[chris48]

Hi. Strange thing happened today while taking the wife out in the car, all of the L plates, which are
magnetic flew off while going along. We use four plates, two at the front and two at the back and the front ones just flew off. When we stopped I tried the remaining plates and there was hardly any stick, as though
the metal was not steel. They worked inside the car but not on the outside finish, strange. Any idea's on
this, it's baffling me
Chris

[Lorian]

The bumpers are plastic...

Otherwise. it's UFOs.

[chris48]

Ah yes but the bonnet and hatch are metal. Maybe the paint has aluminium mix into it. The L
 plates worked ok on the i20 with blue paintwork. So maybe it is UFO's.

[eye30]

The positioning of the L plates on the car - the wind may have been able to get under the plate and that lifted it enough to cause it to fly off.

[MRH130]

The positioning of the L plates on the car - the wind may have been able to get under the plate and that lifted it enough to cause it to fly off.

Yeah, that happened to me when I had L (and P) plates. No comment about exactly how fast the wind was travelling over the car...

The magnetic properties of L plates seem fairly weak anyway, but it is interesting if they stick better to one car than to another. 

[agentr31]

thin steel will cause them to not stick well... 

magnetic ones are fail spec!! the suction cup one are pretty good... and as a plus they cant be stolen personally i never used to use them (were an option when i was on my learners) but my ex had to use them when i was with her, i hated the magnetic ones... they also damage the paint when dirt gets under them and you put them on/off

[Lorian]

The bodywork has no aluminium - it's steel coated with Zinc-phosphate and then a cationic electrodeposition primer. and paint.

[chris48]

Wow thanks for that, so it's not just normal paint then it has a load of electro-phrosphate  whats-it's all over it, no wonder they would'nt stick, LOL. Anyway solved it by using masking tape which comes off without a mark. Don't know what will happen when it rains!

  Chris

[Lorian]

Make sure test booked before Autumn 

[chris48]

Test the middle of July, then if she passes it's goodbye to my precious Bertie the i30. Still if it means I,m not a taxi driver any more then it can't be all bad, I hope!!

  Chris

[Lorian]

She gets the i30

What a dad

Edit: Ah, wife not daughter.