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I recently bought a 79 98 sedan, and I’m trying to get it registered (this is in Belgium). The VIN on the plate under the windshield apparently does not suffice, so I was wondering if anyone here knew where else they can be found. I have a possible location, on a slip of paper which says, freely translated, “on the right, right beam under the hood.” I can’t find anything, however. Where else should I try looking?
The VIN on the dash plate is the legal identification of the car as it was manufactured. Doesn't Belgium recognize that? There is nothing else on the car that is considered accurate. Also explain that it was typical in 79 not to have a 17 character VIN
The cowl tag Jesse posted is not a legal description of the car for licensing.
It isn't just Belgium. To title and register a car here in New Mexico requires the VIN be found in two places on the car. But one of them can be the "Nader sticker" on the driver's door edge. The problem is that these are just stickers, and they can fall off over time or be removed, such as when the car is painted.
NM does recognize that cars older than a certain age did not have these stickers, or any other secondary VIN locations, and the state will accept the single VIN location on the dash.
Eric,
I sincerely doubt a registry would accept vin derivatives to identify the car. VIN is the only valid and legal identification for the car. DMVs just need to wrap their head around that.
OP. Take a picture of the VIN and show them at the registry. Better yet, have them come out and look at it.
NM does recognize that cars older than a certain age did not have these stickers, or any other secondary VIN locations, and the state will accept the single VIN location on the dash.
I was going to say...
GM cars of the 1960s and 70s only have ONE complete VIN on the car. The other stamps are VIN derivatives which are only nine of the 13 characters of the VIN. Obviously if the engine or trans has been replaced, those no longer exist. If the car is older than 1968 (for Oldsmobile, anyway), they never existed.
GM cars of the 1960s and 70s only have ONE complete VIN on the car.
But at some point in the '70s they started putting that Nader sticker on the door, so that made for a second VIN location, as impermanent as it was, as there's one on my '78. I'm guessing it was before 1978 that they started doing this.
New Mexico treats this as an acceptable second VIN location. (In fact, it was at the local DMV office that I first heard the term "Nader sticker" as that's what they called it.) The one I showed in the photo above is on my '78 Toro, and it's presence allowed me to easily title and register the car. I'm not sure what the procedure would have been if the sticker hadn't been there. It certainly would have been more complicated.
If the number on the dash is riveted to the top surface of the dash on the driver's side, we as Dealers , were sometimes ask to take a pencil tracing of that Serial number, and send in with the application of title,to verify the accuracy of the numbers. Somewhere in that era the numbers were recessed on a plate lower than the surface of the dash and it was impossible to get a pencil tracing.If it is above the surface of the dash ,just place a white piece of paper on top of the number,and rub over it with the side of the pencil lead ,and it will transfer the number onto the paper. Hope this helps in your country, Larry
Last edited by Rocketowner; Mar 9, 2018 at 05:03 PM.
Reason: Correct
It isn't just Belgium. To title and register a car here in New Mexico requires the VIN be found in two places on the car. But one of them can be the "Nader sticker" on the driver's door edge. The problem is that these are just stickers, and they can fall off over time or be removed, such as when the car is painted.
NM does recognize that cars older than a certain age did not have these stickers, or any other secondary VIN locations, and the state will accept the single VIN location on the dash.
it's getting worse.i bought a van about 5 years ago with a salvage title in south dakota.got the title which said salvage brought it to iowa and i had to have the local police look and verify the vin and he needed 3 matching vin's.dashboard,drivers door and the option list.the van had been hit on pass front and repaired years earlier,turns out that option list was on the pass side door instead of in the glove box.so if that door had been changed i wouldn't have been able to register it.
