Vin Etching: A Pretty Good Idea

[VTburban]

Hey guys, I've noticed a few posts about stolen rides, and it got me thinking. In my area, stolen vehicles are rare, but thefts from vehicles and theft of vehicle parts is prevalent. Nothing says "take me" like a nice set of rims, and in many cases there is little chance of getting them back when they're gone. VIN etching, something I had not heard of until recently, is the practice of applying your vehicle's VIN to any part of the vehicle you like; windshields, wheels, whatever. Should your vehicle be stolen and stripped, or parts stolen from your ride, the VIN can be entered into NCIC (National Crime Information Center) as stolen. While it's no guarantee that you will recover your stolen items, it certainly won't hurt, and should help you identify the stolen parts as yours, should they be recovered. Here's a wiki article on the subject, which gives some suggestions for how to get this done:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIN_etching

Anyone with experience in this area, please chime in. I'm considering it for the future and would like to hear about any problems or success stories.

 

[Modded]

I can see this being pretty handy. I think Toyoya SUVs have the VIN etched into the factory windows too.
I would etch my wheels and wait for an ******* to steal them. So when I pull in the WalMart parking lot and see it on someones car I can verify it, call the cops, then sit on their hood and wait for them to come out.

 

[sumo]

Yes good ldea, But DONT get it at a dealer. You can order these online for like 20 bucks where the dealer may charge you around 500. They come with templates of the vin, q tips and solution. You apply it by putting the the stencil where you want, Dip the q tip in the jar of the solution and apply over the template. Its like a acid and it will etch itself onto the surface applied. You can add silver flakes or what ever to make the Vin stand out more. I only do this on glass and so far the silver flake is gone, but the vin etching is still there and clearly visable.

 

[InTruckDesign]

windows on my burban were already done when I picked it up...not sure why. I mean when is the last time someone stole all the windows out of your car/suv/truck? They usually take the whole thing and around here it's parted and burnt or parted and shipped overseas...like I really want the call telling me they found my rear passenger side glass.

 

[Gzes]

Ive thught about it beforebut on the del sol i wiall vvin etch becaueyeathey are theft magnets.....

 

[edgaranah1]

Ive thught about it beforebut on the del sol i wiall vvin etch becaueyeathey are theft magnets.....

What? Lol
J/K

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[Hammer450R]

windows on my burban were already done when I picked it up...not sure why. I mean when is the last time someone stole all the windows out of your car/suv/truck? They usually take the whole thing and around here it's parted and burnt or parted and shipped overseas...like I really want the call telling me they found my rear passenger side glass.

I think its for when they steal your truck and change the vin tag, then you have othe places to look.

My brother bought a 87 vette from a dealer and when he told me the only brakes that would work were 86's i started looking and sure enough it was a stolen car with a new door and new vin tag.

 

[randuff]

Yes good ldea, But DONT get it at a dealer. You can order these online for like 20 bucks where the dealer may charge you around 500. They come with templates of the vin, q tips and solution. You apply it by putting the the stencil where you want, Dip the q tip in the jar of the solution and apply over the template. Its like a acid and it will etch itself onto the surface applied. You can add silver flakes or what ever to make the Vin stand out more. I only do this on glass and so far the silver flake is gone, but the vin etching is still there and clearly visable.

Yes I work at a dealer (we don't sell VIN etching here) and it is a HUGE profit center, sometime charging customers upwards of $895 to do this, even though it comes with a $5000 theft guarantee usually it's not worth it. Many local police departments will do this for free.

windows on my burban were already done when I picked it up...not sure why. I mean when is the last time someone stole all the windows out of your car/suv/truck? They usually take the whole thing and around here it's parted and burnt or parted and shipped overseas...like I really want the call telling me they found my rear passenger side glass.

Your burb was probably not originally from the dealer you but a dealer trade and the original dealer put it on there.

I can see this being pretty handy. I think Toyoya SUVs have the VIN etched into the factory windows too.
I would etch my wheels and wait for an ******* to steal them. So when I pull in the WalMart parking lot and see it on someones car I can verify it, call the cops, then sit on their hood and wait for them to come out.

Gulf States Toyota does this with most of the vehicles that come out of their distribution port.

 

[DStockton]

What a rip off

 

[uptown_nyc]

Dealer just tried to add this to my purchase without every discussing it with me. They quickly removed the charge when I asked what the mystery $200 accessories charge was. Guess I'll find out tomorrow whether the VIN is already etched.

 

[FrankU]

We don't call 'em STEALERSHIP for nothing !

 

[adventurenali92]

Interesting thread. I pulled a hatch glass of off a 2002 Escalade in my local pick and pull yard, to replace a hatch that was starting to have lift support separation. The 2002 esky hatch has the VIN of the truck it came off of, etched into the glass. I never knew it was a thing until I saw that.

 

[gooffeyguy]

I remember seeing dealers doing this back in the '90s. I always wondered how big of a problem stolen glass was, lol.

Now my 95 mustang came from the factory with these hard to remove stickers with the VIN/barcode on it placed inconspicuously on every body panel

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[petethepug]

Our 07 Beetle Vert was purchased used. It has VIN etching and stickers on the glass warning of it. The selling dealer tried to charge me for it again when the previous owner had already paid for it.

I’ve never seen an F&I guy get so nervous when I asked why he was charging me for something his last customer had already paid for listed as “VIN Identifier Plus”. He was as white as a sheet and got all sweaty.


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