I bought my prius two days ago, any chance I will still get the green car pool sticker? Should I wait for plates or mail the form in now?
There are a couple of current threads on this subject. Apparently your dealer didn't get your car's sticker in advance, as they are allowed? How lame. You do need the plate number to get it yourself. You can call DMV in a few days to see if they have a plate assigned. A dealer who is really customer oriented can get the plates for you in a day or two. Check with the dealer first.
Too bad. I had mine within three days, including mailing from the dealer. It just means the dealer has to send an employee to a DMV office.
Search the forums for HOV stickers. Posters have been tracking the numbers and guesstimating when they will run out. A lot of them are in the hands of dealers with cars on hand or on their way, so it's hard to judge accurately. There are also posts about calling to get your plate number early.
My dealer expedited my plates. I got them in about 4 days - before my car even arrived! Yes I pre-bought my car sight unseen to ensure I would get a decal. which luckily I did!
Fortunately, my dealer uses a third party service to file vehicle registrations electronically. I was able to convince my dealer to expedite my registration and I got my assigned plate # within a couple of days. My physical plates arrived about a week later in the mail. DMV processed my HOV application quickly. I mailed my HOV application on 8/19 and received my stickers on 8/30.
Most dealers now use electronic registration service. About a week after I purchased my PiP, I was at the Auto Club paying my membership and asked the clerk to check the DMV records to see if the car had been registered. It was not. I called the dealership and asked them to get it registered and send me the plate number. Took couple of days, but they did and texted me the plate number. Received the plates the following day directly from the dealership. My advise is to call the dealership and ask if they electronic register their vehicles. If so, they can get you the plate number which is needed to apply for the sticker. Here's my timeline: 8/8 - vehicle purchased. 8/20 - dealer got me the plate number and mailed the application. 8/22 - DMV received the application. 8/29 - $8.00 check cashed. Today....waiting for the sticker. As for getting the sticker, I'm guessing you're cutting it very, very close. But nothing ventured, nothing gained....and you really have nothing to loose. If you don't get it in this round, the State just passed AB 2013 which will increase the number of stickers from 55,000 to 70,000. It'll kick in January 1, 2015 so you'll need to wait few months. Hope this helps. Good luck.
All new franchise dealership in ca register cars electronically it's mandated by the state. If you financed your the delay is the dealership is waiting for the bank to fund the car. If you paid by check the dealership is waiting the check to clear. In either situation you could nicely call and ask to speak with the dmv clerk and see If she/he could expedited processing your vehicle electronically. The dmv allowed dealers to preorder stickers ten at a time for a two week period after the second waive of stickers had been granted. Hope this helps.
I just bought mine at Longo (El Monte, CA). I got my stickers about 3 days afterwards. I dont know how, I filled out all the DMV work at time of sale. Maybe they had a runner to go get them after they accumulate a bunch??
I also just bought one from Longo last week. They already had the green sticker for it which really sealed the deal.
