Kryndon
Proven Member
- 944
- 591
- Jan 10, 2014
-
Bulgaria,
Europe
It's no news that Eagle as a standalone brand doesn't exist anymore. It got dissolved on July 4th, 1999. Yet, it technically came out of the same factory that the Mitsubishis came out of. Even the VIN plate on Eagle Talons, for example, state "Mitsubishi Motors North America".
Yet, the VIN itself is coded specifically for Eagle. For example, a GSX's VIN might start like "4MB" or "4A3", where the M and A indicate Mitsubishi specifically. In that case, no matter where you are in the world, such VINs do show up as an actual 2G turbo Eclipse in most places, shops and dealerships.
But what about an Eagle-specific VIN? One that starts as "4E3", E signifying Eagle? Well, so far it seems you're shit out of luck. Not a single shop, parts store or dealership has managed to decode it. I can still find out proper part numbers from CAPS using other VINs or subsections, but the issue is with the legal documents.
Who do you turn to when you want to have a technical document made that confirms what engine this car came with, based on chassis number, what sort of power it has etc...? I went to the Mitsubishi representative here, told them about my case, and they called back saying they cannot decode the VIN. It simply doesn't show up.
When I bought the car originally, the document (I guess what you call a 'title' in the US?) stated 191 kW, or 260 hp. How in the world did they determine that? Turbo DSMs came out with ~214 HP from factory. Even if the PO upgraded the car, there is not a legal way here in Europe to change what the documents say and list the car with more horsepower. Even if you take it to a dyno, they don't accept such 'proof'.
So right now I'm paying almost twice as much because it's listed incorrectly as being more powerful. Mitsubishi here don't seem to be able to help. And we don't even have a Chrysler representative/dealership. But I wonder, would Mitsubishi or Chrysler based off in the US be able to look up this VIN correctly and provide a legal, technical confirmation of factory specs? Have any of you folks in the States ever had experience with this? Those of you who own Eagles, can you even get your VIN decoded properly in parts stores?
Just one of the downsides of owning a 'rare' car, I guess...
Yet, the VIN itself is coded specifically for Eagle. For example, a GSX's VIN might start like "4MB" or "4A3", where the M and A indicate Mitsubishi specifically. In that case, no matter where you are in the world, such VINs do show up as an actual 2G turbo Eclipse in most places, shops and dealerships.
But what about an Eagle-specific VIN? One that starts as "4E3", E signifying Eagle? Well, so far it seems you're shit out of luck. Not a single shop, parts store or dealership has managed to decode it. I can still find out proper part numbers from CAPS using other VINs or subsections, but the issue is with the legal documents.
Who do you turn to when you want to have a technical document made that confirms what engine this car came with, based on chassis number, what sort of power it has etc...? I went to the Mitsubishi representative here, told them about my case, and they called back saying they cannot decode the VIN. It simply doesn't show up.
When I bought the car originally, the document (I guess what you call a 'title' in the US?) stated 191 kW, or 260 hp. How in the world did they determine that? Turbo DSMs came out with ~214 HP from factory. Even if the PO upgraded the car, there is not a legal way here in Europe to change what the documents say and list the car with more horsepower. Even if you take it to a dyno, they don't accept such 'proof'.
So right now I'm paying almost twice as much because it's listed incorrectly as being more powerful. Mitsubishi here don't seem to be able to help. And we don't even have a Chrysler representative/dealership. But I wonder, would Mitsubishi or Chrysler based off in the US be able to look up this VIN correctly and provide a legal, technical confirmation of factory specs? Have any of you folks in the States ever had experience with this? Those of you who own Eagles, can you even get your VIN decoded properly in parts stores?
Just one of the downsides of owning a 'rare' car, I guess...