🚀 go-pugleaf

Graham E. Thomas (grahamt@phantom.oit.gatech.edu) wrote:

: >> If you would like to help please send us the following information on your
: >> vehicle by June 30 1994.  It is VERY important to make sure that the data 
: >> as complete and accurate as possible.

: >Anyone else smell a rat?
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Me too.

: I do. If this person needs to get VIN numbers from cars, he can go to his 
: friendly neighborhood junkyard. 

: Oh, my mistake! These cars would have _salvage_ titles... silly me!

I made a pretty comprehensive VIN decoder a couple of years ago.  It was 
for a proof-of-concept automotive maintenance tracking program.  It knew 
all sorts of things such as scheduled maintenance items and intervals and 
would track them and make suggestions before trips, etc.

Used the VIN to keep from having to ask a bunch of questions like 
transmission and engine type.  Worked pretty slick.  And was not restricted
to modern 17 character VINs.

I got all my data from the automotive handbooks in the public library.  
They have nicely laid out tables and describe changes in meaning for 
fractional model years, etc.

There is no way that these people could figure out the meanings of some 
of those characters from first principles.

Also, I found that many VINs are wrong.  If a dealership added T-tops or 
air conditioning the VIN will not reflect this, even though it was part 
of the 'original' equipment.

I tested my VIN decoder out on a bunch of friend's cars, of course.  But 
I would not go sending VIN and car description to a complete stranger.  
Too many shady or tricky things can be done with the information.

Brian

==========

ObApology.  I seem to have made a previous post in response to this same 
article.  I can't post to all the newsgroups that are supposed to 
'follow-up to' for this thread and my @*&^@% newsreader discarded my 
article and posted a copy of the original.  Sorry.  Nuts loose on the knobs.
-- 
--
Brian McMillin           mcmillin@netcom.com
Digi-Tech Consultants    'You have got to respect an object that is
Dallas, TX                93 million miles away and too bright to look at.'