VIN Numbers and Car Thieves

• April
• 8

A chain letter circulating claims that you should cover the VIN number of your car so that car thieves can’t use it to duplicate your keys and steal your car.

Is it possible that a thief could use the VIN number to get duplicate keys for your car?

Yes, it is possible. However, unless they find a car dealer who is willing to order them without a title or registration plus ID, then the VIN number alone will do them very little good. Now, granted some car dealerships may replace keys without proper ID, but not many. Even as a dealer who is familiar with the service reps down at the local New Car Dealerships, they won’t create a copy of a key without the title in hand. It is also true that there have been some car theft rings that were very sophisticated and could forge a new title that would look legit. Since making a new title that doesn’t look suspicious, then showing up in-person at a reputable dealership to trick them into duplicating keys is a bold and risky move, it seems unlikely a thief would want to put himself in such a vulnerable position. If you look into it there are very few examples of car theft rings operating in this way. The latest example, in Atlanta, was targeting high end vehicles at dealerships rather than those in private ownership (presumably because the target vehicle is more likely to be in the same spot for a longer period of time).

Key Point: The vast majority of cars are not stolen this way.

The two most common tools for stealing your car are your own keys, or a screwdriver. I’ve seen several sites that claim that at least 70 percent of the car thefts are by non-professionals. Your car’s VIN number is your best protection for getting the vehicle back. It should probably be written or scratched into your car in more places, not less.

I visited many law enforcement sites about car theft and they say nothing about covering your VIN number to discourage thieves, but instead these sites encourage you to write your VIN number all over the car, including on your most valuable car parts and etching it onto all the windows of the vehicle. After a car is stolen, if the thief wants to resell the car, then the first thing a car thief wants to do is get rid of the old VIN number and replace it with a new one. They will create a title to go with it and then resell (fence) the vehicle. Many law enforcement officials believe that thieves will not steal any vehicle that has the VIN number etched on all the windows because they will have to replace these windows before they can get rid of your car. This will cost them a great deal of money and significantly slow the turn around on processing your car and fencing it. If you etch the number on the car parts it will make chopping it more time consuming.

You can make up your own mind. Although, covering the VIN number might give you peace of mind it is unlikely to protect you from most thieves.

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Resetting Tire Pressure Switch on 2004 Toyota Highlander

• March
• 31

Today, we had put new tires on a 2004 Toyota Highlander 2wd after which, the TPMS light came on. The light looked something like one of these. Anyway, looking in the owners manual only revealed that we are supposed to take it to the dealer to get it reset. Well, looking around under the dash revealed that there is a little round black button, that when sitting in the truck, will be below your left knee. If you press and hold this button for about three seconds, the TPMS light will flash and then go out. Your Tire Pressure monitoring system should now be reset.

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Verifying VIN numbers to make sure they are correct

• March
• 30

Well I learned something new the other day. And that was how to make verify VIN numbers are correct by using a formula. Very similar to Credit Card Numbers, VIN numbers also have what they call a “Check Digit” to verify that the VIN number is correct. Determine if a VIN is correct To determine check digit (Always 9th digit) of your car you need to take the VIN and assign any letters in the VIN with a set value (number) as follows:

  A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, D = 4, E = 5, F = 6, G = 7, H = 8,
J = 1, K = 2, L = 3, M = 4, N = 5, O = 6, P = 7, R = 9,
S = 2, T = 3, U = 4, V = 5, W = 6, X = 7, Y = 8, Z = 9

Any numbers in the VIN remain the same (not replaced) and thus you have a 17 digit number. Then you must multiply each of the 17 digits by a set “weight” (multiplier). The weight applied to each digit is as follows:

  1st = 8, 2nd = 7, 3rd = 6, 4th = 5, 5th = 4, 6th = 3, 7th = 2, 8th = 10,
9th = 0 (check digit), 10th = 9, 11th = 8, 12th = 7, 13th = 6, 14th = 5,
15th = 4, 16th = 3, 17th = 2

After multiplying each VIN digit by the associated weight - add up the results of all 17 products. Then divide by 11 and the remainder is your check digit. If the remained is 10, then the check digit is ‘X’. Here’s an example: VIN = 1G1BL52P7TR115520 (note ‘7′ is the check digit)

VIN                1 G 1 B L 5 2 P  7 T R 1 1 5 5 2 0

Assigned Values    1 7 1 2 3 5 2 7  7 3 9 1 1 5 5 2 0

Multiplier         8 7 6 5 4 3 2 10 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Add the products:  (1 X 8 ) + (7 X 7) + (1 X 6) ... (0 X 2) = 337

Divide 337 by 11 which gives you 30, and a remainder of 7 which is the same as the 9th digit of the VIN.

The locations of vehicle identification numbers (VIN) vary but the following are the common places to find them:

Firewall of the vehicle
Radiator Support Bracket
Dash by windshield
Left hand inner wheel arch
Steering column
Guarantee & Maintenance Book
Machined Pad on front of engine
Drivers door or post on passenger side
Component parts as listed above -e.g.- engine, frame, etc.
Later model years most common locations of the VIN:

Left instrumentation panel
Dash plate by window
Drivers door or post
Firewall

The following VIN Character Decoding information is only a partial guide.

1st Character - Country of Origin

1 = United States 9 = Brazil V = France* * 2nd Character = F may indicate that the vehicle was manufactured in France, unless it is a Ford. Example: The first 2 Characters of a Peugeot or a Renault are both: VF

2 = Canada J = Japan V = Yugoslavia

3 = Mexico K = Korea W = Germany

4 & 5 = United States L = Taiwan Y = Sweden

6 = Australia S = England Z = Italy

2nd Character: Here is a partial list of common manufacturers:

A = Audi, Mitsubishi, Range Rover, American Motors, Sterling, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Jaguar

B = Dodge

C = Chrysler. Checker, Delorian, some Geo Metro’s and Trackers

D = Daihatsu and Mercedes E = Eagle

F = Ford, some Subaru’s i.e. Forrester and Impreza, Fiat, Peugeot, Renault and Ferrari. Note regarding Subaru, Fiat Peugot, Renault and Ferrari, the 2nd Character = F, means the vehicle was manufactured in France.

G = General Motors (Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Saturn, and some Geo Metro’s and Tracker’s)

H = Honda and Acura J = Jeep L = Lancia, Daewoo and Lincoln M = Hyundai and Mini

N = Infinity, Nissan, Kia and Ford Aspires

P = Porshe and Plymouth

S = Isuzu, Saab, some Subaru’s (i.e. Baja and Legacy) and Suzuki

T = Toyota and Lexus U = Aro V = Volkswagen and Volvo X = Yugo

Y = Mazda and Geo Prizm Z = Mercury

2 = Avanti 3 = American General (Hummer) 8 = Chevrolet Luv and Geo Storm 9 = Acura

3rd through 8th Characters allocated to Manufacturer.

They use these digits to reflect body type, Car line, restraint system, engine, braking system, etc. All Domestic Manufacturers use 8th Character for the engine.

9th Character is a Check Digit.

It is determined by carrying out a mathematical computation developed by the Department of Transportation (DOT). *Einstein’s Theory of the Check Digit - will be discussed later in this article.

10th Character - Year of Manufacture

B = 1981 G = 1986 M = 1991 T = 1996 1 = 2001 6 = 2006

C = 1982 H = 1987 N = 1992 V = 1997 2 = 2002 7 = 2007

D = 1983 J = 1988 P = 1993 W = 1998 3 = 2003 8 = 2008

E = 1984 K = 1989 R = 1994 X = 1999 4 = 2004 9 = 2009

F = 1985 L = 1990 S = 1995 Y = 2000 5 = 2005

Note: There are no I’s or O’s in a VIN, only 1’s and 0’s. There are no Q’s in a VIN. Also, there are no U’s in the 10th digit of the VIN - so as not to be confused with V’s. There are no A’s in the 10th digit, because the A was reserved to represent a 1980 year model, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration did not actually mandate the fixed format until 1981, with the B. The A is used in other sequences of the VIN, it’s just not used as a 10th digit. Also, there is no Z in the 10th digit, because after the year 2000, the 10th digit sequence started over from alpha to numeric, and the Z was not used. It is not known at this time what sequence will be used beginning the year 2010.

11th Character - Final Assembly Plant.

This Character represents the Manufacturer’s final assembly plant. I do not have a list of assembly plants, but I can give you a recent example. A customer recently came into our office to insure a 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera. The 11th Character was an “S”. We submitted the information to the insurance company, which declined to insure the vehicle, because the final assembly plant was “Stuttgart” Germany, which made the vehicle a “Grey Market Vehicle”. The customer was upset, of course, because he was not told nor was he aware that he had been sold a “Grey Market Vehicle”.

12th to the 17th Characters.

The last 6 Characters of the VIN are the actual serial number of that particular vehicle, which makes that vehicle unique. Note: The first 11 Characters of the vehicle are common to other vehicles with the same: Country of origin, manufacturer, body type - car line - restraint system - engine - and braking system, year of manufacture, and final assembly point, but the last 6 Characters will make that vehicle unique. (Even in the case of 2 identical vehicles, not only will the 12 to the 17th Characters be different, but the 9th Character Check Digit will also be different).

When you purchase a vehicle, check the VIN yourself against the bill of sale. Remember, the dealer’s title clerk has to type those 17 digits, and typo’s can occur. Besides the fact that there is never an alpha “O”, “Q”, or “I” in a VIN. Remember that an “S” can look like a “5″ when it is written down and transposed. Your cooperation will help eliminate errors reported to your state DOT. Most insurance agency’s have a reliable VIN check computer program, that will alert the agent to an incorrect VIN, including the 9th digit Check Digit. There are also several online services such as CarFax and Free VIN Check available to check VIN’s and your vehicle’s history. CarFax and Free VIN Check offer a free VIN check, and the report will tell you if there are potential problems with the VIN. You may then purchase the report for aproximately $15.00.

* Einstein’s Theory of the 9th Digit Check Digit: (Use the chart below to compute and check the 9th digit for accuracy).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

17 Digit VIN:

Line A

Line B **

Line C 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 10 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Line D 0

Final Sum: ______________

Instructions:

1. On Line A, enter the 17 Digit VIN.

2. On Line B, enter the “Assigned Value” of each character using the table below.

3. Multiply the numbers in line B by the numbers in line C for each of the 17 digits in the VIN. Record the product of each of these in Line C for each of the 17 digits in the VIN. Record the product of each of these in Line D of the same column.

4. Add together all the numbers recorded in Line D and enter the final sum in the space provided.

5. Divide the final sum by the number “11″. If the remainder of this division is a single digit, the this number must equal the 9th character in the VIN. If the remainder is the number “10″ then the check digit (9th character of the VIN) must b the letter “X”.

ASSIGNED VALUE TABLE:

A=1 J=2 T=3 1=1 6=6

B=2 K=2 U=4 2=2 7=7

C=3 L=3 V=5 3=3 8=8

D=4 M=4 W=6 4=4 9=9

E=5 N=5 X=7 5=5 0=0

F=6 P=7 Y=8

G=7 R=9 Z=9

H=8 S=2

How’s that for a real computation? Believe it or not, it works!

By checking the 9th Character Check Digit of the VIN for accuracy, you may avoid purchasing a stolen vehicle, or you may avoid an incorrect VIN being reported to the State.

Here is an example of a VIN broken down into sequences:

Here is another example of how to check the 9th digit for accuracy:

3 commentsUpdates

Sales Tax Increase

• March
• 14

Well our sales tax is going to increase at the beginning of next month (April 2008). Mitch Daniels is deciding to increase our sales tax from 6% to 7% to compensate for the property tax reform. This is a big deal to used car dealers since cars can be taxed as many times they are sold. Many people are not happy about this increase. If you are one of them, feel free to let Mitch know about this by sending him an email or simply give him a call at 317-232-4567.

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Carfax Script

• March
• 5

I wrote a small script to grab data from the sample carfax report page which lists info such as:
VIN: 1N4BU31D4TC103799
Year/Make/Model 1996 NISSAN ALTIMA XE/GXE/SE/GLE
Body Style: SEDAN 4 DR
Engine Type: 2.4L L4 FI
Manufactured in: UNITED STATES
Search results: 8 records found in our database

When given a valid VIN number. I figured this could be handy when I’m at home entering in vehicle info and I’m not sure what type of motor is in the vehicle or unsure that I have the proper VIN number. Feel free to use the page and if you find any errors please let me know. I’m pretty confident that I have checked for all possible outcomes from carfax. Here is the page with a sample VIN. Also the script will let you know that you have a close enough VIN and give you a possible correct VIN with appropriate link.

Valid VIN Number

Non-Valid VIN Number But is Close

Non-Valid Totally Bogus VIN Number

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Website Redesign

• March
• 4

Well, we redesigned the site last December and have been tweaking it since then.  We apologize that there are  no photos for any of the vehicles, but it has been more time intensive than we had anticipated.  Maybe as the days get longer we will have time to take pictures in the evening.  I have figured out a way to keep the inventory updated with out too much effort.  This was a time intensive task at first since we were doing it all by hand and individually.  We will have to see what this summer is going to bring us.

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Expanding The Business

• August
• 14

It looks like Wednesday the house that we purchased a month ago is coming down. We looked into moving the house rather than destroying it, but moving the house turned out to be not feasible. It would be too expensive and time consuming to move the two story house to a different location. So, we are tearing down the house and expanding the lot as well as erecting a 20 foot sign. We are widening the entrance to the lot as well but this probably won’t happen until the county widens US 33. A whole bunch of stuff is happening right now and everything is going well. Tomorrow we plan on taking some pictures of the doomed house and I will try post them on here.

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Chevy Gas Gauge Does Not Work

• July
• 18

The neat thing about working at a used car lot is you get to learn about problems with a certain make or model of vehicle that occur regularly. One problem that is common among Chevy and GMC pickups/suv is the fuel sending unit which is built into the fuel pump. What typically happens is that around 100,000 miles, maybe sooner or later, the fuel gauge starts to give you a wacky read out. That is, the fuel gauge starts to jump back and forth from empty to full, or will read full when actually you are empty, or something in between. This problem seems to effect Chevy and GMC vehicles that were built from 1998 - 2001 and were powered by the 4.3 Vortec V6 motor. Just recently I found the same issue in a 2000 GMC 2500 which had the 6.0 liter V8 motor. The owner has a computer that he hooked up to the on board computer and some how “re-trimmed the fuel gauge” and the problem ceased.

There are other ways to fix the problem:

1) Replace the fuel pump and fuel sending unit. This can cost anywhere from $400 to $600 for the part alone, this does not include labor. I have had reports of people finding the part for $250 from a distributor. I have not determined if this is true or not. Although we have learned that our local muffler and brake shop “Main Muffler” will replace the fuel pump and sending unit for just under $500.

2) Don’t worry about the issue and just reset your Trip odometer each time you fill up. This is what I do on our 1998 S-10 V6. (Note* This can be an issue if you only put $15 of gas in your vehicle each time you fill up). We fill our truck up each time you put gas in it and can typically get 320-350 miles out of our 18.5 gallon gas tank and still have fuel left. The truck gets about 20 miles to a gallon so this leaves us with about 1 gallon of gas left if we drove 350 miles. We usually fill up around 300 miles just to be safe. The key things to remember with this is to reset your trip odometer each time you fill up. And make sure you FILL UP.

3) Find a shop that can hook up your vehicle to a computer and “Re-Trim your fuel gauge”. I’m not sure if this is possible on all vehicles with this issue but, this seemed to work on a 2000 GMC Sierra with a 6.0 Liter V8.

If anything and you are out looking for a late model Chevy Blazer or GMC Jimmy just be aware that this is a known issue that can occur. Although it’s possible to own a Chevy or GMC truck and never have the issue, it’s not an uncommon problem to arise.

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Things To Look Forward Too

• July
• 15

As far as the website goes I would like to update all the pages to be using Cascading Style Sheets or CSS for short. And update the inventory page to use photos and include links that refer you to a detailed description of the vehicle. Again thank you for visiting Market Motors!

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Open To The Public

• July
• 13

Almost to the day Market Motors which is located in Elkhart, Indiana has been open for 3 years. Since then we have sold hundreds of cars and made hundreds of people happy. Please feel free to check us out at www.Market-Motors.com or come visit us at
23785 US 33
Elkhart, IN 46517
or give us a call at
574-875-9700

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