[BamaNomad]

Have any of you folks attempted to register or title your cars by their VIN recently?

Apparently automobile manufacturers began applying serial numbers (Vehicle identification numbers, or VIN) to cars around 1954- that may have been a federal requirement in the US. Since 1969, the VINs were required to be displayed on the dash viewable thru the windshield. Since 1981 the US gov't has required usage of a specific 17 digit format with certain digits defined, and some characters NOT allowed. (An example of a non-allowed character is the letter 'O', which our Oakland built trifives have. There are probably more illegal characters that are used in our trifive VIN's that I haven't yet gotten upset about)..

In my area, the county/state could NOT even enter the correct VIN into my registration because what Chevy did 50+ yrs ago does not conform to the way the gov't says it should today, and the software they use today would not accept the VIN unless the lady 'substituted' some of the characters...
now THAT is something we all should get upset about!

A little background...
http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/Vehicle-Related+Theft/Vehicle+Identification+Numbers+(VINs)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number

 

[ChuckG]

I registered my 56 by VIN back in 08 when I moved to Florida.

I recently registered my 37 by VIN.

There is a process in Florida for cars without the 17 digit VIN in the windshield.

The regular folks at the DMV are not trained to look for VIN numbers other than those in the windshield frame.

When I registered my daily drivers, a DMV employee came into the parking lot, looked at the VIN in the windshield, and verified it.

Back to the old cars.........

You have to call the "Public Service Officer" from the local sheriff's department. He came out to my house (both occasions), checked the VIN numbers (the 56 was on the interior of the A pillar, the 37 was on a tag riveted to the cowl on the RT side).

He gave me a "signed off" form, which I took to the DMV and registered the cars. No problems.

Chuck

 

[downtown cowtown tx]

What we really need is government plates, good in all 57 states, not state plates and titles, that allow us to move to any city or state and not retitle our cars.

Why should i have to retitle ? when i can jus pay a fee, to that state and keep my govt federal plates and drive anywhere anytime. If your tracking my emails, my phone calls, my bank, my car insurance by computer, why not track my car with a federal database or a tracking device on the car itself, and maybe a camera to feed back to the super computer of my daily travels ?.

I really do think its unreasonable to retitle on just a move, but its all about the money, govt plate, pay a fee to the state and move on. Simple.:bowtier:

 

[Before My Time]

What a pain!! So now what? Do you have to go for special inspection or something...or are they going to create a new vin?

 

[mr 265]

What we really need is government plates, good in all 57 states, not state plates and titles, that allow us to move to any city or state and not retitle our cars.

Why should i have to retitle ? when i can jus pay a fee, to that state and keep my govt federal plates and drive anywhere anytime. If your tracking my emails, my phone calls, my bank, my car insurance by computer, why not track my car with a federal database or a tracking device on the car itself, and maybe a camera to feed back to the super computer of my daily travels ?.

I really do think its unreasonable to retitle on just a move, but its all about the money, govt plate, pay a fee to the state and move on. Simple.:bowtier:

I agree ,I have always said we should all have the same driver license ,plate etc ,,,iam a citizen of the united states ,not a citizen of the state I live in

 

[rayharris]

I do not understand the problem you are having. In Alabama all you need for vehicles older than 1975 is a bill of sales. The probate court will give you a paper to be signed by any police officer who checks the bill of sale against the VIN # on the car. You then take it back to the probate office and purchase a tag for the vehicle. :anim_25: bowtie-trifive :gba:

 

[acardon]

No problem in Texas, I just registered a 56 this year. They do want the color of the vehicle now. I told them it is black but I'm going to paint it red cause I have red paint left over. She typed in red and I received the title in the mail the other day.
Your states computer is wacky. What good is a title with substitute characters in the vin. How does the computer read the thousands of old cars already in the system?

 

[BamaNomad]

TO CLARIFY:

The problem was NOT having a VIN plate. I had a *Title* from another state (which showed my ownership and the proper VIN), AND a bill of sale showing the correct VIN...

The PROBLEM was the software used by the tag registration office. IT WOULD NOT accept the proper VIn because it had an 'O' (for Oakland) in it.. The software automatically changed the 'O' to a '0' (zero) when the lady entered it. When I checked the paperwork, I pointed this out (the error), and I was informed... The 'system' (meaning the software I suppose) will NOT accept the letter 'O' (and some other characters), since these do not conform to the fed mandated 17 digit VIN code. After spending 15 minutes explaining to her the PURPOSE of registering my car (which is proof of ownership, at least in my mind)... she said 'Nothing I can do'... so I took the registration she handed me, and I used my INK pen to write an 'O' over the extra '0' on the registration!

What I felt like doing was kicking the asses of everyone from the Governor down to this lowly 'good for nothing' clerk....

I doubt I'm the only person who has experienced this problem, and perhaps Alabama (and Madison county) is not the only area with stupid software!

 

[595544]

Have any of you folks attempted to register or title your cars by their VIN recently?

Apparently automobile manufacturers began applying serial numbers (Vehicle identification numbers, or VIN) to cars around 1954- that may have been a federal requirement in the US. Since 1969, the VINs were required to be displayed on the dash viewable thru the windshield. Since 1981 the US gov't has required usage of a specific 17 digit format with certain digits defined, and some characters NOT allowed. (An example of a non-allowed character is the letter 'O', which our Oakland built trifives have. There are probably more illegal characters that are used in our trifive VIN's that I haven't yet gotten upset about)..

In my area, the county/state could NOT even enter the correct VIN into my registration because what Chevy did 50+ yrs ago does not conform to the way the gov't says it should today, and the software they use today would not accept the VIN unless the lady 'substituted' some of the characters...
now THAT is something we all should get upset about!

A little background...
http://www.nhtsa.gov/Vehicle+Safety/Vehicle-Related+Theft/Vehicle+Identification+Numbers+(VINs)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number

Sounds like an Alabama problem. No issues here in Calif.

 

[Chevyragtop57]

I know alot about having Title problems Myself and my old group went through alot . I even saw where guys went to a neighbor state for example Kansa or Missouri where a title could be legitimately obtain with a bill of sale. Using a sisters address in that state for the title to be mailed too. . Obtaining a legal title and coming back to Colorado and transferring it over. Alot of work but sometimes easier than the bonding hassle. AT one time I heard New Jersey and ALabama were easy to get titles with a bill of sale. Been years though .My two cent rant.Sorry .Mike

 

[BamaNomad]

OK.. MORE clarification:

1) The State of Alabama only titles automobiles built in 1975 and later.
2) For older auto models than 1975, ONLY the tag registration is required to show 'ownership'.
3) In the past, if you had a bill of sale, you could register an older (than 1975) auto in Alabama.
4) In the past, you could get a registration (for your old vehicle) in Alabama, then take that car to another (title) state, and obtain a title for your old car in that other state.

My problem is the new software utilized in my county, which would not accept/allow a VIN number that didn't conform to the 'new' (since 1981) rule; note there have been a few minor changes to that federal rule since then, but it's required a 17 digit VIN since 1981.

Our 1955-57 Chevy's have a VIN of the form 'VC5nPyyyyyy' OR 'C5nPyyyyyy' for six cylinder cars. Notice that our VIns are either 10 or 11 digits. Our trifive VINs also utilize some letters which aren't allowed in the new fed VIN requirement, and some other VIN illegalities (by the new rule). THIS fact, coupled with my county using *stupid* new software, has caused my problem in having a state issued paper which shows my ownership (with the correct VIN).. since it changed one of the correct letters (O) to a zero...

 

[TheHotrodHandyman]

TO CLARIFY:

The problem was NOT having a VIN plate. I had a *Title* from another state (which showed my ownership and the proper VIN), AND a bill of sale showing the correct VIN...

The PROBLEM was the software used by the tag registration office. IT WOULD NOT accept the proper VIn because it had an 'O' (for Oakland) in it.. The software automatically changed the 'O' to a '0' (zero) when the lady entered it. When I checked the paperwork, I pointed this out (the error), and I was informed... The 'system' (meaning the software I suppose) will NOT accept the letter 'O' (and some other characters), since these do not conform to the fed mandated 17 digit VIN code. After spending 15 minutes explaining to her the PURPOSE of registering my car (which is proof of ownership, at least in my mind)... she said 'Nothing I can do'... so I took the registration she handed me, and I used my INK pen to write an 'O' over the extra '0' on the registration!

What I felt like doing was kicking the asses of everyone from the Governor down to this lowly 'good for nothing' clerk....

I doubt I'm the only person who has experienced this problem, and perhaps Alabama (and Madison county) is not the only area with stupid software!

You should have asked to speak to the supervisor or who ever was in charge.

 

[carls 56]

never had a problem in Virginia. everyone of mine has gotten a title here too. :tu

 

[abdiver7777]

I agree ,I have always said we should all have the same driver license ,plate etc ,,,iam a citizen of the united states ,not a citizen of the state I live in

No offense.........but I'm thinking you might consider a couple semester classes in American History........

 

[BamaNomad]

You should have asked to speak to the supervisor or who ever was in charge.

The registration office is a 'government' office; obviously no one is in charge, and if they were, they wouldn't admit it....

(They think their ONLY duty/role is to collect our $$ in the form of fees, taxes, penalties, etc)...

 

[rayharris]

The registration office is a 'government' office; obviously no one is in charge, and if they were, they wouldn't admit it....

(They think their ONLY duty/role is to collect our $$ in the form of fees, taxes, penalties, etc)...

The probate judge is in charge. :anim_25: bowtie-trifive:gba: