VIN questions

I'm trying to register my '71 Caddy and NYS DMV likes to give me trouble. My question is about my VIN discrepancy. The title has the VIN as 10158471, but the little metal tag under the windshield is 69B9010158471. Which number is correct? What is the "69B90" in front of the VIN?
Thanks!
 
698901q158471

698901Q158471

Your VIN is probably 6 (Cadillac) 9890 (Commercial Chassis) 1 (1971) Q (Detroit, MI) 158471 (Production Number)

The number is the widshield is the correct VIN. There are plenty of websites with VIN decoding information, the following just happened to be the first one that came up in my Google search.

http://www.tpocr.com/cadillacvin6.html

Good luck with the DMV.
 
I would write out exactly what Kevin has done and take it back to them.

Nothing clearer than that for those at the DMV.

Get them to update the paperwork so it doesn't come up again.
The VIN tag is correct.

Darren

P.S. You would figure the DMV could do what Kevin did, or know how to figure it out...
as IT IS THEIR LINE OF WORK !
 
Thanks guys. The other problem they are giving me is the lack of a weight on the title. PA doesn't have that on the title and NY requires it. Soooo, I have to somehow get my car to a weigh station to get a slip, THEN go back to get plates for it. Oye! Thankfully I have a friend that can let me borrow dealer plates.
 
Just be thankful that they are not like Connecticut, where you have to have a VIN verification first. They require the VIN to be found in 2 locations, and on the Commercial Chassis, the only other location is on the top side of the rear frame rail. That requires that the body be taken off the chassis to verify it. I ran into this problem with registering my 1978 Superior Cadillac ambulance. Luckily the person doing the VIN inspection knew someone at the national auto theft bureau that was able to OK the VIN inspection and knew about this quirk of commercial chassis cars.
 
Nikki,
On the other side of the coin when I took my 83's registration forms to MV the only thing that I was asked for was proof of purchase. Isn't it fun to deal with NYS motor vehicle!:pat:
 
when i got mine registered the lady looked at me and asked if it was a station wagon my reply "hell no its a hearse" and other than that i had no problem with the utah dmvs
 
Interesting, a few years ago I purchased a classic car from the state of New York. The state of Minnesota would required me to obtain a bond for the value of the car in order to get a Minnesota title, because there is so much fraud on New York car titles!:4_11_9:
 
First, the lady was giving me a hard time because it was a hearse and they didn't have a category for it, then didnt want to register it because I might use it for income ("no, I'm using it for car shows only!). Not only do I have to get the car weighed, but she wants me to do a pencil rubbing of the VIN to prove what it really is. Obviously I can't get to the one under the windshield, so I have to find another tag that I can reach. I just wanna drive my car!
 
Go to another DMV office, and don't mention that it is a hearse. Tell them it is a station wagon, and all your problems will go away. You have run into someone that just doesn't like hearses in all probability. I had a similar problem with CT DMV, and I came back a week later and had a different employee. Everything went smoothly, where as the first time there the employee threw every roadblock in the book at me. There is no other place to get a pencil tracing. If they are pushing for this, then the only other alternative is to have the NY State Police auto theft bureau inspect the car and give you a letter to satisfy the DMV. I had to do this a couple of times when I lived in NJ when registering an out of state vehicle from NY before NY had titles.
 
Nikki

I had trouble at a DMV office once and just gathered up my paperwork and drove to another one and it all went through without any questions at all !

Sometime you just get an a**hole and need to move on to someone who doesn't have a big head.

I will tell you the whole story in Ohio when it doesn't require me a lot of typing if you are interested in hearing it.

Darren
 
This raises the question for me, does the title of the car have effect on insurance if the "hearse" is listed as a "station wagon" or any other non-hearse car on the title, In the event the hearse is distroyed, the insurance company only has to pay the value of the titled vehicle. A station wagon may not be as valuable as a hearse or ambulance.
 
sounds to me like the car was titled with the manufactures number in Pa. I had one 72 tilted that way and the other one titled with the GM vin number. either number would be correct for the car. most were titled with aftermarket manufactures number to start out with, as that was the aftermarket manufactures serial number. but a lot of the cars get changed to the gm vin because the DMV has trouble excepting the aftermarket number. just not enough digits for them. if your car has the same engine the number on it is the same as the gm vin number. one other quirk on them. I can't remember but think it's the left side stamped in the flat spot just in front of the head. but my left may be different then yours. so one side or the other. but yes just tell them it's a station wagon and you'll sail threw.
 
What the DMV calls the car doesn't effect what the insurance company does, since you are going to be making a declaration to the insurance company for value and sending pictures. When you have a loss, that is what is going to determine what the insurance company pays you, not what is on the title. Now, if you "cheat" the insurance company by calling it a station wagon for the lower rate, then you are going to loose big time. When you make a misrepresentation to the insurance company, they don't have to pay anything. This is usually in the fine print of the policy. Every state and every insurance company is different, so check with your insurance representative. For my AAA towing and roadside service, I have my cars covered, since I have a "recreational motor home vehicle" membership. It is more expensive, but they don't give me a hard time if it needs to be towed. I just describe it as a 8000 pound 21 foot long motor home with red lights and siren... :angel:
 
Bill

Most antique car insurance policies require an appraisal for value before you would be able to get insurance. It also requires photos and it will state that it is a hearse or ambulance on it.
Once the value is set, that's what your car is worth to them.
Usually they require an update every 5 years or when you have a lot of work done to it you can submit another higher value appraisal.
This type of policy usually requires the car to be 25 years old. They have other versions for cars 15-24 years old too.

If you are under a regular policy, they will give you what they consider a book value and that may be very low if you run into trouble or have an accident at some point.

You should clearly state what the vehicle is when it comes to insurance.
Don't try to hind or mislead them. You will be the one who loses.

Insurance companies are in it for the money, not you, so always cover yourself and the vehicle so you don't get the short end of the stick.

Even when you think you have it all covered, they can still make it difficult for you and will nickel and dime you to death.

Darren
 
did I miss something we jumped from the DMV to insurance. the DMV even in SD doesn't not have the box to check for hearse or ambulance in the one size fits all computer program they now use. you got to call it a station wagon to get the right body style. that and if you insist it's a hearse they want to sell you commercial tags for it. the same computer program is the one that insists you have the digits in the vin number. if the old title in PA was off the superior or MM or what ever it is number, you'll have to change it to the gm vin number. under the glass, on top of the frame in the rear and on the engine is all the locations so far. anyone have one more??
 
Makes me glad I live in Iowa, the only extra thing you need is a bill of sale, and they just started that. Must be too many people spending thousands on a car ant saying they only gave one hundred for it.

As said before if it helps say it is a station wagon. When I got my pro cars they varied from, hearse, station wagon, sedan, and even one says cargo van.
 
I have regular insurance on my car for now and it's registered as a Hearse. I'll be switching that to classic insurance as soon as I get it on the road. I have a bill of sale as well otherwise the DMV would give me even more problems. There's only one DMV office in the county I'm in, so I don't have much choice. If I can't find the tag on the engine, I'll have to take a picture of the dashboard tag. Hopefully they will accept that. I'm getting really antsy now that the days are getting longer and (almost) warmer.

Thanks for all your help everyone. You are truly a wonderful wealth of knowledge!
 
Go to another DMV office, and don't mention that it is a hearse. Tell them it is a station wagon, and all your problems will go away. You have run into someone that just doesn't like hearses in all probability.

This is a good recommendation, and it just might work. I had a little trouble when registering my hearse as well as I purchased it directly from a funeral home. The lady at the DMV acted like she was going to catch a disease just from touching the title. "Oh my gosh, it's a hearse!!", she said in a somewhat loud voice. :4_11_9:

Then she drilled me with the 20 questions, like "are you going to use it?", etc. in order to determine if I should have a commercial registration or not. I explained to her that it is only to be used as a recreational vehicle. Occasional use for its intended purpose is "recreation" to me...:thumbsup:
 
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