No Red Number Plates Available In Udon Thani

[NanLaew]

I ordered a Honda CRV at Honda Udon in late September and was promised 4-week delivery due to the colour selection. While I was overseas, they delivered the car in early October to the wife without the temporary red plates.

I get home and tool around locally (fully insured etc.) till it's time to take it in for the 1000km inspection. I asked about the red plates as I wanted to drive it outside Udon. The Honda sales people say that they are 'out of red plates for 2007' and I know from experience that it can take up to 2 months for the proper white plates to be issued anyway. I also know from experience in Chonburi, they issue 'duplicate' red plates and books and there's never a shortage. I further know from experience that Thai's tend to hold on to the red plates as long as possible after getting the letter or call from the dealer saying the white plates are in. Something to do with the social cache of appearing to have a red-plated and therefore 'new' car for longer.

It's now almost 3 months since we got the car so I am wondering if anyone else in Udon (or other provinces) have had similar delays in getting a new car 100% street registered.

Many thanks!

[noahvail]

It's now almost 3 months since we got the car so I am wondering if anyone else in Udon (or other provinces) have had similar delays in getting a new car 100% street registered.

Yup, had a similar experience. Bought a new Toyota Vigo at the end of October from the dealer in Nong Bualamphu - a branch of the Udon dealership. No red plates, and were told 45 days to get the new white plates. 46 days in, got stopped in Khon Khai at a police checkpoint where they were only stopping cars with - you guessed it - no license plates. We thought we had all the appropriate paperwork, but no...had to have the red plate. Discretionary fine was only 200 baht, paid to the government with a receipt issued. When we got back, we called the Toyota dealer and told there was a delay getting the red plates; when we asked why it's taking so long, the clerk said she never calls for plates until someone calls her and asks for them! We hit the roof, having asked for the plates some weeks before at the 1,000 km service. She said they would have the red plates on Friday, there was a long delay in getting the white plates. Went in on Friday, and they weren't quite ready - and she had some guy come out to tell us. So we waited for half an hour which gave me an opportunity to be a typical farange and let the salesman and the manager have it for not following up on their sale. At the end of the half hour - white plates, full registration, all that good stuff. But I'll never deal with the Toyota stores in either of those locations again.

[NanLaew]

Thanks for that noahvail. I also learned on another forum that the Honda dealer doesn't keep a list of who is waiting for red plates and if a set are returned the day you happen to be there buying a car, you will get them. How's that for lazy arsed staff! I did see a set on the table the day I was in getting the service but I reckon like you, I need to become a farang pain in their proverbial until I get what they are supposed to provide. I agree there is probably a shortage of red plates at the end of the year but the sales staff at Honda and Toyota appear to do nothing once they have your signature on paper and your down payment in the bank.

[Gary A]

The last new vehicle I bought was two years ago. I never got a red plate. The dealer put some sort of sticker on the wind shield and told me not to worry about it. It took more than three months to get the regular plates. I did worry about it but didn't have any problems with the police. And yes, I was stopped at a couple of check points.

[Mali1964]

I further know from experience that Thai's tend to hold on to the red plates as long as possible after getting the letter or call from the dealer saying the white plates are in. Something to do with the social cache of appearing to have a red-plated and therefore 'new' car

Had our Toyota vigo 18 months the red plates are still under the rear seats, no one asked for them back they came to the home & dropped the white plates off, i fitted them myself, so we shouldn't have these then i'll mention it on its next service.

Oh from Roi Et so were not to blame for you in Udon sorry

[khundon]

I ordered a Honda CRV at Honda Udon in late September and was promised 4-week delivery due to the colour selection. While I was overseas, they delivered the car in early October to the wife without the temporary red plates.

I get home and tool around locally (fully insured etc.) till it's time to take it in for the 1000km inspection. I asked about the red plates as I wanted to drive it outside Udon. The Honda sales people say that they are 'out of red plates for 2007' and I know from experience that it can take up to 2 months for the proper white plates to be issued anyway. I also know from experience in Chonburi, they issue 'duplicate' red plates and books and there's never a shortage. I further know from experience that Thai's tend to hold on to the red plates as long as possible after getting the letter or call from the dealer saying the white plates are in. Something to do with the social cache of appearing to have a red-plated and therefore 'new' car for longer.

It's now almost 3 months since we got the car so I am wondering if anyone else in Udon (or other provinces) have had similar delays in getting a new car 100% street registered.

Many thanks!

I bought a new Isuzu Adventuremaster from main dealer in Rangsit, Pathum Thani in 2003 and was issued with red plates which seemed to act as a magnet for local law in BK to stop me for no reason and try to fine me.

Luckly my Thai wife a fiery little lady always used to have a go a them and we were always sent on our way Baht intact.

She pointed out to them that red plates and Farang driver does not always mean easy target!

The dealer rang us after 1 month to say he had white plates for us and he held them for over a month untill we could collect them.

After that we had no trouble from the law.

So get those white plates asap.

Good luck

[NanLaew]

I further know from experience that Thai's tend to hold on to the red plates as long as possible after getting the letter or call from the dealer saying the white plates are in. Something to do with the social cache of appearing to have a red-plated and therefore 'new' car

Had our Toyota vigo 18 months the red plates are still under the rear seats, no one asked for them back they came to the home & dropped the white plates off, i fitted them myself, so we shouldn't have these then i'll mention it on its next service.

Oh from Roi Et so were not to blame for you in Udon sorry

Hold on the 'em Mali. If you also have the brown log book that came with the red plates, I may come and get 'em!

[NanLaew]

I bought a new Isuzu Adventuremaster from main dealer in Rangsit, Pathum Thani in 2003 and was issued with red plates which seemed to act as a magnet for local law in BK to stop me for no reason and try to fine me.

Luckly my Thai wife a fiery little lady always used to have a go a them and we were always sent on our way Baht intact.

She pointed out to them that red plates and Farang driver does not always mean easy target!

The dealer rang us after 1 month to say he had white plates for us and he held them for over a month untill we could collect them.

After that we had no trouble from the law.

So get those white plates asap.

Good luck

The law is that red plates are only street legal between 6 am and 6 pm and there's also the matching log book where each road trip needs to be entered.

Thanks for that khundon. Years ago, the police were lax on enforcing the 'law' much beyond a shakedown for a few hundred baht if caught driving out of daylight hours. I remember my ex-wife similarly arguing her way out of a 'fine' one night we were passing through Bangkok with red plates on. It's not so much the red plates as the province named on the plates and the car they are on. A BMW-7 with Bangkok red plates will cruise all night with impunity but a pickup with Nakhon Nowhere red plates will get busted in Bangkok at night.

However, more recently, random traffic checks actually check vehicle registration and insurance and legitimate traffic tickets are being issued. So driving locally without red plates and a log book in daylight is still reasonably safe but if I wanted to piss about in the immediate neighbourhood, I wouldn't have bought the bloody car!

The wife is calling on them poongnee.

[torrenova]

The law is that red plates are only street legal between 6 am and 6 pm and there's also the matching log book where each road trip needs to be entered.

Does anyone have anything to back up this often quoted potential urban myth ?

Never had a problem with red plates in Pattaya at any time of day or night. Just what sort of logic there could be for having a curfew on a new car I cannot imagine.

[Farma]

torrenova this is from 2002 http://www.phuketgazette.net/issuesanswers...ails.asp?id=391

“New cars are issued with red plates and are allowed to be driven only between sunrise and sunset because none of the registration information for that car has been registered with the government yet.

You are allowed to drive your car at night only when it has been issued white license plates.

If you see new cars with red plates being driven around at night unchecked, it is because we are being lenient; it is not a right. However, if you travel in other provinces, you will pass many police checkpoints where officers may not be so lenient.

The Phuket Provincial Transportation Office (PPTO) can issue white plates for cars in less than two hours. However, the delay comes from the dealer in providing all the correct details and documents to register the car.

That said, if you would like to drive your car at night or in another province, you can contact the dealership that sold you the car and have the dealer apply to the Chief of the PPTO on your behalf for permission to do so.

Please note that you will need to provide specific details of where and when you want to drive the car.

If the Chief of the PPTO grants you permission, he will sign in the car registration book both his permission and how long his permission will stand.

For more information, please contact Pathai Puchadapirom, Chief Registrar of the PPTO. Tel: 076-211019 ext 22.”

Saturday, September 28, 2002 Terayout Prasertphol, Technical Officer, Phuket Provincial Transportation Office.

[NanLaew]

Thanks for that Farma. At least we know where Phuket's PTO stands on the issue. The sales girl at Honda Udon did mention about getting this letter from the local PTO but she seemed to infer that if we wanted it, we would have to go and get it, not the dealer. Back to the basic assertion that sales support at car dealerships in the boonies sucks.

However, we all know that just like different branches of the same bank, different Amphurs and Immigration offices, they all do things differently so there's no guarantee that the Udon PTO would even entertain the idea.

The red plate law is NOT an urban myth and I too have driven at all hours in Pattaya with red plates. However, on the way to Khorat, over the back way, the highway cop 'fined' me because I did not have that trip detail written up in the brown log book that accompanies the red plates. My buddy was similarly stung when he was driving his new car in daylight on Sukhumvit, outside the Pattaya area. I admit the 'daylight only' regulations are both arcane obscure but so is the art of making perfect somtam, allegedly.

[Farma]

We bought our car a few provinces southeast of you earlier this year. We didn’t receive red plates and had to drive the car without plates for 3 weeks I think before the white ones showed up.

Luckily we had no problems driving between provinces without plates day and night. Our dealer put the paperwork through for us fast. They did mention some people hold on to the red plates as long as they can in order to pick white plates with their preferred lucky numbers.

[torrenova]

Cheers Farma,

However, that is still just some made up mumbo jumbo from some guy in Phuket some 6 years ago who won't work there anymore. Not saying it is total <deleted> but there is no law quoted is there ?

I think I have seen this Phuket thing before but I have never seen anything which either explains why they have red plates and why red plates cannot be driven at night which is just madness.

[NanLaew]

I agree that it defies logic but this is Thailand isn't it. I bought my first car in 1981 and that was just as much the 'law' then as it is now and it's the 'law' throughout the land so just because the reasoning is obscure and arcane, doesn't detract from the fact that it's the 'law' for Thai and farang alike. Some never get stopped and 'fined' the same way as some drive for years and never get a traffic stop.

It's like this waiver letter from the PTO may be accepted by the highway police, it may reduce the 'fine' or it may be laughed at, there's no definitives here.

If you really seek the wording of the law and it's basis, maybe better you pop in to the local police station or PTO and ask.

My point is, my new car doesn't have ANY plates at all and you will admit that in most of the driving world, that is a traffic ticket and shakedown just waiting to happen.

[NanLaew]

Had our Toyota vigo 18 months the red plates are still under the rear seats, no one asked for them back they came to the home & dropped the white plates off, i fitted them myself, so we shouldn't have these then i'll mention it on its next service.

Oh from Roi Et so were not to blame for you in Udon sorry

OK Mali, I am still getting the run-around from the Honda people.

I PM'd you about getting your red plates.... no answer. Let me know if you still have them. I am off to work but the wife can take care of that in my absence.

Cheers,