I live in Mexico. I have a USA made 1995 Spirit legally imported in 1995 at a cost of eight hundred dollars. Things are different down here - vehicle I.D. is crucial. Regular highway checkpoints called "puestos de controles" have the PFP or SSP federal cops auditing car registration papers and verifying ID with VIN numbers on the car.
A month ago, I had the car in to replace a badly cracked windshield. When the old one had been removed some idiot tipped over a jug of lacquer thinner and it splashed onto the dashboard and VIN plate. I could have lived with that, but the VIN plate melted sort of. It is now impossible to read.
Early this morning a cop told me "You're lucky we know you and the car and you have the "dical" on the door otherwise there would be big problems for you:.
I know where there is another Sprint. It's motor and tranny are missing, but the owner has the correct paperwork for the car. I am considering buying the junker., stripping out the dash, with VIN placard underneath, and then replacing the whole ball of wax. Labor is a lot cheaper down here.
But the cops know about the door sticker and if you know the Spirit you know the dashboard VIN plate is impossible to read unless the overhead sun is just right. I convince them to just use the door decal.
But if I "hit it wrong" and the door decal is missing or does not agree with the dash plate then I am in a heap of trouble.
My car is young mileage wise and a V-6 which is not available in Mexico and gets 30 mpg and has KILLER air conditioning. Used Mexican cars are misused junk and overpriced like stupid. It uses 1/4 qt of 5W-30 oil in 4,000 miles between changes.
Two questions:
The dash VIN placard is hidden pretty well. They're going to have to pull the dash to get at it. Is the placard itself hard to get at or some kind of a trick to change?
Is there some "secret way" to steam off or use some chemical to safely soak off the door VIN decal? Then another trick to get it back on the door and make it look convincing.
I am living on social security so a 2013 is out of the question as is trading my car for a Mexican junker. The model is so plain-jane any self respecting criminal would shoot themselves in the foot before attempting to hijack or steal it.
my email is
mexbungalows[at]gmail.com
I live in Las Peñas, Michoacan
Authorities would laugh at notarized letters and there is no mechanism in place to issue documents that would satisfy suspicious roadside checkers, and Mexican aduana (customs people). I wish to remain deaf over the morals issue here. I own both cars, I have the legal paperwork for both cars, all fees would be paid in full and only one car ever returns to the road. The other car goes to Las Truchas steel mill as chatarro, scrap. If a moralist has issues about the possibility of me trying to run a chop shop operation on an 18 year old car, here is my direct dial-from-the-USA Mexico cellular telephone number (011) 52-615-104-0402
Thanks!