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1G help with vin swapped car

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acrazyjohnny

Proven Member
65
4
Oct 21, 2014
harrison, New_Jersey
ok i bought a car from someone who buys dsm cars and parts them out (dsmpartout.com).the car only has one vin tag (dash). the car was painted and they did the door jambs same color. idk if at the same time the rear driverside 1/4 was replaced or if it was before the paint. any way i dont have the dsm aluminum tag under the hood. tomorrow im gonna look for the sticker on the door jamb(i saw no cracking of the paint on the door jamb of where the sticker would be painted over). is there a place we can get them reproduced. im not trying to change any just trying to clean this shell up as it has a clean 124k mile title. my current daily has a salvage title and a whole heap of other issues.

thanks in advace for any help
 
Shouldn't be too hard to read that VIN tag on the dash..and that's the one the DMV inspectors will go after to verify the VIN on the registration when you get ready to make it street legal.

They may not want to accept any other adhesive tags throughout the shell.

Usually, and on the hatchback lid area, there is a small adhesive tag that carries the VIN as well.

Really pick that shell apart to find these small adhesive tags.

Good luck - DSM
 
I'm mainly looking for the peace of mind. Of having them where I know they go. on all my other cars it was stamped into the firewall. I'm gonna check and make sure the others match the dash I think that's more what I'm afraid of finding another different vin somewhere else.
 
peace of mind because there is only one place the vin is visible. that place is quite easy to change just by swapping another dash or new rivets.I don't want to be the one to find out someone swapped tags on a car I bought. i do not think the guy I bought it off of is shady. but who knows the previous owner or any before him. I see no reason to remove the under hood tag or to paint over the door vin sticker. That's what the peace of mind is for.

The reproduction tags would be to be put in place of the ones missing

Also thanks for the replys guidance
 
Last edited:
Turns out I was right on, with my feeling. The car was tagged (vins were cleaned off and the put a dash from another car). to make things worse. the person I purchased the car from will not give me what I paid for the car. Now the car is not worth the 650 I payed for It. I'm so freaking pissed after all the work I put in to this car this is what I get. Wtf
 
First, it's a federal offense to screw with VIN tags. Whoever removed the VIN tags can be held liable and face serious penalties/fines. You'd be hard pressed to prove who did it and prosecute the offender, though. Pursuing it would be more of a hassle and cost more than your shell is worth IMO. The crappy part is, you could possibly possess a stolen car. On the flip side, if the VIN on the dash is the only existing identifier on the car and it matches the title (and it's clean), it would be just as hard for someone to prove the car was stolen. I would immediately run a carfax on the VIN you have, and confirm it's not stolen. I would politely ask DSMpartout to cover the cost of the report, as I think they should.

What happened to you does really suck. I would like to think the seller was completely upfront with you about the history of the car. It's highly possible they simply didn't know, or bother to check into the history of the car. DSMpartout is an establishment that does just that; takes DSMs and parts them out. I doubt they bother to vette many of the vehicles they get due to the frequency and nature or their business. Although, if they acquire a car they intend to resell, they should absolutely make sure it's legit in every way before passing it along to any customer. Although, I'd say in this day and age, it's almost as much of the buyer's responsibility as it is the seller's to vette a used vehicle before purchase/sale. Unless you bought the car sight unseen, you should have easily identified this upon initial inspection before the purchase.

Here's the bottom line, it's highly unlikely someone is going to seize your 20 year old DSM because the VIN on the dash is the only one present (assuming the current VIN is clean). I understand your concerns, (which are valid) but at this point there's nothing you can do about it if the seller refuses to return your money and take the car back. There is no legitimate way I'm aware of to recreate a VIN plate. Think about that for a second...RECREATE a legitimate VIN plate. If there was a company somewhere recreating VIN plates for money, grand theft auto would suddenly become a very popular career path for a lot more people. Suffice it to say, you aren't getting new VIN plates, and are stuck with what you have.

Honestly dude, if the shell is clean and the VINs on the dash and title match, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Run the VIN on the dash and confirm it's not stolen. If it's clean, carry on and build the car just as you have been. You'll need to make the best of a $hitty situation here.
 
Dsms don't have a vin stamped into the firewall. There is a firewall plate that's its not in place. Turns out they removed all the vins but one hidden in the trunk I'll post pics up when I get home
 

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