Here’s what to verify when buying a used vehicle

All vehicles have them, but the visual ones can be tampered with, and a fake VIN utilized, which can be a concern when purchasing used vehicles.

Const. Troy Grisbrook, who specializes in Auto Crime Identification with the Medicine Hat Police Service, said there is one way to best confirm this number.

“Every vehicle has a port that you can plug in an OBD-II reader, which will give you the onboard computer’s actual VIN that is embedded into the vehicle,” Grisbook said.

“That VIN is the legit VIN. Highly educated, knowledgeable, organized crime syndicates will take that computer out, unfortunately, and replace it with a stolen OBD-II computer,” he added.

“However, that’s seen very rarely. More affordable vehicles, you wouldn’t see that.”

These readers are available to purchase in store, or regularly used at shops that deal with vehicle repairs.

The two easiest visual locations for a VIN are viewed on the front windshield on the dash of the drivers side, and inside the drivers side door jam.

The location of the VIN inside on the door jam will vary with different vehicle manufacturers.

Dennis Schlemko, owner of Spectrum Body and Paint, said they will always scan a vehicle prior to and after completing work, where the VIN can be verified.

“The first steps we do when we are doing an estimate is, we always take a picture of the VIN, mileage and all four corners of the vehicle,” Schlemko said.

“Make sure that what’s on the dash matches what’s in the door jam of the vehicle.”

Verifying these with the the VIN on the OBD-II reader can help you confirm the vehicle.

When purchasing a used vehicle, a Carfax report will let you know the vehicle history, and is another way to verify a lien check to know if money is owing to anyone else on the vehicle.

If you suspect you have a vehicle with a VIN that has been tampered with, you are encouraged to contact local law enforcement.

by Jesse Gill

Here’s what to verify when buying a used vehicle

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