Help Needed...v.i.n Number

[Markedo]

Hi, got a slight (major) problem with my car, trying to find the VIN number on my S1, there should be one in the front compartment but the sticker seems to have been removed. So i'm trying to find the one in the rear wheel arch and have found one number but it is only 15 digits long and doesn't match up with the log book. the number i have found is inside the rear wheel arch on the drivers side and goes vertically up, if this isn't the VIN number what is it? and where is the real VIN number? any ideas??

 

any help would be much appreciated

 

cheers

 

mark

[Ladders]

Mark

 

The Nº on the chassis is just the chassis Nº. Not sure how you would find the Vin out if the sticker has gone?

 

Was it there when you bought it? Hope you had it HPi'd before you bought it!

 

Dave

[Markedo]

i thought the VIN/Chassis number was the same number??

[Kris H]

I don't think that the VIN number and the chassis number have to be the same - re-chassised cars seem to get a different chassis number but the VIN doesn't change. The VIN should be in the log book and therefore may not match with the number on the chassis if the chassis has been replaced. Little suspicious about the VIN sticker being removed though.

[Markedo]

well if the chassis has been changed, will it have been a write off at some point? cos i bought it from a garage and they never told me about this? Also it has just failed its MOT cos they couldn't find the VIN number on the car, so how do i go about getting through the MOT?

[Mark H]

Not sure if this is any help but its the only stuff I could find quickly in the service manual:

[Mark H]

and:

[Kris H]

I don't think that the chassis being changed necessarily means a write off, if this is what's happened, although it may have been. It would really depend on whether or not it was economically sensible to repair. I can't help regarding how to get it through the MOT though. Sorry.

 

Kristian

[Markedo]

Well the number i have found is in the rear right hand wheel arch and does run up vertical, but it is only 15 digits long and starts with LR not SCC

[Jonathan E]

Markedo,

I might be wrong here but I'm pretty sure that the LR stands for Lotus replacement,which means the car has been rechassised at some point,this could be due to a number of things from it having been dinged(quite easy with and Elise)right the way through to a total writeoff,either way if I am correct then the dealer/garage should have pointed this out,although they are not duty bound to do this although a certain amount of integrity is involved..The responsibility is yours to make sure your happy with everything regarding the car(a little unfair but true)

Personally,I would go back to the Dealer and tell them your not happy because regardless of peoples opinions it will make a difference to the price of the car,your best bet is to get in touch with Lotus and previous owners and see if you can find out what happened to the car,As has been said it could have been a viable repair although a new chassis alone costs something like 11k so I would suspect that if anything untoward has happened to the car it would have been early on in its life.

Just because the car might have been rechassised doesn't mean its a bad thing, alot of factors have to be taken into account ie who did the repair for what reason etc etc Lotus should have a record of this if it was done by a dealer,

I would want to know why and by who and as I already said it will affect the price of the car.

On the up side I know owners who have had thier cars rechassised and have said the car was better afterwards than before just because of the care taken when doing the rebuild work.

I don't know how long you have had the car but I would be back at the garage asap making some noise in regards to the fact that they never told you about it and if its from a Lotus dealer I'd be making even more noise especially if you paid the going rate for the car.

First off ring Lotus and ask if they have any records regarding your cars history and also regarding the MOT.If it was a proper repair then it won't be a problem.

Of course you can always wait until you come to trade the car and say nothing because the responsibilty is then with the dealer to make sure they're happy when buying it off you.

Like I said at the start I could be wrong about the LR thing and if I am then ignore my partially drunken ramblings.

HTH

Regards

Jon

ps.Do a search of the BCBBS archives there is alot of stuff on there that might help.

[Mark H]

Jonathan is correct, if it starts with LR its a new chassis.

[Markedo]

Thanks for the help guys i shall be ringing lotus to try and find when and why the new chassis was fitted, i sall also be having words from the dealer i bought it from.

 

cheers

[KiwiPete]

Another point is if you brought it from a dealer and it had no VIN sticker this is illegal. Therefore the dealer has sold you a car that shouldn't have had a MOT. Get the dealer to sort the problem out, or threaten to complain to the authorities.

This worked for me when I found my car had no CAT and the dealer had done the MOT themselves.

As for having a replaced chassis, chances are the car is better than one from the factory. Any good garge should be able to check it over.

 

Peter