Hi all,

I have imported an Evo 9 from the USA from auction that was previously stolen.
It does have a VIN tag riveted by the California DMV (blue tag) with it's actual VIN number, so it wasnt assigned a random one. This tells me that it was inspected and identified at some point by either the DMV or a police department.
I have the title and all the other paperwork that i need for registration in my country.

Here is where my problem starts.
All previous VIN numbers on the body have been removed or scratched away. The same goes for the one on the firewall, dashboard and engine block.
Thankfully, who did this did not know about the tag on the upper part of the gearbox. That is the only VIN number that I have found on the car, with the exception of the DMV tag.

During inspection at my country's "DMV", I have been told that they cannot identify the car, as they cannot find any original VIN number, as applied by the manufacturer (so the California DMV one is of no use). They saw the one on the gearbox casing, but while it does match the title, I need to have at least one on the body/frame.

So here is my question:
Does anyone know if there is any other place where I can look for the VIN number, apart from the ones that I have checked (body panels, firewall, dashboard, engine block).
At this point I am ready to take all the interior out in the hope of finding one (maybe under the seats or dash?)

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

If those stickers are all removed unfortunately there are no other printed or engraved parts with the VIN on them. I have been through the ct9a inside and out down to bare metal and inspected every inch and I would be shocked if someone told me there was. All there is, is a "CT9A" stamp on the firewall..but that's not a VIN. Its messed up to think you may have bought a parts only car after importing but id maybe looking into another way to get it registered.

 

Thank you for your reply, RallySport9. I have been told the same by other Evo owners, but I was hoping that maybe someone knew better.
The car does have a salvage title (theft), but it is stamped on it that the car can be registered after an inspection (which has been already carried out in California).

I believe in this case the easiest thing to do is contact the California DMV (or a police department, but which one?) and get a paper or something from them that says that they have applied the VIN tag. That should be enough for registering the car. Not sure where I can contact them, as I found no email adress, just their physical adress.

 

Only thing I can think of as a mode to investigate would be with the synthetic resin parts (interior & exterior plastics) that have the month and year production dates on them. If somehow usdm 9 vins by month by year could be identified, most of my stamped oe plastics are made within one month of the production date on the drivers door jam.

 

Kevin, that wouldn't be of much help. They don't care that I have the VIN on the gearbox. Having plastics investigated would be a joke to them.

I will try to contact the California DMV, and I hope they would respond to a non US problem.

 

It would be for you to investigate. Expecting any govt to do that work would be impossible.

 

Good Luck with the CA DMV inquiry. Im guessing they black flag it since the car was stolen and then shipped overseas.

 

The car was no longer flagged as stolen when I bought it from the US, as it was already inspected and had it's VIN reapplied.

 

I understand your situation. Since you've checked the standard VIN locations and found the one on the gearbox casing, consulting local authorities or a forensic vehicle identification expert might be your best option. They can provide guidance on uncovering any hidden or additional VINs.