Where the hell is my VIN?! Missing Windshield VIN

[GI_Jo_Nathan]

One thing that no one's brought up but could yours be one of the mannequins that Ford shipped out in '21 to dealers so they had something to show. I don't know if those potentially had the VIN removed but kinda follows what the CHP officer said.

Nah the mannequins were meant to be sold, so I wouldn't think so.

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[Johnny Rebel]

One thing that no one's brought up but could yours be one of the mannequins that Ford shipped out in '21 to dealers so they had something to show. I don't know if those potentially had the VIN removed but kinda follows what the CHP officer said.

My BB was a mannequin. It’s got a VIN tag on it.

 

[Phil Brown]

My hope is that it was not someone working at the dealership or window replacement company that is being paid to provide VIN numbers to someone pedaling hot cars.....

Exactly why you want the CHP to look at it, they can run the #’s that are left on your Bronco through their database which is now connected to all 50 states, and see if there is another vehicle somewhere registered with your Vin
Let them figure it out and keep yourself out of jail
The dealer aint going to do a thing and I doubt that Ford is going to be any help

 

[5GENIDN]

Exactly why you want the CHP to look at it, they can run the #’s that are left on your Bronco through their database which is now connected to all 50 states, and see if there is another vehicle somewhere registered with your Vin
Let them figure it out and keep yourself out of jail
The dealer aint going to do a thing and I doubt that Ford is going to be any help

Not my Bronco... I have my VIN in my windshield....

Maybe you are trying to explain that to the OP....

Besides, if it were me... and I am not in California.... I have family members on both my side of the family and my wife's side that are with the police and my wife works for the Department of Corrections and is in constant contact with the state attorney general.... I got my contacts.

 

[Phil Brown]

5GENIDN........Yes to the OP
Just quoted you as you may have the reason why the # is missing
Btw, mine has its # and qr code like yours

 

[5GENIDN]

5GENIDN........Yes to the OP
Just quoted you as you may have the reason why the # is missing
Btw, mine has its # and qr code like yours

Well with the wife at DOC and family with the police.... That is the kind of thing I am always thinking about. Unfortunate but true.

 

[ramblinwreck]

This is an interesting story. My $2 says the windshield installer removed it for some reason. Perhaps they spilled some glue or chemical on it and the VIN sticker was damaged when removing it they just removed it and hoped nobody would notice.

 

[Bmadda]

This is an interesting story. My $2 says the windshield installer removed it for some reason. Perhaps they spilled some glue or chemical on it and the VIN sticker was damaged when removing it they just removed it and hoped nobody would notice.

I agree the 1st part is the most logical explanation, but the "hoping nobody would notice"? Anybody in the auto industry knows that EVENTUALLY somebody would notice! And here we are...I will double down on your bet and bet that in a bar somewhere in SC there's a glass installer telling a story that goes like this "so this one time I was putting a windshield in a Bronco under a BS Ford recall and...."

 

[Tex]

Take a look at the two rectangular spots below where the VIN text should be on the background sticker. They appear to be cutouts in the transparent VIN overlay sticker. Both the OP and JR's have those cutouts visible, OP's to a somewhat lesser degree but I can just make out a transparent edge in spots, which makes me think either a) the sticker is there and lacks VIN text or b) OP's sticker was removed chemically or with heat to avoid removing the tamper-evident surface, and the cutouts were exposed to more of the chemical/heat and were partially damaged on the exposed surface. Whatever the case, it does appear that the transparent overlay sticker is there right now or was there at some point in the past, and the underlying fomoco sticker underneath in those spots looks to be in worse condition there than on the rest of it.

There is or was something there at one point. Those stickers don't simply "fall" off, and they certainly aren't going to be inadvertently removed without leaving a lot of obvious evidence that they were. You have to be fairly skilled and knowledgeable to remove a tamper-evident sticker, but it is possible if you know what you're doing and have the equipment (you can re-install the removed sticker without leaving evidence as well).

Now, as for the VIN text on the transparent sticker, well that might be a different story if it was simply printed onto the sticker. I don't know how Ford makes them, but with some stickers it's possible to chemically remove the print off a sticker, leaving only the vinyl backing. Mayyyybe the windshield tech accidentally wiped the text off with a harsh cleaner and didn't realize what he did. That would explain why the cutouts have a whitish residue there and nowhere else, as that may be what's left of your VIN text ink. Thought I'd throw that out there as a possibility. I bet @StickerFab would likely know a lot more about this subject than I would so I'll tag him.

 

[timhood]

I don’t really have a choice my man. This is standard practice in California. Any vehicle that comes from out of state and is to be registered in the state of California must be VIN inspected by the DMV or the California highway patrol...

Not just California, but many states. I've lived in several states and had to go through a VIN inspection.Red state, blue state, didn't matter. It's part of how states combat a number of different motor vehicle crimes.

 

[timhood]

I would put this in the category of "Potentially VERY Poor Advice"

Just guessing, but I'd assume that fabricating a VIN Tag (even with good intention to replace a lost Tag) could be considered forging an official ID Tag. Sort of like making your own license plate to replace a damaged or lost plate. Regardless, I'd stick to the "official" channels.

I've got a P-Touch with clear labels. I would be very tempted to just print a VIN and lay it on if I was OP. With that official FoMoCo background, I doubt it would ever be an issue, particularly since every other VIN on the vehicle would match it. Of course, putting that label on would require removing the windshield, so I'd look for the OEM label first. Chances of getting in trouble would be super-slim, given there's no proof who applied that label. And having a VIN there would make a lot of problems go away.

 

[timhood]

One thing that no one's brought up but could yours be one of the mannequins that Ford shipped out in '21 to dealers so they had something to show. I don't know if those potentially had the VIN removed but kinda follows what the CHP officer said.

Those were all production-ready vehicles that were allowed to be sold after 6 months. The had VINs.

 

[timhood]

I agree the 1st part is the most logical explanation, but the "hoping nobody would notice"? Anybody in the auto industry knows that EVENTUALLY somebody would notice! And here we are...I will double down on your bet and bet that in a bar somewhere in SC there's a glass installer telling a story that goes like this "so this one time I was putting a windshield in a Bronco under a BS Ford recall and...."

Just remember the threshold for "nobody would notice" is just long enough that they can't prove it's you who caused the problem. It doesn't have to mean forever.

 

[StickerFab]

I don't have good enough signal to read all of the replies, but if you can get with a Ford dealership that's probably the best course of action.

My guess of what happened has probably already been mentioned.

If I could help I would. Not surprised that only certain people can make the replacements.

 

[Bmadda]

Take a look at the two rectangular spots below where the VIN text should be on the background sticker. They appear to be cutouts in the transparent VIN overlay sticker. Both the OP and JR's have those cutouts visible, OP's to a somewhat lesser degree but I can just make out a transparent edge in spots, which makes me think either a) the sticker is there and lacks VIN text or b) OP's sticker was removed chemically or with heat to avoid removing the tamper-evident surface, and the cutouts were exposed to more of the chemical/heat and were partially damaged on the exposed surface. Whatever the case, it does appear that the transparent overlay sticker is there right now or was there at some point in the past, and the underlying fomoco sticker underneath in those spots looks to be in worse condition there than on the rest of it.

There is or was something there at one point. Those stickers don't simply "fall" off, and they certainly aren't going to be inadvertently removed without leaving a lot of obvious evidence that they were. You have to be fairly skilled and knowledgeable to remove a tamper-evident sticker, but it is possible if you know what you're doing and have the equipment (you can re-install the removed sticker without leaving evidence as well).

Now, as for the VIN text on the transparent sticker, well that might be a different story if it was simply printed onto the sticker. I don't know how Ford makes them, but with some stickers it's possible to chemically remove the print off a sticker, leaving only the vinyl backing. Mayyyybe the windshield tech accidentally wiped the text off with a harsh cleaner and didn't realize what he did. That would explain why the cutouts have a whitish residue there and nowhere else, as that may be what's left of your VIN text ink. Thought I'd throw that out there as a possibility. I bet @StickerFab would likely know a lot more about this subject than I would so I'll tag him.

IDK man...if it was an accident I think at least SOME of the text would have survived. That sucker is wiped clean! Leme propose an alternate scenario...glass tech pulls vehicle into shop, removes windshield, then breaks for lunch...mischevious dealership employee(s) x, or x(s) tries xyz bodyshop chemical to see if it will remove printing on the label...employee(s) x's experiment works SO WELL he's gotta wipe the whole label completely clean before glass tech comes back to reinstall...label is wiped SO clean that when glass tech comes back he never notices (as apparently previous owner didn't either). Employee x is now "in the clear", as there is no evidence he was ever involved. Only reason I propose this theory is that I worked for several years w/just such a devious individual, and the only reason I can't pin this on him is I know he has never been in SC (which now I wonder if this vehicle has ever been serviced in WI?)

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