Volvo 480 Club Europe

Good Morning everyone

While the example I use today is not on a 480, it is a problem that faces all licensed vehicles on the road, and the last time I checked, the 480 was technically a vehicle, as well as a way of life.

The problem concerns the rear numberplate on our treasured 1986 Audi quattro, this car was an ex demonstrator that was bought on the spot by my grandfather after a test drive from the dealership in 1986, remaining with the family ever since.

He suffered a stroke at the wheel in the early 90s and wrote it off (with about 15 other cars in the car showroom he crashed into, pinning a salesman behind his desk) and due to it massively shaking his confidence, we bought the car back and had it totally rebuilt (I mean totally, it was a huge job, similar damage to that Skyline on Car SOS, but probably even greater).

The rear numberplate however, survived all this, and is still on the car today, with the original dealer numbers and all.

however, it is perishing, and given its history, I really want to preserve it on the car.

I know James is a bit of a plate enthusiast, and just wondering if there are any ways it can be stopped from getting worse?

I do not know how offtopic this is, but the issue draws certain similarities with 480 rear lenses, and either way, they also have number plates

I have a feeling that a plastic wrap over it to protect it from UV might work, similar to one of the rear light protections

I don't mind the weathered look as it is patina, but if it can be sympathetically restored that would be amazing

Have a look in my green turbo thread (worse kept secret). James found a company that can reproduce the plates. Mine were impossible to tell apart - there’s pics to prove it

jifflemon wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:40 am

Have a look in my green turbo thread (worse kept secret). James found a company that can reproduce the plates. Mine were impossible to tell apart - there’s pics to prove it

Was that the spot the difference between the legal and illiegal one?

That’s the one! Technically the new ones are illegal, but you’d never know!

jifflemon wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 05, 2020 7:05 pm

That’s the one! Technically the new ones are illegal, but you’d never know!

That certainly looks good, but ideally I'd like to preserve the original plate if possible. Currently it's still legally readable, but if it is restorable or preservable

Once they start to go, they’re irreversible.
Get it copied, wear the copies, keep the originals somewhere warm and safe

jifflemon wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 05, 2020 8:14 pm

Once they start to go, they’re irreversible.
Get it copied, wear the copies, keep the originals somewhere warm and safe

I am afraid that may be the case, it has got some mileage left in it though. What I would like to understand is why some go and some don't

As it's blackening at the edges it must be that the layers have not quite bonded properly. Water seeping in has allowed black mould to grow as well as ingress of dirt. I'd be following jiff's advice to use the originals as showplates only, but meanwhile experiment on a small corner with a soak in a bleach solution. 10% is enough to kill black mould. Prop the plate up so only a small corner piece is in the bleach and keep an eye on it. You obviously don't want to make it worse.
Good luck !

dragonflyjewels wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 06, 2020 7:59 am

As it's blackening at the edges it must be that the layers have not quite bonded properly. Water seeping in has allowed black mould to grow as well as ingress of dirt. I'd be following jiff's advice to use the originals as showplates only, but meanwhile experiment on a small corner with a soak in a bleach solution. 10% is enough to kill black mould. Prop the plate up so only a small corner piece is in the bleach and keep an eye on it. You obviously don't want to make it worse.
Good luck !

Thanks for the advice Sylvia, Ill give it a whirl. I presume by 10% you mean 10% bleach, 90% water? also what sort of bleach do you refer? will standard toilet cleaner work?

As others have advised, you can't really do much to make this better. A number plate is basically a plastic printed plate, glued to a transparent plastic. In fact soaking it could wreck more of the adherance between the thin print and the thick plastic and you might be left very disappointed. ‎

Pretty much your only hope is to take those off, send them to Norfolk (or send a very good hi-res scan) and install the copies. Keep the originals for posterity but that's about it. ‎

If you are bleaching anything, then the purser form you can buy as a consumer is Milton sterilising fluid. But I'd really advise against this and suggest that you get copies made. Honestly, P & M in Norfolk are amazing and you won't be able to tell the difference. They have a graphic designer who cleans the image up then prints them on to a new plate. 

And finally, when you drill your new plate, drill in to a block of wood, not just in to free space. This should hopefully stop the drill pulling the print and plastic plate apart as it goes through. If you want to be really geeky you could put a bit of superglue round the holes to stop any moisture getting in between the two.‎

jamescarruthers wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 06, 2020 3:28 pm

As others have advised, you can't really do much to make this better. A number plate is basically a plastic printed plate, glued to a transparent plastic. In fact soaking it could wreck more of the adherance between the thin print and the thick plastic and you might be left very disappointed. ‎

Pretty much your only hope is to take those off, send them to Norfolk (or send a very good hi-res scan) and install the copies. Keep the originals for posterity but that's about it. ‎

If you are bleaching anything, then the purser form you can buy as a consumer is Milton sterilising fluid. But I'd really advise against this and suggest that you get copies made. Honestly, P & M in Norfolk are amazing and you won't be able to tell the difference. They have a graphic designer who cleans the image up then prints them on to a new plate. 

And finally, when you drill your new plate, drill in to a block of wood, not just in to free space. This should hopefully stop the drill pulling the print and plastic plate apart as it goes through. If you want to be really geeky you could put a bit of superglue round the holes to stop any moisture getting in between the two.‎

Ok, you are probably right, is there a link to the company?

P & M Radiators‎
Unit 5
Marsham Business Park
Old Norwich Road
Marsham
Norwich
Norfolk
NR10 5PR
http://www.pandmradiators.co.uk/‎
01263 734205‎

A lady called Dianne did the graphic design on Jeff's plate. I think this is just a small company and you would normally deal with Paul or Mark (or other names beginning with P & M as I can't remember now who owns it). ‎