I've just spoken to my dad (who is a motor trader) and he thinks the other trader is right.I remember you telling me this that's why I mentioned it
guy is selling my old car, with my plate on it, he says because he is a trader there is no way he can transfer the plate because it would mean adding another owner to the v5. he is a very nice guy so maybe he doesnt know how the system works (I certainly don't!)
if I was to get my plate back I'm not entirely sure how happy I would be
http://www.wigansportsandprestige.co.uk/subaru-impreza-p1-4wd-2dr-my-own-380bhp-car-1641965
Essentially, when you sell a car to a motor trader you fill out part of the V5 and send it to the DVLA. This gives the motor trader 'keepership' of the car (and the registration mark) without adding a new keeper to the list and without a new V5 being issued. A car is normally then sold, and the new keeper section of the V5 is filled out, sent to the DVLA, and they issue a new V5 to the new keeper.
In your situation you have a car and registration mark in the 'undocumented' (i.e. no V5) keepership of the motor trader. To remove the plate from the car a new V5 will need to be issued as part of the reassignment of the original registration mark. For a new V5 to be issued the car must have it's keeper defined. This is where the problem is - if you define a new keeper you add to the number.
I suspect that the normal forms from the DVLA are not 'capable' of placing a plate on retention without issuing a new V5 with a new keeper. However, that said, I also have a feeling that it's possible. The DVLA could just reassign the old registration mark to the vehicle, print a new V5 without increasing the owner count, remove the piece of the V5 that gets sent to them when a car is sold to a motor trader and pop it in the post to the dealer. This would generate a mirror V5 with the original registration mark and a retention certificate with Will Gill plate. It's probably going to require speaking to the DVLA.
Notice here the requirements for retaining a registration mark:
DVLA said:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/PersonalisedRegAndNumberPlates/DG_4022575
It doesn't say you need to be the keeper. You may think that's something one should assume, but keepership works isn't the sacrosanct ubersecure control that many people think it is. I can apply to the keeper of my neighbour's car when he goes to Australia for a month using a V62 and I'll be the keeper before he comes back - they send a letter to the existing keeper to check if it's OK, and if they say nothing, they process it!
The V317 form http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consu...n/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_069390.pdf is almost good enough to do it, but it does require the registered keeper's details.
tl;dr I need to speak to the DVLA to be able to give you a concrete yes/no.
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