Talk:VIN etching

Untitled
Removed the following from the article because of POV: Vin Etching stickers get the vin on top of the glass and not into the glass as a regular engraving or etching machine would achieve. These cheap stickers cannot be applied in the rain and are seen by professional car thieves as useless because the sticker and the vin can easily be removed by the use of a razor blade. Remember, these Vin etching sticker machines only produce stickers that place the vin 'ON' the glass and not 'INTO' the glass like an engraver would engrave the back of a watch or a trophy nameplate. Also, there is a Large Auto Dealer Group with over 50 dealers in the Greater Chicago area who pay pennies for these stickers yet they automatically add them to the totals column of each automobile contract at a cost to the customer of $229.00. Making hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars for the Dealer Group yet not adding any level of security for the customer's $80,000 new or $25,000 pre-driven car. Keep your money in your pocket. Feets 04:31, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

This is totally incorrect. The name of the product is etch. This indicates that the serial number is actually permanently etched into the glass using an acid. Any sticker use involved is just to advertise the fact that the serial number has been acid etched into the glass. It is a permanent addition to the vehicle and CANNOT be removed with a razor blaze. Simple logic would prove the above statement to be totally false. I had the etching done to my vehicle when I bought it new for $265 and am happy with my purchase. I sometimes have to park in less than desirable areas and after understanding how it works am confident that when I return my vehicle will be there. I also save on my insurance!

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 15 January 2019 and 28 February 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): AroarizonaASU.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 12:12, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Request to merge article
I'm going to request this short article be merged into the VIN article, as I can't see any reason to have it by itself. EvanCarroll 02:42, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

I agree Enigma 0Z (talk) 19:27, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

Weasel words and citation needed
I've added a citation to the article, although it looks like most of this was copied wholesale out of the PDF by Allstate. I did not remove the weasel words or citation needed tags, however. Enigma 0Z (talk) 19:27, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

Problems with the article
This reads more as a guide or a consumer self-help thing than an encyclopedia article. The point is not to give advice to car buyers, it's to describe what VIN etching is.  Enigma msg  20:33, 27 May 2015 (UTC)

Countermeasure to theft?
I'm not following this. This seems like something useful after a car has been stolen (ie. to assist in recovering a vehicle). 108.200.234.93 (talk) 06:51, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

Yes, you are correct, VIN Etching can be used as a tool to assist in recovery but only if the vehicle's windows have already been etched with the VIN prior to being stolen. VIN Etching is considered a theft deterrent for vehicles that are prime to be stolen in order to have their VIN switched or cloned to make the vehicle to appear to be a different vehicle. Etching the VIN on all windows of the vehicle would make the vehicle unsuitable to be cloned or VIN switched without first replacing all windows of the vehicle; I.E. incurring a cost to something already stolen. AroarizonaASU (talk) 04:22, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

Update Wording
VIN etching is recommended by police departments, insurance agencies, and government automobile/vehicle theft prevention agencies https://www.heatreward.com/prevention/vin-etching.aspx. This service is sometimes offered free of charge at sponsored events.[3][4][5][6][7] AroarizonaASU (talk) 04:37, 20 February 2019 (UTC)