question on replacement vin decals

[Mike Orton]

On the old forum there was a lengthy discussion on the vin labels being reproduced. One of the drp shops locally in my area has been using one of the vendors and getting paid for it with markup even by the bottom dweller insurers.

I am attending a local meeting of shop owners thurday evening and the owner or saleman for one of the companies is speaking to a group. What would be a pertinent question with regard to reproducing the labels. I do not remember what the consensus thinking was here at the time.

[Bill]

I had a new SRT8 Challenger in my shop that got wounded in the left door after the sale but before the owner took delivery and had the task of putting this never driven car back to never wrecked condition and the VIN label came into the equation.
I contacted Automotive ID, one of the vendors that is providing these "replacement" labels and learned from them that these labels are in no way exact reproductions of the originals and are not intended to be. They are clearlt sold as "aftermarket replacements".
As I understood the process, one takes a digital photograph of the label you are replacing and they reproduce it on stock that they have cut to resemble the original. Under the circumstances I was facing, aftermarket reproduction would have been totally unacceptable. I learned that if the right people are contacted, replacement originals CAN be obtained from the factory. I have been successful in getting them from Ford and from Chrysler but I will admit it is time consuming and a pain in the neck to do.

[DWyatt]

be would be in the best interest of the shop to check with the DMV about replacing the vin label, it maybe a no no. It is a no no here in NC.

[Roy Smalley]

Lots of heat on this subject many times. But not much light. It is a tough subject due to state and federal regulations that are tough to negotiate.

Legitimate shops that I know do this and have for some time including transferring the label and they say they have researched it and it is legal. I am not aware that anyone has a written authorization so if it exists, I would like to see it.

However, I think the label was put there in the first place probably due to a federal regulation to cut down on stealing and parting cars, and transferring labels would circumvent that intent, as might replacement labels.

I have always had a question in my mind on this since back then it involved primarily Lexus to start. Is this carrying "restored back to original" too far and is more an intent to mask prior damage that would be clearly indicated by a missing label?

I would be very interested if people would post whether they do it, and their authority.



On the old forum there was a lengthy discussion on the vin labels being reproduced. One of the drp shops locally in my area has been using one of the vendors and getting paid for it with markup even by the bottom dweller insurers.

I am attending a local meeting of shop owners Thursday evening and the owner or sale man for one of the companies is speaking to a group. What would be a pertinent question with regard to reproducing the labels. I do not remember what the consensus thinking was here at the time.