VIN stickers all over the Fusion.

[Hallmark]

Recently, while detailing the interior, trunk, & engine bay of my 2010 Fusion, I noted many 1/2" X 2" VIN appliques, e.g. several under the hood (on the hood,quarter panels, support/brace components, etc.), one on each of 4 doors & surrounds, and several more in the trunk vicinity.

Upon examining my 2004 F-150, I found no such proliferation of VINs plastered all over that vehicle.

Is the presence of multiple VIN appliques common to other brands or is this an exclusive Ford practice?

 

[renegade_987]

Originally Posted By: Hallmark
Recently, while detailing the interior, trunk, & engine bay of my 2010 Fusion, I noted many 1/2" X 2" VIN appliques, e.g. several under the hood (on the hood,quarter panels, support/brace components, etc.), one on each of 4 doors & surrounds, and several more in the trunk vicinity.

Upon examining my 2004 F-150, I found no such proliferation of VINs plastered all over that vehicle.

Is the presence of multiple VIN appliques common to other brands or is this an exclusive Ford practice?


Huh, my F150 has none, must be either a Fusion thing or a newer car thing

 

[Bill in Utah]

Every brand has them. Any door, gate, hood and part that is major has them. My 05 Toyota, 04 GMC, 07 Subaru and new vehicle has them.

Bill

 

[dparm]

Common for a long time across most manufacturers. I believe it's done for anti-theft, and to prove which parts are "genuine".

 

[ahoier]

heh, even my 88 Dodge Aries has one "in" the trunk under the "lid"...

But I don't think any under the "hood" - other than say, the engine block codes, etc.....

The previous owner's son painted over the VIN and tire spec sticker/placard(s) on the door jamb though....dumb [censored]....was thinking about trying some paint thinner, or acetone, maybe "Goo gone" or "Goof Off" to it, to see if it would release the paint, but even then, it may "take off" the sticker/print itself....can't really tell if it is/was "engraved"/etched "plate" or an actual "sticker" of sorts.....but yea, sloppy blue paint all along the edge. Worst aspect of the car gotta say hehe.

But yea, the quick lube gets [censored], cause they always look in the door jamb to scan the VIN and it can't be scanned Gotta hand-key it in from the dashboard/windshield area....

BUT, now I can show them the scannable bar code in the trunk anyways....


Speaking of which.....Anyone know how I could "reproduce" the scannable barcode VIN number? Inside my trunk, it looks like just a sticker.......gotta be a way to "barcode" the vin....?

 

[bdcardinal]

A lot of cars have them. It serves a few purposes.

1. It lets someone know when a car has been in an accident.
2. It can help recover a stolen vehicle.

When I bought my Mustang one of the fenders was missing that sticker. The dealer insisted it had never been in an accident. I called them on it and when they checked the CarFax sure as the sky is blue, it hit a pole at a gas station and had a fender replaced. They knocked a bunch off the price when I caught that one.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Every brand has them. Any door, gate, hood and part that is major has them. My 05 Toyota, 04 GMC, 07 Subaru and new vehicle has them


You'll also find them stamped into seemingly random parts on the car, too, notably parts of the frame, firewall metal, and so forth. The locations change regularly and are a closely guarded secret. They're there for identification after theft and, most notably, fire, since they're designed to withstand fire.

 

[eljefino]

I assumed the lack of VIN stickers on doors and stuff was a sign of lack of organization within the factory. They've probably had a pretty good system for years though.

The only ones I know about are windshield, door jamb, trunk (RPO codes), engine, transmission (partial), internal in the PCM brain, and hood/emissions label. The back of my airbag has a serial number but IDK if it also has the VIN.

 

[GMBoy]

It is a gov't requirement as well. If we fail to install a sticker at the plant it's a fine.

 

[Schmoe]

My 06 and 10 are like that, BUT....they are stickers. I don't see how that can deter a thief from stealing your car....

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Schmoe
My 06 and 10 are like that, BUT....they are stickers. I don't see how that can deter a thief from stealing your car....


No, but as I mentioned, there are multiple stampings in the vehicle which allow it to be identified if the VIN plate is removed and/or the vehicle is torched by a thief.

 

[jaj]

Both of my most recent new cars have stickers all over them (in addition to the VIN markings) from a company called "Globali" that registers the number and the ownership as an anti-theft program. Knowing the VIN is good, knowing who owns it is better.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: jaj
Knowing the VIN is good, knowing who owns it is better.


Most anyone (like any government agency, Insurance company) can find out the owner of any VIN within seconds.

The anti-theft etchings on windows are pretty well a waste. (more for the dealership to steal more $$ from the victim customer) No thief looks past a vehicle with them when stealing it. They grab the vehicle because they want it or its a easy hit.

I noticed today washing my new vehicle that even the body has VIN stickers in every door jam and fenders. Another job created!

Bill

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: Schmoe
My 06 and 10 are like that, BUT....they are stickers. I don't see how that can deter a thief from stealing your car....


If a vehicle does not have all the stickers then there is some explaining to be done. Either the vehicle has "issues" (been in a accident that involved EVERY side and both front and back which would make it close to a savage title) or someone is scamming someone.

But you are correct, a thief could care less of the stickers. They rip off the vehicle for the parts and once the stickers are gone the parts are for sale. The stickers are VERY hard to take off and do leave a noticeable residue which may tip off some folks but the bad guys do have some fluids that clean them off with little effort.

The metal stampings are harder to deal with. Those the thief's weld on a plate over it and primer the whole part or grind off the numbers (which calls attention to the part)

Mostly the stickers and stamps keep the honest people honest. Someone who is there to do wrong could care less of the laws and the feel good stuff people do to protect their property.

Bill

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: ahoier
Inside my trunk, it looks like just a sticker.......gotta be a way to "barcode" the vin....?


There is software that makes barcodes. The barcode format is probably "3 of 9". Encode your VIN into a "3 of 9" barcode and most any barcode scanner will be able to read it.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
engine, transmission (partial)


Ford engines and transmissions do not have the VIN, or a partial VIN, on them. They use a different identifier.

Therefore, I do not know if the engine or transmission in my '97 Crown Vic is original to the car.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
Originally Posted By: eljefino
engine, transmission (partial)


Ford engines and transmissions do not have the VIN, or a partial VIN, on them. They use a different identifier.

Therefore, I do not know if the engine or transmission in my '97 Crown Vic is original to the car.


But I think a dealership would.

I'm sure its logged on the build sheet.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah

But I think a dealership would.

I'm sure its logged on the build sheet.

I think the ease of obtaining that information is inversely proportional to the car's age. From what I've heard, information in OASIS isn't available once the car is over 10 years old.

 

[jaj]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
...The anti-theft etchings on windows are pretty well a waste...


I thought the same thing and initially turned down the fee (the stickers stay but you can't register ownership without paying) and when I read up on it, it actually sounded like a reasonable deal. Stickers placed on major components on the car show that the parts are marked, but the parts are also marked with a second set of markings that are invisible. Even if our intrepid thief removes the stickers, he still has to find the invisible marks and grind them off too, or the parts can be identified as stolen property. It's not a perfect system, but it's a good try.

Anyway, I was out checking the oil on the Mustang this afternoon and there are NO VIN stickers anywhere other than the nameplate and the inside of the windshield. Welcome to Canada, I guess.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: brianl703
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah

But I think a dealership would.

I'm sure its logged on the build sheet.

I think the ease of obtaining that information is inversely proportional to the car's age. From what I've heard, information in OASIS isn't available once the car is over 10 years old.


bingo. The way to tell is by the serial number label that has the engine's build date.

Past 10 years in OASIS and all that is present is any open FSA's.