Recently, many drivers have felt heavy-hearted when their license plates have been bent sometimes. Keeping license plates from bending is quite crucial for your vehicle.
If you are also racking your brain about this issue, your concern could be addressed by the fact that we represent below.
In addition, we are going to find out how to fix a bent license plate, which is one of the hot topics on recent car forums, briefly and simply.
If you are on the same page with them, don’t miss our content today. But first, why do you have to fix the bent plate? Follow us to unveil the truth!
Why Do People Bend Their License Plates?
This is a fairly prevalent trend that emerged from some Japanese Bosozoku gangs. It is known with a close relation to Tsurikawa, which is one of the drift charms in America.
For the lowest cars (Kyusha ones), you would need to curve the permitted plates up to prevent them from scraping on the land.
Then, it was more difficult for police officers to catch the angled license plates.
Many people might forget to bolt the bottom part of their rear license plates down. But most plates are made from thin aluminum.
Therefore, over time they would be bent up due to a range of associations, making them swing or sway back and forth loosely.
Probably they suppose this is a chance to shadow their plates which can help them avoid the spotlight from some officers and have a reasonable excuse (for material) to present when cops ask for it.
How Important To Keep Your License Plates From Bending
Most American states require drivers to get a proper license plate for their vehicles. So, just keep in mind that the permitted plate belongs to one of the safety components for a car.
In case your plate has something wrong (bending, warping, improper bracket, illegible plate, etc.), chances are that you will end up with some traffic tickets.
Furthermore, it might cause you to get careless or even silly looks if anybody realizes some bent on your license plate overtime.
This could eventually leave some funny looks about you on other commuters on the go.
By and large, for your trip to be smooth and not draw any “special attention” from officers, it would be best if you kept your standard plates from warping.
How To Keep License Plates From Bending?
To keep your plate from bending, bear in mind that you should prevent it from physically hitting other objects as much as possible.
You have to maintain a sharp lookout around when you park or back up.
Furthermore, it’s best to frequently inspect any warping taking place, which helps you find out some risks of bends soon enough before hitting some unexpected things and completely damaging the plate.
You can buy a plate cover to prolong your license number plate from bending.
When you intend to shop around for this new one, you should pay more attention to some solid material. Don’t pick some thin aluminum cover.
If most of your trips are on rough surfaces, it would be wiser to equip a grille for your license plate to keep it from various external impacts.
How To Fix A Bent License Plate
Since they are produced from lightweight, thin aluminum, so far from most people’s thoughts, license numbers aren’t hard to bend.
This also is why fixing a bent plate is quite simple with a hammer and one couple of wooden boards after removing the license plate screw.
We will dig into the compact guide below now.
Step 1: Unscrew the plate
Of course, you have to unscrew the plate. Click here if the screws don’t come out.
Put one of two wooden boards (2 x 6) against a stable, hard surface like a counter or table.
Step 2: Separate the damaged plate
Pull your license plate’s bent sides apart from each other to straighten it as much as possible.
Step 3: Put it on a wooden board
Place the plate onto that 2 x 6 wooden board. Keep in mind that you need to put it right in the center of this board.
Don’t allow any edges to hang over the wooden board’s side.
You should turn the plate upside down to keep it from further bending or warping (if possible).
Step 4: Stretching it out
Using the hammer to strike and hit the license number’s edges till stretching it out on the board.
If you have to hit the center of the license number to flatten the whole bend, you must do that carefully; otherwise, your current plate might be warped even more.
Step 5: Handling the number
Put the remaining board (2×6) on your license number (which is now on the first 2×6 board). Place stress on it tightly, jamming the plate between the wooden boards.
This can make sure the number is totally flat and all set to hang in its right order appropriately.
How Much Are New License Plates?
Normally, it can cost you around $10 per plate for a replacement for most standard license plate types.
If your permitted number is reported stolen, you can get a new one from the relevant department with the same number.
In case your vehicle license plate number is damaged or missing, you need to consider ordering a new one online.
To change your car’s plate with the SAME number (vehicle registration), you have to provide some below prerequisites before continuing with the plate replacement:
- The old vehicle licence plate
- Vehicle information
- Owner information
- Payment
Final Thoughts
Have we succeeded in keeping your company to these bottom lines?
If so, we believe our content today has practical information to address your curiosity about how to fix a bent license plate.
By and large, there are some roots that cause your plate to warp or bend, and you should care more about keeping your regular number plates from damaging.
This will help you to have a smooth journey without interruption from cops.
Well, it’s the right time to put an end to the hot topic here. Thank you for reading, and don’t miss surfing our site to find more practical pieces of information for your vehicle.
See you soon!