VIN NUMBERS

[BUICKX]

Subject: VIN on your car...

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>> Your "VIN" (Vehicle Identification Number) should be covered.

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Seems that car thieves have found yet another way to steal your car or truck without any effort at all. The car thieves peer through the windshield of your car or truck, write down the VIN from the label on the dash, go to the local car dealership and request a duplicate key based on the VIN.

The Car Dealer's Parts Department will make a duplicate key from the VIN, and collect payment from the thief who will return to your car. He doesn't have to break in, do any damage to the vehicle, or draw attention to himself. All he has to do is walk up to your car, insert the key and off he goes to a local Chop Shop with your vehicle.

You don't believe it? It IS that easy.

To avoid this from happening to you, simply put some tape (electrical tape, duct tape or medical tape) across the VIN Metal Label located on the dash board. You can also slip a 3 x 5 card over the VIN. By law, you cannot remove the VIN, but you can cover it so it can't be viewed through the windshield by a car thief.

I urge you to forward this to your friends before some other car thief steals another car or truck. I didn't believe this e-mail, so I called a friend at Chrysler and pretended I had lost my keys. They told me to just bring in the VIN and they would cut me one on the spot, and I could order the keyless device if I wanted as well, using the same VIN.

[GMPARTSMAN]

Well, at least in GM dealers, we have to go into a website called Dealer World to access key codes. We have individual passwords to use to enter, and our usage is tracked by the corporation.

Also, several years ago, we (meaning dealership employees) were directed by a GM

internal memo that we needed positive proof of ownership ( and identification )to protect us from involvement in vehicle theft schemes through unauthorized duplication of keys. Personally, I have refused on several ocassions to make keys for individuals, even with proof of ownership and identification if I have believed that there was some chance of fraudulent usage of the keys. Such as the remark of one person that he wanted to make sure that the keys would work as he was taking the car back from his soon to be ex-wife. General Motors stated in this memo that the dealership and it's employee could be considered a accessory to theft if these guidelines for checking identification were not followed. Sorry, but that's not my idea of fun to do some time for someone else's car theft scheme.

[NTX5467]

This is very accurate. GM is VERY specific about the people coming in to get the replacement keys having valid picture ID and proof of ownership. As stated, they can track the access to the key code part of DealerWorld just as easily as any other Internet activity can be tracked, which is VERY accurately.

What I also do, when presented with a replacement key situation is make a copy of the driver's license/photo ID and the other documents presented in order to get the key. Then, I put that information, with the key code printout, in a file that I purge yearly. That way, if there are any questions, I will have the specific information of who the person was.

I highly suspect that Ford and DaimlerChrysler and others have similar corporate policies on replacement keys. I'd rather make a customer mad or tell them to call Roadside Assistance than have anything to do with a vehicle theft--even if they start talking about what good friends they are with our dealer principal or other dealership people (who also know the rules we have to play by).

As for deliberately covering up the VIN plate on the vehicle, that in itself might raise the eyebrows of the law enforcement community as they would probably not presume you to be "protecting yourself", but "hiding something" instead, especially as some vehicle thefts might not be discovered until days after they happen. That would be the owner's judgment call to do that as they are the ones "splaining" that activity to the law enforcement people.

Of course, if you have an OnStar subscription on your newer GM vehicle, they can find it if has been stolen and is still driving around. There's also another aftermarket version of a similar service. From what I understand, LoJack is much more "hit and miss" in finding vehicles than OnStar might be; something about a LoJack receiver-equipped police car has to be in the same area as the LoJack equipped vehicle that has been stolen.

Seems that the news people like to replay that VIN/key story every so often. It can be an awareness situation, but as the dealership people have seen the same things we've seen from the manufacturers, I would hope that the prevalence of easily getting a key "as depicted" would be greatly reduced. If they do find some dealership employees participating in such a situation, that would lead them right to the real operatives with very little extra effort.

As stated, sometimes watching body lanquage and listening for other conversational cues by the people desiring the keys can be the tip-off that something is not what it needs to be. People that have genuinely locked their keys in the cars typically act and conduct themselves in a particular manner and most probably will not complain about complying with corporate policy in this area. Nor do they complain about supplying me with their picture ID, which I then make a copy of.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Guest 53and61]

Thanks for the tip, WHITEX. I recently requested a new key for my foreign late-model driver at a dealer's parts department. They cut a key from the VIN on the spot with no questions asked. The black tape goes on the VIN plate tomorrow AM.