how to register with 2 vin #'s

[gace8nollie]

i didnt know where to post this i figured how to would be the best place

i bought a car a few weeks back and have been having problems with it. its a salvaged car has a new motor and has a different dash. i finally got it smogged but had to go through a chp incpection for the vin #'s. they told me i could not register the car because the number on the dash is different then the number on the engine. they told me the only person that can register it is the original owner(whom has changed his number and can not get a hold of)?:meek: Is there any other way to get this done? i didnt steal the car. i bought it legally and have all the paperwork. please i need help.

[Tnhatch03]

you are possibly in the WORSE state to try and do something like this. It is very illegal, but fortunately, there should be more than 2 places to find the VIN.

there should be more places to find the VIN #. You check the drivers' side door, the jam area. How about when you pop the hood and having it etched on the back of the firewall?

[gace8nollie]

The whole front end is off another car due to collision

[ShadowEP3]

i went thru this (i had to replace my passenger door and airbags because CHP said so :mmad:)

there is no possible way for you to do it..unless you can find the original owner..youre outta luck.
theyre gonna force you to replace every part of the car that doesnt match up with the cars original VIN #
each part you replace will need the VIN # of the car it came off of and you will need to provide receipts for every part replaced

[flipflopz]

try calling BAR and request to see a state Ref.. they can probably give you a BAR label to verify everything.. www.BAR.ca.gov i think is the website.

[talonXracer]

Wow they are truely screwed up over on the left coast, over here on the RIGHT coast, the body shop that replaces the frame/chassis with a replacement piece from another vehicle is responsible for the paperwork to consolidate the VIN's. The only problem is that the vehicle must be restored to an ENTIRELY stock condition with OEM parts only, it MUST be returned to showroom condition before the registration and plates issued.

Also the vehicle will never be worth a plug nickle as far as resale goes, no matter how much money you toss into it, the salvage title never disappears.

[omgheyitskenny]

Trying to get the car BAR'd is the best bet in Cali other than that your sir are fucked lol

[beechstreet]

I went through a similar situation with a beater car I got for free. Here's what I had to do (forgive me if some of it doesn't make sense, I'm a little buzzed)

I picked it up without pinkslip or any documentation from some business that had the car listed in the free section on craigslist. find out later that its a salvage title with mismatched vins. DMV tells me I have to contact the original owner to get the title under my name and legally on the road. Problem is the original owner is not the guy I got the car from or anyone from that business... it was from someone in Eureka, California and I was living about 8 hours south of there plus I had picked up the car in Pismo Beach. I tried contacting the business I got the car from but the numbers were no good and the building was abandoned. I thought I was boned. So I return to the DMV and the gal helping me gives me the last known registered address for the original owner and says to write out a letter asking the original owner to register the vehicle and then fill out the proper forms to release ownership to me so I can register it under my name. I had to attach several forms to said letter for the original owner to sign and send back. I had to send it certified mail with a "return receipt requested." I paid for it to be sent to him and even sent back... all the forms were filled out. I even paid all the back fees and registration fees on it so he didn't have to pay a single cent to register it... all he had to do was sign the forms and drop it in the mailbox. If he sends it back, you just take the signed forms to the DMV. In my case the guy never sent it back so after a set amount of days (I can't remember if it was 30, 45, or 60 days) I took the proof of mailing and proof of delivery (from the certified mail) down to the DMV and was able to get the car registered under my name and a new pinkslip. The proof of mailing and delivery + waiting the set amount of days shows that you made a legit attempt of contacting the original owner. The original owner's decision to not reply is taken as a release of ownership of the vehicle. Only problem was getting the car to pass smog but I eventually got it to pass. Sold the car for a couple hundred bucks and had no problems transferring the title over to the new owner.

Head on down to a DMV and they might be able to get you all the correct forms. Hope this helps you a little bit, sorry I can't remember all of the details... it has been like 5/6 years since I went through all that