Replacing your Pennsylvania License Plate for Free, Part II

Written by ASC Title & Tags Thursday April 19, 2018

In our last article, we explained how PennDot has initiated a program called DEFY designed to replace any license plate that starts with the letters D, E, F & Y. The replacement only takes place when you transfer the plate to another vehicle. If you keep your vehicle another 20 years, potentially you could have that same battered plate on your car. We offered another option in that article.

The second option is to go to your local inspection station and have them take a look at your license plate. The requirements for replacement include if the plastic laminate is starting to de-laminate. This normally happens around the screw area. It is easily identifiable by the glue that allows dirt to stick, making the area look black.

The MV-46 form is the Golden ticket to getting that plate replaced. This is what it looks like:

The inspection mechanic will fill out this form and give it back to you. It is your responsibility to submit this form to Penndot. While the form is actually a postcard, we highly recommend that the MV-46 be placed in an envelope. Too often a thin paper postcard can get mangled in the automation of the postal service. Spend the extra couple cents and use the envelope.

We recently tested this process to see how it worked. A quick stop at one of our local inspection stations where they examined my plate:

They filled out the MV-46 in just a minute or two. We mailed it in the next day. Less than 2 weeks later, here is our shiny new plate, FOR FREE!!

The package does come with a card inside for you to fill out and send your old plate back

If you don't want to pay the postage, ASC Title & Tags returns them to Penndot for free! Give it a try. Get a new plate. Don't pay for it. Make the rear end of your car look good again!

Here are some of the local inspection stations that can help you with this:

Eagle Service Center
37 Pottstown Pike, Chester Springs, PA 19425
610-458-5879

Eagle Enterprises
222 Font Rd, Downingtown, PA 19335
610-458-5371

McCurdy & Sons
964 Pottstown Pike, Chester Springs, PA 19425
610-321-0222

DZM Automotive
541 Pottstown Pike, Chester Springs, PA 19425
610-458-3969