Special Interest Plate Spacing?
 

I ordered a custom CA license plate with 6 letters and I was wondering if it would automatically be centered when I get the plate.

Here's what I mean. I left the last spot blank and filled up the first six.

https://i.gyazo.com/d05bd83612c14090...9cfa3b13b4.png
Just an example pic by the way...

Not sure about California but in Oregon they get centered.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...3f575d4b2f.jpg

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Nope it will not be centered. I had to learn the hard way and didn’t accept my plate, luckily they were able to change it for me, but I had to reconfigure the lettering and wait another 9 weeks.

No, it will not be centered. You need to mess around with half spaced but using 6 letters I don't think it'll be perfect.

How did you get them to change it for you? I ordered mine 1-2 days ago so it's still early in the process.

Same here. Luckily they re-ordered for me and corrected it.

The form isn't very clear, and the paper form even says "check this box to center" when it doesn't actually mean it'll be centered. You need to use a half space on each side, IIRC, for it to be correct.

I went to pick mine up, checked that they were correct before leaving the counter; they weren't printed like I'd planned, so I said I couldn't accept them. The manager came over, didn't like me complaining because "it just needs to be visible for cops to see what it says", etc., but I said I ordered it a certain way, etc., and I'd only accept what I ordered. So they ended up re-ordering them and it worked out. Just meant waiting about 6-7 months total between ordering and final pickup.

They definitely give you a hard time if you want to change something when the plates are done. I paid like $30 to re-do mine.

For you since it’s so early you might be able to call the DMV HQ in Sacramento and talk to somebody there.

Thanks, I'll give them a call then.

Yeah, I added a half-space on each side and it sorta made it a bit more centered. It's not perfect but it's better then what it usually was.

Sucks that there isn't an option to center it on the online form. With 6 characters, its gotta be centered otherwise it looks super off...

Cool forum name. That movie is awesome.

Thanks! Loved the movie as well :thumbsup:

Did you have to pay extra for reordering the plates? I gave them a call today and they said that they can't make any changes once it's sent in so it looks like I'll have to deny the plates when they arrive and reorder it.

You shouldn't have to. Just make sure if you have issues that you speak with a supervisor and say you won't accept them as they aren't what you ordered. They should let you reorder, and then since you'll be there just double-confirm with them that the new form is filled out to center the text.

It's a pain in the ass and the DMV only really has themselves to blame for not making it easier than it currently is.

adding a half space in the front makes it more centered for 6 letters, however it's not perfect.

I had "SR2OVE" plates before with a half space in the front, it's close enough for what I needed it for.

At the time I picked mine up, the manager-on-duty at my DMV was horrible. In fact, I didn't even bring up the fact that I wanted it centered. There was actually a scratch on the plate and I told them they needed to replace it because it looks bad. They told me I needed to pay a replacement fee which was like $30. Since I was paying, I then brought it up to them if I could change the configuration and they had to talk to another supervisor to see if it was okay.

Despite that, I left telling myself "It's the DMV. What do you expect..."

The supervisor I dealt with was incredibly rude, to be honest. She kept blaming me for it being wrong, even though I showed her how I put it and also mentioned the checkbox on the paper version that specifically says "check if you want it centered". Fortunately she decided to re-submit it and worked some kind of magic so that I did wind up getting it correct eventually.

DMV in general is just ridiculous.

AAA can take care of custom plates, and they are much more flexible on helping you out with requests like this.

Yep, I found out about this after the fact. But that's definitely good advice for anyone going through this thread.

But you can’t pick up Special interest plates at AAA. You’re forced to pick them up at the DMV.

Theoretically, one would pick up the plates at DMV. Then it would be registered to the car and you have the new registration slip and submit the old existing plates. Now what? You go to AAA and tell them to reconfigure the plates. Now they have to suspend the custom plate, and then give you a new sequential plate. You’ll still be charged a replacement fee.

...Unless you can configure and request the custom plate at a AAA front desk? I’ve never tried that before.

You fill out the paperwork at AAA and pick up at AAA.

Did this for my last 5 custom plates over last 10 years. You cannot order online for pickup at AAA, that's the only difference.

SO.... use online configurator to figure out plate options, and fill out the form at AAA.

Wow, thanks for letting me know!

Thanks for the info. I'll just go straight to AAA next time instead of the DMV.

In case you need to know:
https://www.calif.aaa.com/membership...-services.html