So you're the type of calls I hate getting..."do you really need the VIN, they're all the same..." Order part and its wrong then the bitching starts. You want the right part bring or have YOUR VIN ready when coming to the dealer and not one from Autotrader et.al. Our catalogs work much better with VINs....now back to original topic at hand.
Bit harsh there. Quite the opposite. While I do know what I want, I am not the type to b**** and moan. Also, I never knew I could return a parts order from a dealer (I avoid buying from there if at all possible). I thought they are considered special orders and nonreturnable but I’ve never had the need to return an item yet
. I learned something new.
I do not disagree with you and thought I was clear by stating:
...They always ask for the car’s VIN (or last 8 digits) to ensure they are looking into the right model/year, rightfully so.
...I tell them I have a part number but they insist a VIN first, so ok, play by the rules...
For the record, I would use a VIN for the same make, model, and year. I don’t care which car it is physical associated to and please don’t tell me the trim has any impact. If I didn’t pretend I had a MS3, I technically wouldn’t be able do my oil filter conversion based on what one of the Mazda dealers told me. Let’s just say I’m not your typical parts buyers. I mostly buy parts online (amazon, rockauto, et all) just using part numbers while items have little to no description and no pics. I’m doing ok so far
Well, for starters- you could report the car/engine stolen. Sure it's public info- but that doesn't mean you want it out in the open for anyone to grab all the time.
But isn’t this a personal attack? I guess I meant to ask how someone unknown to you can use it for some sort of financial gain that they can’t do with any other VIN that is randomly available. I do understand you’d want to be safe than sorry so this is a good reason, but one would also not post any person info such as real name and email address. I know doing a license plate trace can show a good bit info about the owner info/insurance/car details but there are specific details that are protect by law that the DOT cannot release, at least in PA. Did my research as a result of a hit and run victim. I do not know of any personal/vulnerable details tied to the VIN, which is why I was asking and would be interested to know. VINs are like UPC code for a product. I know about exotic/classic cars and value of original VINs but we are talking about a Mz5 here. I also know about stolen cars with scratch off VINs+fake VINs but the thieves can use any VIN they pull off the internet. The impact in this case is the unknown buyer, who will have problems trying to register the car. Anyway, it was just an idea that we can now drop.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/buying-selling/vin.htm
Back to topic, anyone find good deals lately? I see a few local listing but people are asking waaay too much… Looking for a replacement car for my parents
