VIN lookup

Didn't your read the other thread. Now everyone is going to make a key to your car!

That is a good example of WHY simply knowing the VIN will not get one a key. You guys that think you can are welcomed to try then get back to us LOL

mike hunt

"James C. Reeves" wrote:

Hopefully you're right...that there is a process in place to keep the bad guys from getting keys to your car. But I will say this...take it haw you want.

A couple of years ago my wife had her purse stolen along with the car keys to two of the three cars we own. Since her ID had our address, our cars were "sitting ducks" parked in the driveway. So, our insurance company instructed to have the locks rekeyed. Chrysler then rekeyed the locks and I was told by the dealer service advisor that the Chrysler database was also updated with the new key/security codes for our cars should we ever need keys made in the future. So, that sounds like it can be done (not that I have ever tried it).

Now, about 10-12 years ago, I left a 1989 Caravan in for service, but forgot to leave the key. When I got to work, I realized my mistake and called the service advisor and told her I forgot to leave the key. She told me that they already discovered that and had made a new one from the VIN. When I went to pick it up, sure enough, they had made a key (charged me $6.00 for it though!). So apparently this capability has been around for over a decade. I'm surprised that you never knew about it.

They obviously made the key from the key code they had on record, pretty basic stuff.

The fact remains one can not steal a vehicle by simply knowing the VIN and going to a dealership and obtaining a key as the original poster suggest.

mike hunt

Mike wrote:

Don't post VIn Numbers, maybe somebody else will decide to buy the car out from under you.

BINGO! Now you've got it!

And that record you refer to has all information about the car...including the VIN#, me as owner, the color, what service it's had, what recalls have been performed (or not), etc. etc. Surely you don't believe that the dealer goes to the trouble of keeping an entirely *different* set of records just to keep track of the key code? Or, do you?

Well clearly the dealer CAN generate a key if they need to. I've seen it done. Now, how easy would it be for someone other than me or the wife to obtain a copy is a separate question. It probably would not be "easy" since the procedures at the dealers are to request the ID of the person (which is also cross referenced to the VIN# record in their database) to verify that the person requesting the key is, in fact, the owner. Possible ways around that is if...

1. ...the employee doesn't follow procedure (and doesn't check for ID). This happens more often than anyone would admit, I'd bet! 2. ...someone is working "on the inside". This probably happens more often than we would like as well.

Two questions:

1. How do you expect to find where the vehicle is located by knowing only the VIN?

1. Do you want this truck that I posted the VIN for? Your welcome to it. It turns out to be a piece of junk.

I didn't buy it. Even if you had a key, the engine runs so bad you probably couldn't get off the lot with it.

When you register/renew registration (on) a car (well, at least here in Wisconsin) it gets recorded in what city and with how many miles and some more stuff.