posted on the web? I mean, my MINI's license number is Arkansas plate RESMINI. Everytime I drive the car lots of people see it. Should I be concerned?:smile:


R.E.

 

There could be evil people lurking on NAM and if a picture of YOUR license plate was found on their computer, then YOU could be implicated in all sorts of evil deeds

 

There has been some controversy about MINI owners with heavily modded cars being denied work under MINI USA's warranty. The word is out about NAM and some dealers have made a habit of checking the forums and finding out who's doing what.

Being able to read someone's license plate in a photo makes it easier for a dealer to cross-reference the plate # with their list of local MINI owners. The next time that owner takes their car in for servicing, the dealer might say "that isn't normal wear & tear - we won't cover it!"...

 

 

I guess this is common with Mitsubishi. They look for pictures of people autocrossing and racing and then put them on a voided warranty list. I have collected MINI ads since they were introduced into the US and they do everything to promote the "MINI Lifestyle" including autocross, track days, etc.

 

I'm not sure if that was the orignal intent of obscuring plates. I believe people obscured their plates because of the mods on their car and because they didn't want others tracking them down. A good criminal can get lots of info from a license plate such as the owners name, gender and their address. With a list of mods, it may make the vehicle more appealing to a thief as he knows what he's getting. Also, people like the anonymity of the internet and obscuring plates will allow that to continue. I mean somebody might portray themself as a baller with a modded MCS as a daily driver and a Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Ferrari in their garage. Someone may recognize the plate and follow the guy home to find out he only has an MCS and shares that with his mother.

 

Thanks for your replies, sounds like I won't need to put "obscure license plate" on my list of things to do.

Happy Motoring,


R.E.

 

You try around your town everyday, and more people see your license plate there.

I personally don't bother to blur it out, it's pointless

 

Its cuz they are weird....... as most MINI owners are.... except me.... I am all around perfect, the weird one is the car.... too green....

 

Some people like the look it adds to the picture when the license plate is blurred out. I know of one or two locals who manipulate their plates in photos, just for the asthetics.

 

At any rate, I don't use a front plate and never let anyone take a picture of mah backside.

 

Just "duct tape your plates" before you take any pictures.

Don't forget to take them off- looks a bit tacky
Hey, that's a cheap mod. I wonder if it adds any HP or torque?

Most people want to maintain their privacy so not displaying the plates is one way to do that but still post pictures.

 

So when I said my license plate was Arkansas RE'SMINI, (my wife added the apostropy), I gave up some privacy? I guess my difficulty with this is that we're concerned about hiding something that's in plain view every time we drive our car. If someone wants to take a picture of my MINI, license and all, and post it on "The Drudge Report" or whatever, there's nothing I can do about it. I guess I'm just too trusting. but I don't get it?

The one explanation about somebody seeing your mods and refusing warrenty work made a little sense, but only a little cause it seems real unlikely to me.

Maybe the folks who hide their license have something to hide? Oh well, a little paranoia never hurt anyone.

 

If someone wants to track me down based on the information obtained from my license plate to see what a loser I am, then they're pretty much gonna get what they bargained for...I mean, I live in Wisconsin for cryin' out loud!

 

I agree completely with this post. You can't stop someone posting your tag or putting it somewhere on the internet! Most people don't have access to MV records anyway. The people that do are going to find you if the want to. Get a grip and don't be so paranoid because there are better ways to find you or your car if they want to.
Charles

 

Whoooa, lurking on forums looking for people who have mods and recording plate information.

I am curious as to the legality of doing this. I would consider this to be an invasion of privacy and deceptive business practices. Can't say I've had a run-in with this, but if I do (tho I'm pretty kosher with only an alta intake, I think) time to call up some lawyers.

What Mitsubishi is not only undermining their customer loyalty, but they are stepping on very thin ice legally. I'm surprised their aren't massive lawsuits about this... All of this is ironic for Mitsu, as they are in trouble as a car company at the moment. I guess their making last ditch efforts to cut warranty costs... I would not be surprised to see Mitsubishi exit the North American auto market within 10 years.

 

Mitsubishi is denying this all over the place, and it may be somewhat of an exaggerated claim. But, 10 years is awfully optimistic for a failing auto maker. Benz is talking about backing out.

 

I mean, I live in Wisconsin for cryin' out loud! [/QUOTE]
Is it true the state motto is "Eat Cheese Or Die" ?

Jim

 

I think it has nothing to do with wanting to stay annonymous (unless they truely are afraid of the dealership thing...it's just that if you have a nicely modded Mini, including visual changes, and you are showing off your new wheels, and the new body work you installed on the car and your license plate is Q3R-9LP it kinda takes away from the whole picture, if you know what I mean

 

This is no different than using a handle or screen name in a forum--it's about reducing the amount of person-identifiable information in public places. If you are posting a photo of someone else's MINI, it would be the polite thing to do. Use your own judgment for your own MINI.

 

Sounds to me like the stuff urban legends are made of - anyone got any real proof that manufactures or dealers are collecting tag numbers. In the interim I recommend seeing your doctor and perhaps a prescription for some form of Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Better living through chemistry

 

As a side note. Notice how many things are blurred out on TV shows now?

Soda cans, t-shirts, license plates, phone numbers on signs on the road, faces of people in the background.

Now that it's easy for the production people to do, it's almost as if they are afraid to not do it, unless they are being paid by Coke, or that real estate agent, or that company on the t-shirt.

Myth Buster's does it a lot I've noticed. Even on silly stuff like the brand of wet suit the person is wearing, or what kind of shoes someone has on.

 

This is something I've always been baffled by too. I haven't posted tons of pictures of my cars on the internet, but when I have, I've made no attempts to obscure the plates, and I have yet to have anyone evil knocking on my door.

 

Hypothetically, of course, lets suppose you post about something you did or are about to do that is illegal (not making judgements here, just hypothetical. If your plate was visible, it would be way to easy for the authorities to track you down vice, for example, serving a subpoena to the web server owner and getting IP addresses, etc. etc. etc.

 

Unless you insist on blurring your license plate while your're driving the car, I'd say it's a waste of time.