All,

I have seen this come up a few times, and just read a post where a member was straight-out hustled by a dealership employee to have it done.

I want to point out that this is indeed something that I recommend having done, if your windows and windshield do not already have it done. Most often it is done onto either the lower portion of the glass near the sill, or it may be done below the sill line so that it is undetectable by the driver.

Etching the VIN of your vehicle into the glass helps deter the theft of a vehicle or parts of a vehicle, because the identifying marks signify to an auto glass reseller or auto parts reseller on the legitimate market that it is not aftermarket in origin, and in most cases, will either request a certificate of destruction or disposal of the vehicle (which I have encountered parting out one of my cars), or outright deny purchasing the part. This extends to most major parts of a vehicle, and in my experience, the deterrent nature of this marking is sufficient to post a roadblock to amateur chop-shop fencing of parts.

You can purchase kits to do this yourself, if the glass is not already etched, and it is fairly easy to do. One site that provides such a kit is VINetcher.com - America's #1 Selling VIN etching Kit - you give them the VIN of your vehicle, and they send you custom stencils to apply the etch to the glass. Quick, easy, and pretty much foolproof, but requires that you handle a strong acid.

If you are an AAA member, contact your local AAA office, and they can point you in the direction of a local vendor who will do it for a discount, or they generally also provide etching for members at their open houses or member appreciation/welcome drives.

One other avenue is by contacting your local police department's automotive theft division or desk, they should be able to either refer you to a local company that will do it, possibly at a discount if you meet requirements, or are able to do it for you.

How ever you accomplish it, statistics say that it pays to have it done, either in outright deterrence of automobile theft, or significantly aiding in the recovery of a stolen vehicle by tracking parts that have been stripped.

Cheers, and happy motoring !

 

These cars are remarkably cheap as well as hard to steal so are unattractive targets for thieves. So, etching is probably a waste of money.

 

i agree with jagv8 if your in the u.k. but some insurance companies in the u.s. give a discount of up to 15% if your vehicle is etched, so check with your insurance companny if it would be worth doing (vin etcher only costs $25)

 

There's also Lojack systems for theft recovery. Some insurance companys give modest discounts if installed.

 

VIN etching is one thing, but the dealer I was at seems to use a number assigned by the company that provides the indemnity benefit: http://www.donovansearles.com/files/...0for%20AAA.pdf

That was filed in 2007, and I don't know how that was settled yet. I will find out, however. The dealer etches every car they sell prior to the sale, so that's not a bad profit for a large dealership like this!

 

At least for 2005 and up....I believe that "remarkably ... hard to steal" is an understatement. If memory serves me right, without the key, the wheels are locked. This could be defeated but it's beyond simple to do.