Protecting Your Car From Theft

Car thieves can peer through the windshield of your car, write down the VIN # from the label on the dash, go to the local car dealership and request a duplicate key based on the VIN #. The car dealer's parts department will make a duplicate key from the VIN #, and collect payment from the thief who will return to your car. He doesn't have to break in, do any damage to the vehicle, or draw attention to himself. All he has to do is walk up to your car, insert the key and off he goes to a local chop shop with your vehicle.

The person who alerted me to this said they didn't believe it, so they called their Chrysler-Dodge dealership and pretended they had lost their keys. Sure enough, they were told to just bring in the VIN #, and they would cut me one on the spot, and that they could order the keyless device if they wanted.

To avoid this from happening to you, simply put some dark tape (electrical tape, duct tape or medical tape) across the VIN Number Metal Label located on the dashboard. By law, you cannot remove the VIN, but you CAN cover it so it can't be viewed through the windshield by a car thief. You could also just slip a 3x5 card over the VIN NUMBER.