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Jmiddle204
Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2011
Posts: 83
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
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 Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:24 am Post subject: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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Has anyone had a problem at DMV when they had their VIN inspected and their vehicle was modified, lowered? They are not law enforcement but hoping to know if they would give me a hard time or not. It’s a 62 bug. Just learned that a VIN inspection is required in CA if the car leaves the state’s system and then goes back in. I lived here, moved out of state, moving back.
Thanks,
James
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'62 Vert |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 10:52 am Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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Don't believe that they are not law enforcement, a DMV officer wields more power than the State police (at least in my state), they are not bound by jurisdictions within the state.
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Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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Pruneman99
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012
Posts: 5013
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:17 am Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| Jmiddle204 wrote: |
Has anyone had a problem at DMV when they had their VIN inspected and their vehicle was modified, lowered? They are not law enforcement but hoping to know if they would give me a hard time or not. It’s a 62 bug. Just learned that a VIN inspection is required in CA if the car leaves the state’s system and then goes back in. I lived here, moved out of state, moving back.
Thanks,
James |
I did exactly this with a lowed car. Lived in CA, moved to AZ, then back to CA for a job. Ididn't have a problem at all. They just verified the VIN, and done. No mechanical inspection. |
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olspeed
Samba Member
Joined: May 01, 2008
Posts: 489
Location: In the shadow of Denali, I still don't give a damn how they do it outside
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 12:50 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
| Don't believe that they are not law enforcement, a DMV officer wields more power than the State police (at least in my state), they are not bound by jurisdictions within the state. |
They are called code compliance officers up here and yes since they enforce statewide code they can stop and ticket you anywhere.
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66- Ghia
76-Beetle |
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Onceler
Samba Member
Joined: May 28, 2010
Posts: 1647
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 1:34 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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Put it up on jack stands in ur garage and have a police officer come over and verify the VIN?
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1972 Karmann Ghia |
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jason
Samba Member
Joined: August 07, 2002
Posts: 3444
Location: Garage
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 3:45 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| Police don't do that here. They won't even sign off a fix it ticket anymore. You have to go to a highway patrol inspection station. Back to the DMV thing, the car has to be running and 100% complete for DMV or AAA to inspect it. If it is AAA is best bet. If not you can use a mobile vin inspector. He will come to your house. I did that with my taken apart vehicle. I believe it was $60. |
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Erik G
Samba Member
Joined: October 16, 2002
Posts: 13278
Location: Tejas!
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 3:49 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| Jmiddle204 wrote: |
Has anyone had a problem at DMV when they had their VIN inspected and their vehicle was modified, lowered? They are not law enforcement but hoping to know if they would give me a hard time or not. It’s a 62 bug. Just learned that a VIN inspection is required in CA if the car leaves the state’s system and then goes back in. I lived here, moved out of state, moving back.
Thanks,
James |
you'll have no problem with a lowered vehicle at CA DMV. I would have the rear seat out and vin numbers cleaned and ready to go, make their job easier
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Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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Pruneman99
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012
Posts: 5013
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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AAA will need to verify the VIN in two locations. I didn't have a body tag so the DMV rejected the AAA vin inspection. I had to go to the DMV.
Just FYI |
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Onceler
Samba Member
Joined: May 28, 2010
Posts: 1647
Location: Indiana
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 4:22 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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What if u have a project car that doesn't roll?
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1972 Karmann Ghia |
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ZENVWDRIVER
Samba Member
Joined: November 07, 2008
Posts: 3340
Location: N.E. Oklahoma
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:42 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| Erik G wrote: |
| Jmiddle204 wrote: |
Has anyone had a problem at DMV when they had their VIN inspected and their vehicle was modified, lowered? They are not law enforcement but hoping to know if they would give me a hard time or not. It’s a 62 bug. Just learned that a VIN inspection is required in CA if the car leaves the state’s system and then goes back in. I lived here, moved out of state, moving back.
Thanks,
James |
you'll have no problem with a lowered vehicle at CA DMV. I would have the rear seat out and vin numbers cleaned and ready to go, make their job easier |
... excellent advice...
... ... I would just do whatever was expected of me and then, you'll find out what happens - why even think, the worse case scenario? Bet you're worrying 'bout nothing.
_________________
5/50, pastel green 11G - SOLD
8/50, gray 11A Beetle
6/52, pastel green 11C - SOLD
11/4/52, black Zwitter - SOLD to my little bro.
1954 Porsche, pre A, with VW 36 horse- SOLD
1/54, black 11C Beetle - TRADED
2/55 Iceland green Beetle, on a 1965 pan
3/55 113 Beetle, stratos silver
1955 Messerschmitt KR175 - SOLD, sadly
1960 single cab
1962 SO33, with SO 42 interior
9/63 Pacific blue, Ghia
'87 Toyota MR2
'02 WestFORDia E-150, GAVE TO OUR SON
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DonKombi
Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2014
Posts: 209
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 12:32 am Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
| Don't believe that they are not law enforcement, a DMV officer wields more power than the State police (at least in my state), they are not bound by jurisdictions within the state. |
Ha..... NOT in California!!
Ca. DMV clerks are about as far from "law enforcement" as you could possibly imagine. No appearance standards....no uniforms....most of the men dressed like slobs and many women dressed like hood rats.
California DMV clerks have difficulty walking and chewing gum at the same time.
They are some of the laziest human beings you will ever encounter.
They are completely uneducated as to codes, rules, and procedures.
Constantly having to "go get a supervisor" for basic, simple transactions.
If you look up the word "unprofessional"......there is a good chance an image of a California DMV clerk will pop-up.
The DMV VIN inspector in Santa Ana for YEARS was an old guy who looked like Billy Gibbons and wore Hawaiian shirts every day. He would NEVER check the pan VIN on my Bugs. He would have me climb back there are read off the numbers to him. I could have told him ANYTHING and he would have signed off on it. TOTAL JOKE!! |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12854
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 4:13 am Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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There is a difference between a DMV employee & a DMV officer. Here, classic cars being transferred from out of state are inspected by DMV officers at the license & theft department or a State Highway Patrol location for rural communities.
At the License & Theft department, they have a shop where they can dismantle the vehicle & remove any component/s that come up as stolen on the national database. One time that I was there, some guy was trying to title a Harley Davidson & the engine/trans numbers came up as stolen, they gave him the bike back without them.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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Gurn Blanston
Samba Member
Joined: January 18, 2014
Posts: 339
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:07 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| Pruneman99 wrote: |
AAA will need to verify the VIN in two locations. I didn't have a body tag so the DMV rejected the AAA vin inspection. I had to go to the DMV.
Just FYI |
Why did you not have the VIN tag for your vehicle? |
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Gurn Blanston
Samba Member
Joined: January 18, 2014
Posts: 339
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:10 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| DonKombi wrote: |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
| Don't believe that they are not law enforcement, a DMV officer wields more power than the State police (at least in my state), they are not bound by jurisdictions within the state. |
Ha..... NOT in California!!
Ca. DMV clerks are about as far from "law enforcement" as you could possibly imagine. No appearance standards....no uniforms....most of the men dressed like slobs and many women dressed like hood rats.
California DMV clerks have difficulty walking and chewing gum at the same time.
They are some of the laziest human beings you will ever encounter.
They are completely uneducated as to codes, rules, and procedures.
Constantly having to "go get a supervisor" for basic, simple transactions.
If you look up the word "unprofessional"......there is a good chance an image of a California DMV clerk will pop-up.
The DMV VIN inspector in Santa Ana for YEARS was an old guy who looked like Billy Gibbons and wore Hawaiian shirts every day. He would NEVER check the pan VIN on my Bugs. He would have me climb back there are read off the numbers to him. I could have told him ANYTHING and he would have signed off on it. TOTAL JOKE!! |
Sounds like utter incompetence to me. Why would he have not used the actual VIN tag? |
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Pruneman99
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012
Posts: 5013
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:24 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| Gurn Blanston wrote: |
| Pruneman99 wrote: |
AAA will need to verify the VIN in two locations. I didn't have a body tag so the DMV rejected the AAA vin inspection. I had to go to the DMV.
Just FYI |
Why did you not have the VIN tag for your vehicle? |
It had a body swap done. '65 body on a '66 pan. I assume the body VIN tag was removed when the swap occurred.
It also had a piece of metal body worked over the original VIN on the tunnel with a fake VIN number stamped in it. It took 30 years and more than seven owners untill I found the farce two years after I bought the car. But that's a whole other story.  |
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HippyTom
Samba Member
Joined: December 18, 2013
Posts: 676
Location: Florida, West Pasco
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:27 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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I moved to FL from VA 7 years ago and had some problems with my 62 Bug.
In VA, years ago, they just took the VIN off your old title and didn't look at the car. Well, I came to discover that there had been an extra duplicate digit in my VIN carried over for years on my car. The FL DMV had to verify an out of state VIN and discovered the problem when I tried to register it here. Said I had to take it back to VA to get them to fix it.
Yeah, I'm dragging it 750 miles to get a paper error fixed.
So I finally raised enough hell and got a "regional investigator" from Tampa to make an appointment to come to my house and look at the car and all the paperwork. Now getting to this step there was a ton of hassle and BS, but I'll spare you those details.
In the end, the guy shows up at my house at the established time. I had the back seat out and area cleaned up so he could easily see the VIN on the tunnel. He looked at all my paperwork from VA (bill of sale, title, registration, etc) and he said, "Oh, simply a clerical error where they added an extra 5" He filled out an official form, we both signed it, and he said, "Now, take this and the car to the DMV and you're golden"
I did just that and it was smooth as silk. Legal Beagle.
Florida is very strict, and my 62 is lowered as well. And they didn't care one iota about that.
_________________
51 Standard Split Window Bug
57 Oval Bug, 80s Custom Car
62 Sunroof Bug, Psychedelic Hippy Car
63 Sunroof Bug, Former Herbie, Dad bought in 66
79 Super Beetle Convertible, OG paint and interior
69 Weekender Bus
77 Bay Window Bus, OG paint
69 Bug Convertible - SOLD
71 Super Beetle Vert - SOLD
64 Karmann-Ghia, barn find - SOLD |
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Gurn Blanston
Samba Member
Joined: January 18, 2014
Posts: 339
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:39 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| Pruneman99 wrote: |
| Gurn Blanston wrote: |
| Pruneman99 wrote: |
AAA will need to verify the VIN in two locations. I didn't have a body tag so the DMV rejected the AAA vin inspection. I had to go to the DMV.
Just FYI |
Why did you not have the VIN tag for your vehicle? |
It had a body swap done. '65 body on a '66 pan. I assume the body VIN tag was removed when the swap occurred. |
That's not a "body swap", that's a pan swap. The vehicle manufacturer only attaches one VIN tag to each vehicle, and on a '65 Volkswagen Beetle, that would be riveted to the spare tire well in front.
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| It also had a piece of metal body worked over the original VIN on the tunnel with a fake VIN number stamped in it. It took 30 years and more than seven owners untill I found the farce two years after I bought the car. But that's a whole other story. |
Sounds like you have a pretty significant legal problem, as it relates to criminal law. There is only one reason I can think of, to conceal a vehicle's original VIN number (by removing the original VIN tag in this case), and that reason is vehicle theft. Knowingly possessing a stolen vehicle is a felony in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
I'm wondering where the lawful owner of that '65 Beetle is. |
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KTPhil 
Samba Member
Joined: April 06, 2006
Posts: 34009
Location: Conejo Valley, CA
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Pruneman99
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012
Posts: 5013
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:53 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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| Gurn Blanston wrote: |
| Pruneman99 wrote: |
| Gurn Blanston wrote: |
| Pruneman99 wrote: |
AAA will need to verify the VIN in two locations. I didn't have a body tag so the DMV rejected the AAA vin inspection. I had to go to the DMV.
Just FYI |
Why did you not have the VIN tag for your vehicle? |
It had a body swap done. '65 body on a '66 pan. I assume the body VIN tag was removed when the swap occurred. |
That's not a "body swap", that's a pan swap. The vehicle manufacturer only attaches one VIN tag to each vehicle, and on a '65 Volkswagen Beetle, that would be riveted to the spare tire well in front.
| Quote: |
| It also had a piece of metal body worked over the original VIN on the tunnel with a fake VIN number stamped in it. It took 30 years and more than seven owners untill I found the farce two years after I bought the car. But that's a whole other story. |
Sounds like you have a pretty significant legal problem, as it relates to criminal law. There is only one reason I can think of, to conceal a vehicle's original VIN number (by removing the original VIN tag in this case), and that reason is vehicle theft. Knowingly possessing a stolen vehicle is a felony in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
I'm wondering where the lawful owner of that '65 Beetle is. |
Pan swap, body swap, tomato tamAto. Most states recognize only the VIN on the tunnel and see the body as a "part". Most states don't care about the absence of a body tag.
I am now the legal owner of my '65-'66 mut. I reported the fake VIN to the DMV and the police in CA, and was issued a new title in CA with the correct VIN. Again in AZ after I was questioned by AZ vehicle theft police when I moved to AZ and went to get the car registered. AZ also issued me a title. CA didn't bat an eye when I bought it back other than the VIN inspection. |
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HippyTom
Samba Member
Joined: December 18, 2013
Posts: 676
Location: Florida, West Pasco
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| Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:56 pm Post subject: Re: California DMV VIN inspection, lowered car |
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The official VIN # and title should match with the chassis number. Given the easy of body swaps, dune buggies, rail buggies, kit cars, etc. the tunnel number is typically viewed as the official number going with the title.
If your title VIN doesn't match the tunnel VIN, you're going to have a long row to hoe.
_________________
51 Standard Split Window Bug
57 Oval Bug, 80s Custom Car
62 Sunroof Bug, Psychedelic Hippy Car
63 Sunroof Bug, Former Herbie, Dad bought in 66
79 Super Beetle Convertible, OG paint and interior
69 Weekender Bus
77 Bay Window Bus, OG paint
69 Bug Convertible - SOLD
71 Super Beetle Vert - SOLD
64 Karmann-Ghia, barn find - SOLD |
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