The title office left out a digit in the VIN number on title

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: The title office left out a digit in the VIN number on title
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Joe Fudge on Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 06:25 pm:

A while back I purchased an original, unmolested 1926 Ford Fordor from an owner that had the car since 1997. The car had not run or been licensed for over 30 years. The title was with the car but the engine had been changed, thus the VIN number on the title did not match the engine number. As we know, this is not an uncommon situation. The VIN number on the title is 1,360,000. My references indicate this to be an August 1916 number. In the car I found a registration card dated 1965 that had the VIN number for the car as 13,606,000; this is a May 1926 number. Notice that the fifth digit, the second “6” in the VIN number on the title has been omitted sometime during a title transfer between 1965 and 1997. This is likely a mistake made by a careless typist in one of Ohio’s county title offices. Later I found the number stamped on the frame to be 13,606,000 which is in agreement with the old registration from 1965.
If possible, I would prefer to get the VIN number changed on the title back to the correct 13,606,000.
Has anyone had this problem in Ohio and had any success in getting the title corrected? Or is this more trouble than it is worth and should I just re-stamp the frame and engine with the number on the title, 1,360,000?
Thanks for your time and replies


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George_Cherry Hill NJ on Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 06:54 pm:

Don't know about Ohio, probably the same as everyone else...depends on who you get at the counter!

Not VIN, but I had a problem with mileage on something in my state. Bought a car to be a future collector car because of extremely low Odo at 7 years old, fat fingers added a '0' to mileage and I didn't catch it. Inspection state so next day take it in...inspection report and now Car-fax say altered odo with 'one day earlier odo said more according to state records on file' notation...grrr...and there is no way any amount of talk or supervisor involvement wants to do anything about that, thats the way that one goes....!

Always worth a try though, I think my state DMV employs the chronically unemployed off of unemployment office rolls...lol.

Since the title is boogered on yours, if they give you issue, may just want to run a transfer through a 'family' member in a 'Bill of Sale' state, and then have them turn around and 'gift' it back on a "Bill of Sale" with the right VIN on it. Hassle yes, but then when re-titled in O-H-10, the frame matches the title.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Halpin on Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 07:28 pm:

Joe take the title, the registrations and the car to the DMV and start there. You have 3 pieces of 'evidence' that the typo is on the title. I'm not saying it will go smoothly but it's worth a try. Since your car has a frame number, it would be in your best interests that the title match that frame number in the future.
The typo on the title of my 1927 Tudor listed it as a 1928, there's no such thing as a 28 T but try to convince a bunch of 'civil servants' of that. It was only once the found out that the car was owned by the supervisor of the Sarasota (Florida) DMV at the time the typo was made that they were "happy to correct it" (the good ol cover their own you know what).


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By James A. Golden on Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 07:33 pm:

I had a similar problem in Maryland when I installed a different engine in a 1927 Model T. I took the car with the floor board removed and the old engine to the DMV for a State Trooper to inspect the numbers and give me a slip of paper to take to the title office. They issued me a corrected title with the frame number for about $15.

A few years ago, I helped the police identify a stolen and recovered Model T. I had to verify it was my friend's car.

They had the reported serial number, but could not find it on the car. I showed them where it was located. They asked me to read it off for them and then said it was a match.

I asked what would happen if it was not a match and was told the car would be transported to the police impound yard and sold at the next auction.

I asked if my friend would be allowed to bid on it and was told perhaps, but they were not all open to the public.

That told me it is very important for your title number to match the vehicle number in Maryland.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By A. Gustaf Bryngelson on Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 09:52 pm:

I had the same problem with a 1942 Ford GPW, I notified the license office, and had to bring the jeep into their office when a state official visited one day of each month. She looked at the title and the SN on the jeep and said "no problem" and the title was corrected. That is in Idaho. I suspect that this should be possible in most states.
Best
Gus


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Erik Johnson on Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 10:14 pm:

You can apply for a corrected title. Your situation is not unique as it appears to be the result of a clerical error.

There were two numbers transposed in the serial number on the title for my car and I simply filled out an application for a corrected title (I'm in Minnesota) and a replacement title was subsequently issued.

The language below is directly from the ODPS Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles website:

http://bmv.ohio.gov/faq_vehicle_titling.stm

"My title does not reflect the correct Vehicle Identification Number. How do I correct it?

Contact the nearest Highway Patrol Inspection Station and ask to come in and have a trooper do a vehicle verification check on the car. Mail a copy of the HP106 form, a copy of the front and back of the title, and a brief notarized statement (include your phone number) as to the issue to the Ohio BMV, Titling Support & Dealer Licensing Section, P.O. Box 16520, Columbus, Ohio, 43216-6520. Title services will research the issue and provide you with a correction letter so that you can proceed to your county clerk's Title Office for a replacement title."


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Halpin on Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 10:40 pm:

Sounds like you have it nailed Eric.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Joe Fudge on Monday, September 03, 2012 - 09:52 am:

I am scheduled to get a vehicle verification inspection next Monday, a week from now, to hopefully correct the missing number on the title. I will update you on my experience and let you know if I am successful in getting this fixed in Ohio.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Halpin on Monday, September 03, 2012 - 10:14 am:

Good luck Joe. If you proceed like Erik suggested, the counter clerk will most likely defer to the paperwork you bring in and it 'should' go smoothly.
Once this is done, your car will have a title that matches the 'frame number' and that solves a whole lot of future engine number 'issues'.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Frank Harris from Long Beach & Big Bear on Monday, September 03, 2012 - 10:42 am:

I would take a booklet with the engine and frame numbers by years so that the clerk has something in print to look at. Then when you show them the frame number and your title and show that you have a car that is nine years later than the title's vin number and that someone made a type-o you should be clear to go especially with those two sixes and all those zero's.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim on Monday, September 03, 2012 - 12:05 pm:

I assume you live in Ohio ..
Experiences vary from office to office.
When I am not hauling, home is a small town
with a office right out of Mayberry.
I have had no problem to date.


Jim :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Joe Fudge on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - 10:23 pm:

Thanks for all previous replies. Here is an update on my experience in getting the VIN number corrected on my title. I made an appointment at the Troy, Ohio inspection station and took my 26 T Fordor there on a trailer. I also had an old registration I found in the car from 1965 with the correct number. The floorboards were removed from the car and I cleaned the area around the number and made it real easy for the inspector to read. He appreciated this. The inspector looked at the number, filled out the form, took the old registration, title, and my driver's license, and input the information into the computer. This was likely to check against stolen numbers. After about ten minutes, I was given a completed inspection form to take to the title office to get a corrected title. At Troy, the title office is in the same complex as the inspection station and about 100 feet away. I took the form to the title office, paid $16, and got a good, clean, corrected title. There was no charge for the inspection. The folks at both offices were very nice and accommodating. No hassle. However, I believe that there are a couple of things worth noting: 1) I did not have to send the inspection form and my title to Columbus as the web site indicated. I took the inspection form straight to the title office and returned home with good title in hand the same day. 2) Always, I repeat always, check the paperwork before you leave and see if it says what it should and makes sense. Specifically, my inspection was to get a corrected title. In one field on the completed form I was given, it said "salvage" I asked the inspector about this and he immediately said that it should read "intact" and not "salvage" Apparently, "salvage" is the default entry if no other entry is made. The inspector was very happy to correct this and wanted to get it right just as much as I did. Having a "salvage" title could possibly have an adverse affect on the value when it comes to insurability. Whenever I go to get a title done, I always make a photostat of the old title and check the VIN number, make, model, body style, spelling, etc. before I leave the window. I have caught errors more than once and have always been able to get them corrected before I leave. At any rate, if you have this sort of an issue where your title is missing a digit in the VIN number and you live in the western Ohio area, I can recommend working with the nice folks at the Troy offices.
Here endeth the journey...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - 11:43 pm:

Glad you got it straighten out.

My 25 Touring is titled as a 1925 Ford "3-door". Apparently, "Touring" wasn't an option on their menu when selecting body style.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By William L Vanderburg on Thursday, October 18, 2012 - 12:23 am:

My 25 Touring is titled as a four door, at least it doesn't say Fordor. Being in NJ, there was no way in hell I was going to try to argue the point.

When I registered it, I didn't think anything was wrong. Less than two complete days later, I get a notice in the mail saying they had made a mistake on the resgistration, telling me my registration number didn't match the plates I was given. I drove back and got another one.


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