Re: VIN again

[farna@xxxxxxx]

Hmmm.. well, it's tampering with the vehicle's identity anyway, so I see your point. I was referring to changing the actual number. That's why the "check digit" was introduced in the 80s, to easily see that the number itself had been changed. 

I don't know if there IS a strictly legal way to change the VIN on a vehicle. You can get a salvage title or even a new VIN issued in some states as long as certain circumstances are met though. A custom car can get a title as a "home built" vehicle in SC and WA by filling out the proper paperwork and getting a safety inspection from the highway patrol. I've done that in SC and know someone who's done it in WA 10 or so years ago (law could have changed in both states by now). 

This does get back to how likely you are to get caught/called on the action. If it's a ho-hum car (like a Gremlin) that isn't being passed off as something more than it is, it's not likely -- the risk of anyone caring is so low that I wouldn't think very hard about it if I had a title with a rusty/beat car and had a good similar car without a title -- especially if it was difficult to get the good car titled in any other way. Now if it were a good Rogue and a beat SC/Rambler there might be a big problem down the road, because someone may discover the hidden VIN during a restoration or repair. In that case it would seriously affect the value of the car and could lead to a seller getting sued for misrepresenation. 

On July 8, 2005 Andre K Jacobs wrote:

> Frank
> If you take a VIN tag off a car, you have just TAMPERED with it. The VIN
> and door tags are held in place by "rosette" rivets. These are security
> rivets, that are NOT supposed to fall in to the general public hands,
> WHY, because IF you take the numbers off of a car and put it on another
> one, you would have to attach the tag with something other then the
> special rivets, cop sees that, he knows the VIN has been TAMPERED with,
> and WHY would anybody do that. Stolen car...........???? Like I said
> before, I don't know all the laws on it, and yes they do rebody cars all
> the time, and yes people get away with it, BUT there are legal issues
> here. V.I.N. = vehicle IDENTIFICATION number. You could call this
> identity theft!  Just like using a fake name, now go to the courts and
> have it LEGALLY changed.
> 
> Andre " A.J." Jacobs,
> web page http://southtexasamc.tripod.com
>  (830)-980-3165 , akjamc@xxxxxxxx
> 
> Owner & Proprietor, South Texas AMC


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