Personalized plate to speed up the CA carpool sticker application?

It can speed up the process, but not the way you did it.

This is what I did.

I bought my Prius. I had a VIN number and the paperwork from the sale. The dealership faxes the stuff from their end.

Within a day or two, I went online to the DMV website and I purchased a personalized license plate, using my car's VIN number. After they confirmed that they had accepted my personalized license plate I then went online to apply for the HOV stickers. It's a pdf you fill out and then mail in with a check. I filled it out using my VIN number and my personalized license plate info. Even though I didn't have the plates they *had* accepted it so it was in the system. So I mailed that in.

I got my personlized plates about a week after the regular plates arrived. I got the regular in the mail and a notice to take the regular plates to the DMV to exchange them for the personalized ones. A little after that my HOV stickers arrived.

Yes, personalized plates does reduce the amount of time it takes.

I would NOT have ordered the personalized plates before I bought the car. I think that would just slow down the process of getting them assigned to your new car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Eco Bunny 2 @ Jul 26 2006, 03:14 PM) [snapback]292793[/snapback]</div>

No matter what you did, the BEST way to speed it up is to go back to the dealership and have them run a DMV report. They are tapped into a special system with the DMV that will give them your plate number immediately after they process the registration (can be within days of the sale). This information is not available if you call the DMV yourself. They will be able to give you your plate number immediately. Use that plate number to send your application. If your personalized plates have been attached to your VIN nubmer, it will show on that report. Otherwise, if you wait for the plates, it can take a lot longer then 2 weeks (took 5-6 wks for mine!).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Eco Bunny 2 @ Jul 26 2006, 03:14 PM) [snapback]292793[/snapback]</div>

I can't speak to whether vanity plates speed things up, but I didn't need to wait for a license plate in order to apply for the stickers. http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...09&#entry216409 was my story. I don't recall when my plates arrived but I definitely didn't have any plates when I mailed out the Fastrak paperwork (not needed for you So Cal folks).

 

If worse comes to worse, couldn't you go to the dealership, get them to hand you the DMV paperwork, and then physically go to the DMV yourself, wait in line and walk out with plates in hand?