Giving your VIN number to someone

[v1p3r]

Gents,

My best friend is selling his car, and a prospective buyer asked for his VIN. This is probably to check the owner and dealer history right?

My buddy doesn't have an issue with disclosing anything, just worried about putting his VIN out there.

My question is, is it safe to give this person his VIN, or are there pitfalls to avoid here?

Thanks gentlemen

 

[Pho3niX90]

I don't think they can do anything with the VIN, after all it's visible to the world from the windscreen

 

[ChefDJ]

The VIN can be used to order new keys for the car if fake papers are provided, if I'm not mistaken :fencelook:
This was a recent scam going around.

Get the guy to meet your friend at a public place, and NOT at his house or work where the car is most days :thumbs:

 

[Pho3niX90]

@ChefDJ
Can you buy already cut keys from BMW? Or programmed? I have read awhile ago that BMW actually creates 10 keys for each car manufactured and stores them.

 

[ChefDJ]

@ChefDJ
Can you buy already cut keys from BMW? Or programmed? I have read awhile ago that BMW actually creates 10 keys for each car manufactured and stores them.

I'm really not too sure how it works.

Word was that a scammer or thief would obtain the VIN number either by asking for it to do history checks on the car, or by simply looking at the car when parked at a mall or a work parking lot.

This thief would then draft up fake ownership/registration papers (no idea how they got your name and ID number) and go to a BMW dealer with a request for a new key, telling them their last key got lost or broken and that the car is standing.

Using the VIN number, the dealer would be able to use a code or something to make a new key ordered from Germany, as the key cut pattern would be stored at the manufacturer :dunno:

I don't know how many keys the dealer actually makes and stores per car :fencelook:

If they did indeed make so many, why charge so much for them when you order a new one if the cost is already covered in the price of the vehicle?

 

[ters]

Think of the logistics/warehousing of all the spare keyes, does not make sense.....I agree they do hold some sort of information on a vehicles keyes.

Ters.

 

[Spiro]

I've heard a different side to keys, they need the car to allow a new cut key to be coded onto the car...

1. Get a New Key
2. Need the Car
3. Dealer will release a Key from the cars OBC
4. New key will be registered onto OBC...



I stand to be corrected, but this is what bmw told me for the e46


Spiro

 

[Gbmw]

I don't think they can do anything with the VIN, after all it's visible to the world from the windscreen

=+1

As I understand for a key to be programmed u need the key and car together same place, not just off the VIN

 

[Luis Malhou]

The scam doesnt ring true for BMW's. Dealers are required to have a copy of ownership papers and ID of owner and in some cases the vehicle. Gets tougher when cars are on HP. Also you don't need to pass on the full Vin, only the last 7 digits[/align], normally starts with letters.

 

[Adi]

BMW does not keep any spare keys...........you can buy blanks, and get them cut, or you need to have the car with all the technical goodies to program a new key.

The Vin numbers are no secret..........can tell you that the e34 M5's start with OBB77000 or OBB77001 and run to OBB77264......pick any in-between and you have a valid Vin.

BMW has also issued a large number of duplicate Vin's. Vin's issued in SA were duplicated at some stage in Germany, to give you an example my 535iM e12/8 built in SA, shows up as a R80 BMW Motorbike if I use any of the Vin decoders.....

Would not see any danger in giving out my Vin.

 

[Rommies]

Let the owner get the history of the car and e-mail it to him.

 

[Adi]

hmm would not trust emailed details if they were mailed to me......would want to check them myself

 

[Seaspray]

I always ask for the VIN number to check details of the car... if refused I will think there is something to hide and walk away.

 

[Executer]

I always ask for the VIN number to check details of the car... if refused I will think there is something to hide and walk away.

+1

 

[Philip Foglar]

Yep, last 7 digits is all that is needed to check a car for any issues and for that matter on RealOEM - there was a guy selling an E90 330d M Sport manual which I had recognised and looked at before, he advertised it as a 2007 model when I knew that it was a 2006 model. I had taken some pics of it when I had looked at it before and in particular the VIN number, so was able to confirm this when I went to look at the car again. I told him about this and he didn't seem to have an answer - I ended up walking away from this car anyway, too many issues with it for the money that he wanted.