It depends on who you ask," says Pete Karageorgos, Ontario Manager, Consumer & Industry Relations, with the Insurance Bureau of Canada. Auto Refinance Rates No. The NHTSAs rationale is that a VIN is important for identifying vehicles that may be subject to recalls because of automotive defects. Do not assume that you are entitled to any compensation as a result of the consumer complaints you have. Transmission 3. So now they are going to email me a form with all the info on it. A number of NJ dealers add tons of "profit" items on cars totaling $1,200. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly I paid $1000 via CC as a deposit, is there any way I can dispute this charge with my CC, I assume the dealership wont just give up the fee back to me. You could try to get out of it by saying it's technically not THE VIN but they did etch it. Total glass thickness, inches (mm) of glass panes and plies. I was getting a good price for the truck so I didn't care and wanted to be done with the search fo a Maverick. At the dealership I work for we offer this coverage for $199 and it covers the vehicle for 5 years. I dont know where to go from here. Of course, the dealership is not going to be happy that you're taking so long to make your decision. Deputy Attorney General Alina Wells in the Consumer Fraud Prosecution Section of the Division of Law, is representing the State in this action. What Is a Lemon Law and Does It Apply to My Car? That said, you will still have to pay any inspection, taxes and registration fees that your state charges. Etching is a fairly simple process that doesn't take very long. Or you can have the VIN etched onto your car's windows by the car dealer when you purchase the car, and this can be far more expensive. Section 115 of the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) requires that the manufacturer mark the VIN onto vehicles "clearly and indelibly and in such a manner that it cannot be removed without damaging or defacing the plate, label or vehicle". %%EOF If you look through yours, chances are good that youll see a narrow strip with the 17-character VIN. %PDF-1.6 % One way to do it is to use a glass etching tool and hand-etch the number on the glass. The fees you may have to pay to a dealership when you buy a car can add up to 8% to 10% of a cars price; however, not all of these fees stay in the dealers wallet. What you are really buying is a warranty coverage that will pay you cash if the vehicle is stolen and not recovered within a certain amount of time, usually 30 days. It's not certain that VIN-etching will definitively protect you from car theft. On Behalf of Bensley Law Offices, LLC | Apr 26, 2021 | Dealer Fraud. The providers terms, conditions and policies apply. It may not have been reviewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners. The doc fee covers the cost of preparing and filing all the paperwork. Glazing shall comply with the test criteria for Category II, unless otherwise indicated in Table 2406.2(1). A vehicle service contract, or extended car warranty, takes over when the manufacturers warranty runs out. In fact, ConsumerReports.org lists VIN etching in Buying Unnecessary Extras under their 10 Common Car-Buying Mistakes. ConsumerReports.org says, If you decide you want VIN etching, you can buy a kit to do it yourself for less than $25, instead of the $200 that some dealerships charge.. Unfortunately, I've seen this happen many times and it might surprise you as to how many people will see that their payment is the same as quoted on the sales floor and will sign away. So while it's not your actual VIN, they did perform the service. The few major insurers I telephoned didn't. Charges for the actual costs of title and registration fees imposed by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission are not subject to tax. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 1086 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[]/Index[1067 32]/Info 1066 0 R/Length 97/Prev 239554/Root 1068 0 R/Size 1099/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Seekamp says that she was told that all of the dealerships vehicles come with VIN etching and that she was required to purchase the warranty as part of the sale. Moreover, charging $398 for a procedure an owner can do with an $18 kit from Amazon seems a bit cheeky. You can often forego these types of upgrades, or you could save money by paying a local auto shop to install the products. The engraving can be done by either laser, chemical or mechanical process and usually takes as little as 10 to 15 minutes. The theft deterrent comes from the visibility of this serial number on windows and/or a sticker claiming the vehicle has this anti theft vehicle protection. In need of window repair, installers, or replacement in Union county or Essex county, NJ? the etching looks like trash, and barely helps, im still annoyed at this. Right rear door (if present) 9. Thread starter #1 I have never purchased window etching but the dealership insisted. If you work or go to school in the United States, you almost certainly have a Social Security number. For monolithic glazing systems, the glazing material of the single light or layer shall be laminated glass with a minimum 30-mil (0.76 mm) polyvinyl butyral (or equivalent) interlayer, wired glass, light-transmitting plastic materials meeting the requirements of. For glass sloped more than 30 degrees (0.52 rad) from horizontal. The coverage that we offer at the dealership I work at is simply a warranty, although the contract claims that it is an anti theft vehicle protection. Federal law requires that the VIN be visible on all cars and that it be stamped on many parts of each vehicle. Are Motor Vehicle Commission fees taxable? A VIN is required under regulations administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That being the case, where is it etched and for what reason? For example, there is an array of common sense behaviors (dont leave your keys in the ignition; park near the entrance of your destination, where foot traffic will be higher; dont leave valuables in plain sight; lock your car; park in a garage) that take your car out of contention as an easy target. In the meantime, please feel free Shop around before taking an offer. Note that the data above does not include destination fees for new cars. They only try to charge around $69 for this which is easily pushed aside. The screens shall be constructed of a noncombustible material not thinner than No. glass or mirrors to your specification throughout New Jersey. If youre unsure about a certain fee, ask for information before you sign. See the jurisdictions in which our lawyers are licensed, admitted, or otherwise authorized to practice. Subscribe to the AARP Money Newsletter for more on finances, scams and consumer protection. According to NHTSA regulations, the VIN must be visible through the vehicles glazing from the outside when the observer is adjacent to the left windshield pillar. Thats a complicated way of saying that you need to be able to see the VIN when you peer through the drivers side front windshield. One or more walking surface(s) are within 36 inches (914 mm), measured horizontally and in a straight line, of the plane of the glazing. Failed to provide vehicle license plates, title and registration prior to the expiration of the temporary title and/or registration; Failed to provide consumers with title and registration to used motor vehicles prior to the expiration of temporary title and/or registration; Failed to pay off loans on trade-in vehicles in a timely manner; Offered a used motor vehicle for sale upon which there was an existing lien; Failed to refund overpayment of Motor Vehicle Commission fees; Failed to honor the price negotiated with the consumer; Offered for sale a used motor vehicle from a location other than the licensed location; Charged a New Car Tire Fee to a consumer purchasing a used motor vehicle; Charged a previously undisclosed Online Fee to a consumer purchasing a motor vehicle; Sold an additional product (etching) to consumers by representing that it was mandatory, when such was not the case; and. That might not be the first question you want answered, but it might not be the last. Click here to view my Privacy Policy, Where you travel (including airport parking). And if you dont do it and your car is stolen, youll never know if that could have been prevented by VIN etching. While etching vehicle windows is not an outright scam, the practice is of dubious value. Window etching is one of the more ridiculous scams auto dealers F&I folks have concocted over the years. Should I Trade In My Car or Sell It Myself? A new car is among the most expensive purchases one makes, so it is understandable that a consumer will take every precaution to protect that purchase. VIN etching is the inscription of an autos unique vehicle identification number into the glass on the cars windshield and each window. This is a bit counterintuitive. Follow these 5 tips when youre ready to negotiate a better price for your new car. They cannot charge one fee for one customer and a completely different fee for another. It might well be.". The value for patterned glass shall be based on the thinnest part of the glass. Where access through the door is to a closet or storage. If the vehicle were stolen and recovered within 30 days, but had some damage (not totaled), they would pay up to $500 toward your insurance deductible. A secondary rationale is that having VIN etching reduces your insurance premiums. Searching for 800 565 7535 shows other people asking what that etching is for. Here is a state-by-state table showing the estimated amount you can expect to pay in required fees when purchasing a new or used car from a dealership. Supposedly, a car thief would see this number and move on, because certain car parts would not be worth as much with this etching on them. Buying VIN etching from a dealer can be expensive. The unique 17-character code follows your car throughout its life and is typically noted on your vehicle registration, bill of sale, accident reports, and repair invoices. Alternately, a car dealer might include it as a line item on the bill of sale, implying that VIN etching is required. For glass sloped 30 degrees (0.52 rad) or less from horizontal. Window etching is one of the more ridiculous scams auto dealers F&I folks have concocted over the years. All the windows have this old looking etch mark with a phone number, definitely not a VIN. For multiple-layer glazing systems, each light or layer shall consist of any of the glazing materials specified in Item 1 above. The installation of replacement glass shall be as required for new installations. Theres a good chance that you can recover damages. All new cars have ID numbers all over the vehicle. You can buy a VIN etching kit for as little as $15 or a custom-engraved VIN plate for about $32. They also reported that anit-theft window etching helps increase vehicle recovery rates. BUT, with a vehicle that has its window glass VIN etched, the thief . your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable. Consider whether theyre worth the cost before you go car shopping. In one case, a consumer was told etching the vehicle identification number on a window was mandatory when such is not the case, and the consumer was charged $350. VIN etching is sometimes overpriced and aggressively marketed by car dealers. Please enter a minimum of three characters. Window etching used to involve the actual physical act of acid etching or engraving a serial number onto the windows, frame and other major components of a vehicle. If youre in the market for a used car and want to learn about its ownership and repair history, you use the VIN to research the car with a service like CARFAX. Tempered spandrel glass is permitted to be identified by the manufacturer with a removable paper designation. It appears that, although do-it-yourself kits VIN etching kits are readily available starting at twenty dollars, dealers often charge between $100 and $300 for the service. Additionally, the buyer may have no choice in the matter since a dealer may etch every vehicle on the lot, resulting in easy profits. The States Complaint alleges that the dealerships: The initial violation of the Consumer Fraud Act carries a civil penalty to up $10,000, with each subsequent violation assessed at up to $20,000. Some content provided by and under copyright by Autodata, Inc. dba Chrome Data. Car buyers may be surprised to find a charge for VIN etching on the list of fees for the purchase of their new vehicle. VIN etching: A local mechanic will charge you less for this anti-theft measure, which involves etching the vehicle identification number on the car's glass. Where a horizontal rail is installed on the accessible side(s) of the glazing 34 to 38 inches (864 to 965 mm) above the walking surface. There are kits that can be purchased for the "Do It Yourself'ers" out there and I believe they run in the $30 range. Cars are typically stolen for one of four reasons: to profit from selling the stolen car intact; to profit from selling the cars parts individually; to provide a getaway car for another crime; or to joyride. Your contract will still show that $100 fee for legal reasons, but youll be saving the money off the total cost. Some fees come down to your personal preferences and appetite for risk. Some recommend that you have the VIN etched on your vehicle's windshield and windows. Nonfactored load in accordance with ASTM E1300. Glass doors shall remain intact following a test impact at the prescribed height in the center of the door. How Many Miles Is Too High for a Used Car? Karageorgos says some insurance companies might offer discounts for etching, but you'd have to check with your provider. A scam these dealers do regularly pull is the nitrogen in the tire farce. When a car is stolen, its typically chopped in order to sell its component parts. I come home and finally get the title in hand and look over the paperwork and I see this fee. Many consumers have told us that they were told that VIN-etching was mandatory. Car Affordability Calculator. }0 D You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider.