bought a car a lil while ago that had been stolen but was not damaged and was recovered. When I went to register it I was told the the vin # was changed and now it is a 7 digit number. also, i was told that the 34060 milage on the car was not the actual milage. I think the maxima drives fine but I've never really driven any other max, so is there any kind of wear I could look for on the car that would reveal if the car has more miles on it?

 

check the brake and gas petals for wear and check the tires to see if they are original (they should be with only 24k miles). Also the general condition of the car should help. Run a carfax to check for ODO fraud.

 

petals are fine, bought it with 2k rims and new tires, carfax reports no ODO fraud.

 

You can check the VIN # (which should be 17 characters) pretty easy to see if it has been changed. Check and match the VIN numbers on the VIN plate to the one stamped in the firewall and the one on the manufacturer's sticker in the driver's door jamb. It's also on stickers on most major body panels (fenders, doors, hood, etc...), so you can see if they are original (or a good bodyshop will transfer them to new parts).
Find out from your DMV why they think the VIN has been changed, and how they know about the odometer. This can lead you in the right direction to find more answers. Having dealt with DMV's for my last job, I have found them to be ocassionally mistaken.

Dave

 

ok, i checked all the vin #'s i could find and the front right fender and front right door had a differnet one. Unfortunatly my carfax ran out after a month so could someone look up JN1CA21D5TT173641 and email it to hard2obtain24@yahoo.com. The vin # on everything else on the car is JN1CA21D9VM505240. Ans the vin # on the title is NY60816. I'm trying everyhing I can to investigate the situation so if anyone has any advise please let me know.

 

I thought I saw on here somewhere that the ecu stores the actual mileage.

 

Right fender and right front door have been changed. Probably because when the cops were chasing the dude who stole it, he wrecked. Hey, it could have happened. Anyways...
As for the VIN on the title, get with the DMV tomorrow to see why they assigned it a new VIN. VIN's should be 17 characters long, so I'm not sure why they have a short one. They'll likely have the answers to most of your questions.
Also check the VIN plate by the windshield. Look closely at the 2 screws or rivets that hold it to the body. They should look like tamper resistant screws or rivets, and on Maxima's, are the same color as the VIN plate itself (black on my '97). Each manufacturer uses tamper resistant fasteners there. If that has been altered, you may have some legal recourse against the seller, as it's a crime to alter that plate in any way (check state laws, as they vary).

Dave

 

When I was at the DMV I asked the lady who registered the car and she said that there was no way of knowing why it was changed. But the vin on the car does not show up on their computers but the new one does. I don't understand how they can just change a vin without changing it on the car. Where on the windshiels is there one? I could only find one on the plate in the engine bay. Thanks for the help. Stephen


NEW INFO... Took a flashlight outside and the vin under window was unscrewed and is not there.

 

I was talking about the VIN plate in the lower left corner of the windshield, actually on the dash where it meets the windshield. That is the main VIN location which has the tamper resistant fasteners.
Are you sure the number on the title isn't just a state generated title or registration number instead of a VIN? There has to be a way to link the piece of paper to the actual vehicle, which is by VIN. If you know a local cop, ask him to get a registration check by VIN (he can do this by his radio). If the car is not registered in the state, he'll get a "no record found". Then have him run it by license plate (if you have a hard plate and not a temp tag), and get the vehicle info (make, model, VIN). Try to match the info that way. If it has a plate, the state should have the VIN, which should be 17 characters.
A Car Fax report would be handy. Or ask someone else at the DMV what is up. Sometimes people get confused with automobile numbers (VIN, tags, registration certificate number, title number, etc...).

Dave

 

I don't really know a cop and I can't go to the DMV tomorrow because of work. The VIN on the title was only 7 digits long. The vin inside of the engine bay was 17. If you look at my homepage theres a pic with the engine and on the top middle of the firewalll it's ingraved, and also on the left side of the firewall theres a plate with it. I honestly don't know what to do now and I'm worried that the car may have a lot more miles on it and I got screwed on this deal. Also if the milage is wrong I will ahve no idea where I am with the maintance records adn stuff that has to be done. Stephen

 

I'd get a Car Fax report even if just for peace of mind.
As for maintenance, I change all maintenance items as soon as I get a used car. This way I'm starting from scratch as far as record keeping goes. And I don't know what the previous owner/dealer put in (like the $0.79 a quart straight 30 weight oil from "Dollar General" or something). Once all fluids/filters are changed, I know exactly what is in my car and how long to go for my maintenance schedule. Plugs can be visually inspected for correct type (only NGK in a Maxima), gap, and condition. Also check the ECU for codes. With relatively low mileage, you should get an 05 05 (no errors detected).

Just saw your edit to your previous post (VIN plate was unscrewed). I'd contact the seller tomorrow, and take the car back. If he says he can't, I'd consult a cop or attorney to see if altering the VIN plate in a car is illegal in your state (should be). Then you can go from there.

Dave

 

Thanks man for the help. I appreciate your advice, I don't know why there wasn't much other input from the org tho. I'm a little upset that I bought the car from someone on the org and it turned out this way. If it is not illegal to alter the vin then I gujess I'm screwed. I'm wondering if maybe the DMV took that vin of the car after it had been recovered. It's ttoo bad that my carfax ended, iof anyone knows of a site doing free ones let me know. I just hope the milage isn't way off. Is there a noticalbe driving condition between a car with 34k miles and one with like 100? Maybe I can have someone from the org drive it around to see. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

I can help members here run Carfax reports until next month. E-mail me at: eklipxe@nyc.rr.com with the VIN's you want checked out and I'll get them out to you ASAP.
For those who don't know, check the stickies in the General Forum for members who can run free Carfax reports.

 

ya man thanks, I'm just wondering whats up with the 7 digit vin number I have. Anyone know anything about why they would change it to that?

 

Did you use CARFAX before you bought the car? If so you got yourself $5000...

 

Yes I did use carfax. Do they really hold up to that 5000?

 

You won't get $5000. Read the fine print. You get 10% the value of your car or $5000 maximum.

"A CARFAX Certified History guarantees that this vehicle has none of the problem titles shown below. Should you discover any of these problems during the next three years, CARFAX will pay you 10% of the vehicle's wholesale value - up to $5,000!"

You'll probably get $500-$800 and then they'll change you title from Clear to something else.

 

btw, 7 digit vin is a NYS salvage title, it should state so on the title

 

I learn something new around here everyday.
But even on a salvage title, how do they assign the paper title to the actual car? If you have a salvage title for a certain make/model of car, couldn't you steal an identical car, rip the VIN plate off, and say that salvage title is for the stolen one? That's what I'm trying to ask about how the car and title are matched to each other.

Dave

 

NYS rips off the dash vin usually and then puts yellow sticker vins on the doors and jambs. usually when the car is a total loss when u try to reregister it you cant unless you go through a special inspection station that checks to see if you used stolen parts to rebuild the car. if it all checks out they give you a 7 digit vin. depending on how it gets totaled/ what got stolen or damamged you may not have to do that

 

Dang, they want to make it hard for me to open my own small chop shop, I mean business, don't they?

Thanks for the info. Like I said, I learn something new everyday.

Dave

 

but i dont remeber where... and have no clue how you would get to it LOL