimp:

 

[JonW]

I'll refrain from making comments about Indiana. That would be too easy.


He he. Fair enough.

Ok, maybe one: Is it true the farmers in Indiana refused to accept Daylight Savings Time because they thought their crops would get one less hour of light each day?

Well, I'm not sure what the origin of that is (I haven't been here that long). But it is actually interesting that every year, someone in the state legislature proposes doing Daylight Saving Time like everyone else. And each year, it's voted down. I think the people here like being slightly quirky or contrary to the rest of the country. There is even a small town in southeast Indiana that is split with half the town doing DST and the other half not.

 

[ZBB 325Ci]

I dropped mine off in Amsterdam and was told by EH Harms that I had to leave both plates on the car. Both arrived with the car when I took US delivery.

Aparently the Munich office of Harms is a little more lenient!

The plate(s) must be left on the car because since they are part of the identification of the car listed on the Bill of Lading that you sign when you drop it off.


By the way -- I grew up in Arizona, which also does not recognize Daylight Savings Time. Aparently AZ had it for 1 or 2 years in the late 50's or early 60's and everybody hated it since it just meant it stayed hotter longer in the day during summer! I still don't understand why its done almost everywhere else.