A car, especially a used one, at an age, sometimes throws unexpected problems at its owner. One of them is a damaged or unreadable VIN number.

What is a VIN number and why is it needed?

VIN or Vehicle identification number is a unique alphanumeric code that encrypts all data about the vehicle: manufacturer, year of manufacture, model, configuration. This is a kind of digital passport of the car. VIN check can be used to find out all the information about the car.

Some old domestic models and many Japanese cars manufactured before 2000 may not have a VIN number at all. In this case, the vehicle title and registration certificate usually indicate the body number.

Where is the VIN located?

The number is stamped or engraved on non-removable body parts: on the floor, frame, front shield, pillar, shock absorber cup, mudguard. The application location may vary for different brands and models. VIN is often duplicated on additional plates or stickers. But this is only a duplicate - the main VIN must be applied to a large body part or frame.

What is considered damage to a VIN number?

Anything. The traffic police inspector may be suspicious of chips and scratches, dents on the number, paint drips or, on the contrary, washed-off paintwork. The part on which the number is applied could have been damaged in an accident and replaced during repairs. This is also a reason to doubt the legality of the car. But the most common damage is corrosion. On some models, an inconveniently located number rots away in a few years.

Such close attention to the identification code is understandable. After all, a re-punched number is a clear sign of a criminal car. Car thieves use this technique to legalize stolen cars.

What is the owner's risk?

The owner of a car with a damaged VIN is in serious trouble. During a roadside inspection, an inspector, suspecting something is wrong, can detain the car and even the driver on suspicion of theft. This rarely happens, but during a serious inspection it can happen. Of course, the inspector must involve witnesses, draw up a report...

Much more often, a person finds out that the VIN is damaged during a technical inspection or re-registration of the car. In the first case, you will not receive a diagnostic card, and in the second, you will be denied registration and the car will be sent for examination as suspicious.

And in no case should you try to restore the VIN on your own. Also, do not use the services of companies that promise to do everything in the best possible way. For self-restoration, you can get a fine of up to 80 thousand rubles. And this is in the best case. In the worst case, changing the identification number can lead to up to two years in prison!

Is it possible to sell a car with a damaged VIN?

You can sell such a car, but you can’t register it if the VIN is not readable. Therefore, when buying a used car, carefully inspect the identification number and the part it is on. Are there any signs of repair or welding, has it been replaced?

You will have to sell the car for next to nothing, for spare parts. Or with a big discount, if you find a buyer who decides to deal with this problem himself. But you can take the long way of officially restoring the VIN number.

By the way, we do not recommend buying cars that have problems with the readability of the VIN. After all, only an expert can find out whether the number rotted on its own or was deliberately damaged to hide traces of illegal interference.

How to solve the problem

What to do if the car VIN is damaged? Apply special additional marking. The procedure is as follows:

• we contact the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate with a statement about the need for additional marking. If, upon inspection, the inspector finds the number unreadable, a forensic examination will be ordered;


• if experts admit that the car was not stolen, no changes were made to the VIN, and it was damaged by natural causes, the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate will install special seals on the non-removable parts of the car and issue the owner the documents necessary to restore the number;


• Now you can contact an accredited organization that applies additional markings. You can find a list of such authorized organizations on the website of the Eurasian Economic Commission;


• there they will apply new markings to the car parts and issue the owner a package of documents for registering the car;


• and again to the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate to obtain new registration documents.

As we can see, the story is long and there is no full guarantee that the car will pass the examination. But this is the only legal way to restore a damaged identification number.