Marika Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Your "VIN" (vehicle identification number) should be covered I didn't believe this e-mail, so I called Lee at Chrysler Dodge and pretended I had lost my keys. They told me to just bring in the vin and they would cut me one on the spot and could order the keyless device if I wanted. Seems that car thieves have found yet another way to steal your car or truck without any effort at all. The car thieves peer through the windshield of your car or truck, write down the VIN from the label on the dash, go to the local car dealership and request a duplicate key based on the VIN. The car dealer's parts department will make a duplicate key from the VIN and collect payment from the thief who will return to your car. He doesn't have to break in, do any damage to the vehicle, or draw attention to himself. All he has to do is walk up to your car, insert the key and off he goes to a local chop shop with your vehicle. You don't believe it? It IS that easy. To avoid this from happening to you, simply put some tape (electrical tape, duct tape or medical tape) across the VIN label located on the dash board. By law, you cannot remove the VIN, but you can cover it so it can't be viewed through the windshield by a car thief. I urge you to forward this to your friends before some other car thief steals another car or truck. ------------------------------- Someone I know sent me this. It is true?? If you really want to make people safe drivers again then simply remove all the safety features from cars. No more seat belts, ABS brakes, traction control, air bags or stability control. No more anything. You'll see how quickly people will slow down and once again learn to drive like "normal" humans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg P. Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Some truth to that but probably not a legitimate source of worry for the average car owner. More info can be found here: http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/vin.asp By the way, yes, you can cover your VIN tag but be aware. A cop friend of mine says that this may draw unwanted attention from cops as covering the VIN is a trick used by car thieves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 Yeah, it's very easy (or at least, was very easy) to acquire keys at a dealership with the VIN. One of the news shows did a story on it last summer. They would get a VIN from a car at the dealer's lot, and then walk in (usually, a woman with a crying baby) and say she locked her keys in the car across the street at the mall and they'd "make an exception just this one time." It is, however, illegal in many states to actually cover the VIN, since law enforcement does use that to track stolen vehicles, etc. I'll take my chances that the VATS system in the Cadillac will keep the vehicle from starting if someone DOES get a key made somehow, rather than risk the thing being towed just because Cumberland County police are looking for a stolen silver Cadillac and they can't read my VIN because I've covered it up. It is getting harder, I understand, to get keys made due to the recent publicity about the problem. My local Caddy dealer has a big sign on their parts counter that says "TITLE AND REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR REPLACEMENT KEYS -- NO EXCEPTIONS". Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtjwdad Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 I'll take my chances that the VATS system in the Cadillac will keep the vehicle from starting if someone DOES get a key made somehow... So if someone has a duplicate key made how does this VATS prevent the duplicate key from functioning? Does this apply to all Caddy's say... from 1992 to present? The reason I ask, I have very little faith in the mail system these days. All it takes is a misdirected registration card to go to some address where a dishonest "MacGyver" hangs his/her hat. Thanks! JIm White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 So if someone has a duplicate key made how does this VATS prevent the duplicate key from functioning? Does this apply to all Caddy's say... from 1992 to present? Well, I was specifically thinking "door key". We know GM steering columns aren't all that hard to crack, but the PASS-KEY is supposed to prevent unwanted starting of the car, if the correct ignition key isn't there. I figured a criminal could get a door key and just figure on popping the ignition...and then, the VATS would hopefully prevent him/her from getting the vehicle started. Either way, I agree that the chances of getting a citation because you covered your VIN are better than the chances of the car being stolen due to a dealership haphazardly cutting a key. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JH 50 Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 In NY state, the vin number is also on the registration sticker. I do not believe that there is a law here which states you can not cover the vin plate, but if you cover the number on the registration sticker, you are asking for trouble. If both numbers are covered, it may be cause for suspicion on the officers part that you are hiding something which may lead to other things......better off leaving both alone. Why draw attention to yourself????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIMDTS Posted May 11, 2004 Report Share Posted May 11, 2004 The thief's have been doing this for years They even steal your owners manual from your glove box years ago the dealers would write down your key numbers in the owners book so if you lost yours keys they could make one. I never leave any manuals or doc's about the car in the glove box and cover the vin with a small piece of paper I just lay on the dash to cover it from outside view.I have seen some pretty fast crooks the way I look at it if it's a pro your car is history they will get it if they want it. They have a bunch of electronic stuff now a days(jammers) to assist them in swipeing your car,jamming up the tracking devices built into the newer cars or if all else fails they just tow it away with the jamming device in place.The chop shops make more from parts than the whole car so it probably will be an issue for car owners with the crooks for a long time to come.Wheels and tires are not a problem either they just put blocks under the car let the air out and within a few minutes no wheels or tires thanks to elec. rechargeable power tools they can get them faster then with a old 4 way lug wrench.I have seen some of these stripped down cars and they don't leave much for salvage either. I have my windows etched the cost is not much or even free in some states and it appears to helps detour the thiefs too much trouble to not sell the doors with out the glass removing a few bolts they can get them very very fast Just a couple shots with elec. impct tools and give the door a good yank wires and all(no time to cut them) under a few minutes your car is toast.. Good Luck Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67coupedeville Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 This is just my opinion...but I still think the best way to protect your car is a Club or a steering wheel lock of some sort. I understand that some professional guys will still cut the steering wheel and get your car but it will slow them down. Up here in Saskatchewan, the biggest thing to worry about is stupid buggers wanting to go joy riding . Put a Club on and the steering wheel and they go find another car to rip off. If you're worried about your car being towed away, thieves can still tow it but you can make it more difficult by cranking your wheels all the way one way or the other and to set your parking brake. The problem I have heard about with aftermarket alarms at least older ones or cheaper ones is that a thief can bust open a tail light lens or license plate light that does not make much noise, and use a coin or a screwdriver and short out the lighting system that is connected to the alarm and shorts out a fuse for the alarm. Alarm goes dead and they can smash a window or use a "Slim Jim" to unlock the door without having the alarm going off. I found this out on my buddy's car when we were putting a neon license plate frame on and we were hooking it up to the license plate light wire and we shorted something out. We got the frame working except his alarm would not arm or disarm. We took it to the place where they had installed it and they knew right away what was wrong. Just stuff to ponder... Spence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 Another "tip" is to always park with your drive wheels toward the curb (if you're near a curb). This way, the casual thief can't roll up with a tow vehicle because they can't easily get the drive wheels (and thusly, the wheels that are locked in Park) off the ground. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 This is just my opinion...but I still think the best way to protect your car is a Club or a steering wheel lock of some sort. I understand that some professional guys will still cut the steering wheel and get your car but it will slow them down. Up here in Saskatchewan, the biggest thing to worry about is stupid buggers wanting to go joy riding . Put a Club on and the steering wheel and they go find another car to rip off. 20/20 had a report on car thieves a couple of years ago. It took a pro less than 10 seconds to cut through the steering wheel and toss the "Club" to the curb... When the 20/20 reporter asked which car the thief would steal if there were two identical cars except one had the club, the thief replied, "I'd steal them both. It wouldn't matter if there was a 'Club' on the wheel." Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey-Rome Posted May 12, 2004 Report Share Posted May 12, 2004 I used to work for a Toyota dealership a couple of years ago in the parts department as a driver. People would always walk up with a vin and walk away with a key. No ID, no title, nothing.... I already got a nice Cliffor AG4 with the works, and a backup battery. (and a sumarai sword by the door) For added security I am going to hook up undercover police lights in my headlights and tailights, and wire it to go off with my alarm. Nobody pays attention to car alarms...EVERYBODY pays attention to police lights. Please don't preach about the leagality of it, I can flash all the lights I wan't as long as the car is off public streets. I would really like to make my car a death trap though...Maybe someday when people realise that cops are just a clean-up crew (at least when it comes to car theft and break-ins) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.