Virginia Clean Fuel Plates Have Arrived

[NoVaSnow]

I got my Prius on 5/13/06. The dealer issued cardboard temp tags, with an expiration date of 6/12/06.

I picked up my real tags (not clean fuel) on 6/1. The dealer filled out the necessary form to apply for clean fuel plates. I was instructed to fax it to Richmond on or after 6/6.

I faxed the form first thing Tuesday morning, 6/6. I received the plates in the mail Thursday, 6/8.

I am now completely legal in HOV lanes (although I've been chancing it with my temp tags since day 1. I figured the odds of being pulled over for HOV violation in Prius were pretty slim.)

The VA DMV is a smooth-running agency.

[kstorey]

That's great news for me. I just purchased my prius last Thursday and I am hoping that I will make it by the VA deadline of 7/1. I hope that I have the same luck.

[GreenGene]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusmatic @ Jun 12 2006, 09:28 AM) [snapback]269881[/snapback]</div>

That's great news for me. I just purchased my prius last Thursday and I am hoping that I will make it by the VA deadline of 7/1. I hope that I have the same luck.[/b]

The key is to fax the form (rather than snail mailing it) on the first day that you can. When I got my regular tags from the dealer (Miller, in Manassas), they included the form for getting the clean fuel plates, and had written on the top the earliest date that I could fax the form ... and I did.

Great service from the Virginia DMV. What would be even better would be a way to delete getting a regular plate first, and then the clean fuel plate. That would knock a week of the processing time.

[kstorey]

Thanks for the tips. How long did it take for Miller Toyota to get you the regular plates? I purchased from them as well and they indicated that due to the new HOV law that 6/20 was their cutoff for getting regular plates in time to make the clean fuel applications deadline. They said about 2 weeks for the regular tags to arrive so based on that I should be okay. What do you mean they wrote the "earliest dates that you could fax" on the top? I thought that once you had the regular plates and title number you could fax right away??

[GreenGene]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusmatic @ Jun 12 2006, 03:10 PM) [snapback]270059[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for the tips. How long did it take for Miller Toyota to get you the regular plates? I purchased from them as well and they indicated that due to the new HOV law that 6/20 was their cutoff for getting regular plates in time to make the clean fuel applications deadline. They said about 2 weeks for the regular tags to arrive so based on that I should be okay. What do you mean they wrote the "earliest dates that you could fax" on the top? I thought that once you had the regular plates and title number you could fax right away??[/b]

Here's what our timeline was:

4/12 - car delivered - temp. tags
4/20 - car was registered & permanent tags issued
4/27 - the earliest date I could fax the form to DMV
5/4 - received my Clean Fuel plates in the mail

About the "earliest date" - DMV says to allow 7 days for the title number to make it through their system. Without a title number on record at DMV, they won't issue Clean Fuel plates.

If Miller is saying 6/20 is their cutoff, that means that they are figuring that getting the regular plates by then would mean that their customers could fax the form to DMV on or after 6/27 ... and that allows DMV to receive and process the application prior to July 1st. You may not get your plates until after the 1st, but as long as DMV has received and processed your application before the 1st, you'll be ok.

[kstorey]

I'll cross my fingers that all goes as planned. Thanks again for the info.

[NoVaSnow]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusmatic @ Jun 12 2006, 08:29 PM) [snapback]270234[/snapback]</div>

I'll cross my fingers that all goes as planned. Thanks again for the info.
[/b]

I would stay in touch with Miller by phone. I knew my real (non-clean fuel) plates had arrived when I received a postcard. That means they sent the postcard at least a day earlier, and the plates may have arrived a day before that.

Call every day. Ask them what time they usually receive plates from Richmond. Stay on top of it to knock off a day or two in the process.

Good luck.

[p21usa]

I made the mistake of trying to go to my local DMV to apply for the Clean Fuel plates ( I didn't want to put my Credit Card number on a fax). I live outside northern VA so my DMV had no idea what I was talking about! Long story short...an hour later I went back to my office and within 10 minutes faxed my info to Richmond. That was Thursday, June 30 and I just recieved the plates in the mail today. My only question is...what do I do with the old plates?

[kstorey]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(p21usa @ Jul 3 2006, 10:52 PM) [snapback]280781[/snapback]</div>

I made the mistake of trying to go to my local DMV to apply for the Clean Fuel plates ( I didn't want to put my Credit Card number on a fax). I live outside northern VA so my DMV had no idea what I was talking about! Long story short...an hour later I went back to my office and within 10 minutes faxed my info to Richmond. That was Thursday, June 30 and I just recieved the plates in the mail today. My only question is...what do I do with the old plates?
[/b]

I had the same question. It's probably like any other time you move out of state. The plates get re-issued to someone else. We have a bunch from moving and selling vehicles that are just sitting in a pile in the garage. I guess you can probably return them. I don't know if I would trash them... makes it easy for someone to steal plates for a non registered vehicle.

[NoVaSnow]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusmatic @ Jul 4 2006, 10:32 AM) [snapback]280966[/snapback]</div>

I had the same question. It's probably like any other time you move out of state. The plates get re-issued to someone else. We have a bunch from moving and selling vehicles that are just sitting in a pile in the garage. I guess you can probably return them. I don't know if I would trash them... makes it easy for someone to steal plates for a non registered vehicle.
[/b]

I just returned the unused plates to my local DMV. I don't know if they'll reissue them, but I hope they can at least recycyle them.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(p21usa @ Jul 3 2006, 10:52 PM) [snapback]280781[/snapback]</div>

I made the mistake of trying to go to my local DMV to apply for the Clean Fuel plates ( I didn't want to put my Credit Card number on a fax). I live outside northern VA so my DMV had no idea what I was talking about! Long story short...an hour later I went back to my office and within 10 minutes faxed my info to Richmond. That was Thursday, June 30 and I just recieved the plates in the mail today. My only question is...what do I do with the old plates?
[/b]

My dealer instructed me to not pay when I faxed the form. That was correct. I received an invoice from DMV a week later and just sent them a check.