license plate "warranty"

[tercel89]

I want to hear you opinion on this . I have a Tn license plate. I have had this one for several years now but no longer than others I have had yet this one has shed about 80% of its reflective material off. And it is still peeling off now. In the dark with my car's plate  illuminations lights , it only shows the "Tennessee" word. The rest is all black where light is not reflected. Even though the paint on the letters is there , when dark outside and the light is shined on it the only thing you see is a big black glob and "Tenessee" above it . I went to the clerk's office to try and get it swapped out. I told them all above. They said it would cost me $14 to have it changed out. I did not agree with that . I said that a standard license plate should last longer than a few years as is the rest of my vehicles plates which are just as old but function great. I told them I wash it and take care of it just like the car it is on and yet it is severely degraded and will not reflect at night and in the daytime you can see the reflective "coating", what is LEFT, still hanging off and peeling. It really looks like crap . It is bad enough to where at night it is enough to violate TCA 55-4-110. 

 They just blew me off. I then went home and emailed the office before I said something bad in person. 

I do not think this wear and tear is my fault. I have never seen a plate wear and degrade this bad before. Yet I am supposed to pay for it according to the clerk's office . By the way in my county we pay $54 a year for plates and I pay for 3 of them so that's $162 a year . 

What are your thoughts ? 

Edited April 28, 2014 by tercel89

[gregintenn]

Buy a new one or don't worry about it.

[tercel89]

Buy a new one or don't worry about it.

I know but it still eats my butt about how crappy the clerks office is about it. Plus the plate doesn't function as it should according to law at night and it looks like poop. 

[gregintenn]

Then get a new one if it bugs you that much. I'd gladly pay $14 to get rid of the anguish this seems to be causing for you.

 

Forgive me if I seem insensitive, but it's a car tag. It isn't like your child was just diagnosed with cancer.

Edited April 28, 2014 by gregintenn

[Guest Cazador]

Why do you care if it's reflective?  One less chance to get one of those traffic cam notices. Daytime it prob would not matter but at night when they use a flash it maybe helpful.

[hipower]

Darn, I really hate to agree with greg on this, but after visiting the clerks office myself a couple years ago for the same thing; well similar...the little stickers were falling apart. I just ground my teeth and paid the bucks for a new sticker. 

 

I'd like a new plate soon though, the pile of stickers in corners are realing curling up.

[gregintenn]

It has been quite a while since new plates were issued. These are still from the Sundquist era if I'm not mistaken.

[tnguy]

We've gone to printed from embossed. I think that was post-Sundquist. I don't think I've ever seen a plate do that so maybe there was a faulty batch.

 

WRT the stickers, I've taken a blade before and scraped a bunch of old ones off just cause it starts to look a bit crappy after a while. It wasn't hard, just take it slowly.

[monkeylizard]

We got the current design in 2007 during the Bredesen administration.

 

 

Don SUNdquist had these made up in 2001. His term ended in 2003. I'm surprised he didn't find a way to put his picture on them.

Edited April 28, 2014 by monkeylizard

[gregintenn]

My mistake. I still believe it's past time for a Haslam version.

[JAB]

My mistake. I still believe it's past time for a Haslam version.

 

Based on the way he and his two, main lackeys in the state legislature have acted so far I would almost expect the Haslam supported design to look a bit like this:

 

 

As far as the non-reflective plate issue goes, to me if the county clerk isn't worried enough about it to address the issue I don't know that I would be, either.  I'd probably email them and keep that email handy to show proof that I tried to address the issue - as well as the response from the clerk's office - in case I ever ended up in court over it, though.

Edited April 28, 2014 by JAB

[monkeylizard]

Is a Haslam one where there's a new design printed on top of an old design, but you can still make out the old design underneath?

[tercel89]

Sorry to bother you guys with this. I just got pissed off at clerks office. I'm off the old soap box now.  

[UncleJak]

I agree with you. It's not the plate; it's the attitude. Same thing happened to me with my city provided trash can. The trash guy tore the lid off mine and I asked for another. I can have one if I pay for it.... I explained the city employees tore it and that didn't help. So now my can has no lid because I refuse to buy a new one when I didn't cause the damage. Sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[Trekbike]

[quote name="hipower" post="1143824" timestamp="1398717530"] I'd like a new plate soon though, the pile of stickers in corners are realing curling up.[/quote] When they get like that on mine, I pull off the older ones before applying the new one.

[Motasyco]

It seems to me that few things today are made with the quality and craftsmanship that was the standard in "the good old days".  I guess license plates can now be added to that list.  Are these still being made by our prison population or are they now coming from somewhere outside the USA?

[jtmaze]

The county clerk is an elected office in most counties. Protest with your vote. Changing tags is very expensive for the state. They have to issue a new plate not just a sticker for every registration. Someone else do the math. JTM We the People of the United States, in order to form a more Perfect Union......

[vontar]

myself, I won't worry about it until I got stopped (if).

As a driver, i might know know if they reflex light or not. 

One time I was pulled over and told to clean my plate once.  It was really dirty.

 

BTW, the law went in last year I believe if you car came with the lights that lite up the tag, they have to be working or that is a stoppable offense.

[gregintenn]

Sorry to bother you guys with this. I just got pissed off at clerks office. I'm off the old soap box now.  

Oh, I understand. I've learned that when I get all bent out of shape over something like that, it only hurts me. Your county court clerk doesn't give a rat's arse how mad you get. Just trying to help.

[bersaguy]

Gosh I never gave license plates that much thought till now and yea, the tags are still made by the convicts but now they are paid a wage to work and make them. I think that is some the ones that are ordered by the courts to pay restitution to their victim they do it from jail. I think they also have to reimburse the state for any child support the state pays to their children.......... :up: 

[bersaguy]

myself, I won't worry about it until I got stopped (if).

As a driver, i might know know if they reflex light or not. 

One time I was pulled over and told to clean my plate once.  It was really dirty.

 

BTW, the law went in last year I believe if you car came with the lights that lite up the tag, they have to be working or that is a stoppable offense.

That law has been on the books for many years. I think last year they announced that they would begin enforcing it........jmho

[TripleDigitRide]

Darn, I really hate to agree with greg on this, but after visiting the clerks office myself a couple years ago for the same thing; well similar...the little stickers were falling apart. I just ground my teeth and paid the bucks for a new sticker. 

 

I'd like a new plate soon though, the pile of stickers in corners are realing curling up.

Ummm...Peel the old stickers off?

[vontar]

That law has been on the books for many years. I think last year they announced that they would begin enforcing it........jmho

I got the impression it was new, but just starting to enforce it would be about the same. 

[bersaguy]

I got the impression it was new, but just starting to enforce it would be about the same. 

Yep, they have had license plate lights on cars since the Roaring 20's when cars were only required to have 1 tail light and Plate light combination.

That reminds me of my Uncle Hugh. He was a farmer and he had hogs he would feed every evening and he drove an old 51 Chevy to the hog lot down hwy 70 about two miles. While he was in the hog lot one night a few hogs were scratching them selves on his old car bumper just after coming out of pig pond and they covered up the tail lights on that old chevy with mud. On his way back home he got pulled over by a State Trooper. The trooper waked up to the window and said sir, I had to pull you over because your tail lights are not working. Now you had to know my uncle but I swear this happened because I was about 10 years old and with him. He told the Trooper that they dang sure are working and he gets out and walks to the back of the car. Looks at te back of the car and hauls off and kicks the fender and knocks all the dry mud off the fenders and there is them bright red tail lights all lit up. The trooper took off his hat and scratched his head and handed him his license back and said you have a good night Mr Greer and got in his Patrol car and drove off. From then on my Uncle would look at the back of his old chevy before going back home after dark from the hog lots.................. :rofl: :rofl: 

[JAB]

Yep, they have had license plate lights on cars since the Roaring 20's when cars were only required to have 1 tail light and Plate light combination.

That reminds me of my Uncle Hugh. He was a farmer and he had hogs he would feed every evening and he drove an old 51 Chevy to the hog lot down hwy 70 about two miles. While he was in the hog lot one night a few hogs were scratching them selves on his old car bumper just after coming out of pig pond and they covered up the tail lights on that old chevy with mud. On his way back home he got pulled over by a State Trooper. The trooper waked up to the window and said sir, I had to pull you over because your tail lights are not working. Now you had to know my uncle but I swear this happened because I was about 10 years old and with him. He told the Trooper that they dang sure are working and he gets out and walks to the back of the car. Looks at te back of the car and hauls off and kicks the fender and knocks all the dry mud off the fenders and there is them bright red tail lights all lit up. The trooper took off his hat and scratched his head and handed him his license back and said you have a good night Mr Greer and got in his Patrol car and drove off. From then on my Uncle would look at the back of his old chevy before going back home after dark from the hog lots.................. :rofl: :rofl:

 

My mom tells the story of being with my late father when he was bringing home some building materials from Lowes or Home Depot, etc. a few years before his death.  He was driving an old truck that had farm tags and got pulled over by a cop who was also, apparently, a first class jerk.  Mom said the conversation went a little like this (I wasn't there so I might have gotten the exact details a little off and some of the laws may have changed since then but this was the gist of it):

 

Cop:  I pulled you over because your load is longer than your truck bed.  I am going to have to write you a ticket for that.

Dad:  No you're not.

Cop:  What?

Dad:  If you look, I have a bright red rag attached to the end of the longest board to make sure other drivers see it.  That is all the law requires.

Cop:  Oh.  Well, you two aren't wearing your seatbelts.  I am going to write you a ticket for that.

Dad:  No you're not.

Cop:  Why?

Dad:  This truck didn't come with seatbelts as original equipment.  The law says I don't have to install them.

Cop:  Oh.  Well, you are driving a truck with farm tags and you aren't supposed to use that for anything but farm related business.  I am going to write you a ticket for that.

Dad:  No you're not.

Cop:  And why wouldn't I?

Dad:  See that stuff on the back?  I am working on a stall for my horses.  That sounds like farm related business, to me.

 

At that point, the cop (apparently ticked that dad had outmaneuvered him at every turn) didn't even really say anything, more or less stomped back to his cruiser, got in, slammed the door and took off.

Edited April 29, 2014 by JAB