The back story... On first renewal of my vehicle after getting it ***led last year, I got notice from DMV that registration was "suspended due to no insurance." Obviously wrong... since I've had continuous insurance on the vehicle for the entire 15 years I've owned it. After a little research, it turns out that the "no insurance" was a VIN mismatch between what the insurance company reported, and what DMV has listed. A little more research, and ****... last year when I ***led the vehicle in the state (and had to get the VIN inspected, etc.) the DMV inspector typo'd the VIN... what should be a _3_ was recorded as an _8_. It's plain as day on both the unaltered VIN plate and the stamping in the front frame rail... it's a _3_. DMV says too bad, pay a bunch of fees, jump through a bunch of hoops... Sacramento DMV office told me to take lots of pictures of the VIN plate and frame rail and show to my local office for re-verification. Local office would have laughed in my face... but that would have taken effort, which they weren't about to exert. The current need (I think)... I already talked to Nancy at C.A.R.S., who said I need to find a "VIN verification service" to come out to my home. Any recommendations for someone in my area who can do this? I'm in Concord, CA, 94521. I believe, once I get a VIN verification, I can then pay a bunch of fees I shouldn't have had to pay in the first place, because of a DMV mistake... and then get a corrected ***le. Edit: Vehicle is currently not operational (not PNO, just isn't able to be driven to a CHP office).
Being a retired law enforcement officer, I can ***ure you that I did many, many of these home inspections. Since I was a "public servant", I could not and did not charge anything for the service. Certainly you could have a uniformed city, county, or state law enforcement officer (short of a game warden, corrections, baliff, etc. type) verify this for you at no charge... at your location... without having to drag your machine to them.
Thanks, I'm definitely not TRYING to spend money... but, having lived in CA for the last 4 years, I just can't imagine them doing anything for free and/or without considerable hoop-jumping on my part. The state is broke, and seems to go to GREAT lengths to fee me to death every chance they get (even on things I didn't cause, like this, or when the county INCORRECTLY billed my mortgage escrow for taxes, was paid the amount billed, then penalized me for not paying the "correct" amount ). I'll give the CHP a call and see what they say about coming to my home for inspection.
Heard from a fellow rodder that this company came to his house on a Sunday, was under a $100. http://www.maffeisvinverification.com/
"The state is broke, and seems to go to GREAT lengths to fee me to death every chance they get (even on things I didn't cause, like this, or when the county INCORRECTLY billed my mortgage escrow for taxes, was paid the amount billed, then penalized me for not paying the "correct" amount )." That is why we need to vote these current clowns OUT in November and honestly, give the Romney team a go. What can we lose now? It's all gone. Maybe Romney and Ryan can kindle a new financial growth for all of us so we can enjoy our car hobby better. That Senate MUST go too. They are controlled by a maniac! just sayin'....
I don't think that this forum is the place for the political comments. If the comments was about protecting our hobby, then i feel that they would be appropriate. Just saying. Mark
I think the focal point is that you've gone to a rant without trying it their way, ***-uming it wouldn't work without giving it a chance. I had the exact same thing happen on my '66 Bird, came back as mismatched numbers, DMV had typo'd the engine code as a 0 instead of a Q (also important as it's an original 428 car, and Q is 428). Took it down there, explained and showed it to them, fixed it in 10 minutes. Might try going in with a smile on your face and no 'tude and explain your case- they don't mind if it's on a trailer
Not at all sure how you gleaned the above. Things I didn't state in the OP... I called DMV 800 number and was told to call Sacramento. I called Sacramento where person told me to take a bunch of VIN pictures, frame pictures, make copies of this, that, and the other docs, he set up appointment for me at my local DMV. I went to local DMV with all above info and they told me 'too bad, so sad, next." To your "10 minutes" comment, I have at least 10 HOURS, 5 phone calls, DMV lines (even with my appointment time), etc., and zero forward progress on resolving the problem that SOMEONE ELSE created for me (and charged me for, and will undoubtedly charge me again to fix). So, as is what MANY MANY people suggest here on the HAMB when dealing with DMV, I contacted C.A.R.S. in Petaluma. There, Nancy told me to get a VIN verification. That's what I'm trying to do. My "rant" is largely unspoken, and not at all with the bumbling bureaucratic nightmare that I find at every turn in this bankrupt state. So, back to my OP ***le question... Any recommendations for someone in my area who can do this? I'm in Concord, CA, 94521.
Thanks. I spoke with them yesterday. It will be "a few weeks" before they're able to come out, and price is approx. $85. Anyone else have 'VIN verifier' recommendations in my area?
I've been down this road -- in fact there is another thread similar to this. Best advice is trailer it to local CHP office and have them verify. Call first, though. Yes, it is a pain, but that seems to be the general consensus in my experience. I worked for CA for many years -- ask three different people a question, get 4 different answers. It ****s, I know.
ANY law enforcement officer can do it; Download the form from the DMV website, fill it in, and call your local PD, to have someone come out and look it over. It took 10 minutes, for one of ours to do it for me,...Free of charge. 4TTRUK
I've had the CHP verify 2 of my cars (both were on trailers taken to their office) but I also had a San Jose officer come to my house and sign off on a car.
To provide (hopeful) closure on this thread... After _4 years, 11 months_, 4 vehicle inspections, 3 incorrect ***les due to clerical data entry errors, and 9 trips to a DMV office, I (hopefully) have this ridiculous example of bureaucratic incompetence finally settled. As of yesterday, I now have a 2014 sticker I can put on my license plate, a receipt showing the CORRECT VIN has been entered into the system, and (hopefully) a ***le being processed in Sacramento that I will have in my hands in a month or so. While we all like to stereotype the DMV as a ****py place to have to deal with, I think I have worked out the sociology of it all. It is a cycle, so I don't know which is the "chicken" and which is the "egg," but... DMV employees have a very tedious, mostly repe***ive job with few benefits that you might see in the "middle cl***" world. As such, DMV employees tend to create their own "benefit program," which includes the "benefit" of getting to be mean to people without fear of retribution. As such, the DMV tends to attract _mean people_ to work there. Mean DMV employees are met with a public that is looking for simple, seamless "handling" of issues we find to be irritating to start with (having to get plates, ***les, licenses, and so on... it's minutia that takes us away from "important" things). So, we don't treat DMV employees with the utmost respect and kindness. Thus, DMV employees get more mean, and our disgust grows. At some point we'd just as soon kill one another. But... the DMV employee has unfettered power to make our lives miserable. And so they do. DMV supervisors, who might want to improve the quality of service don't, because they are just seniority-promoted DMV counter workers... so they have been mean people for even longer. The lawyers on the 3rd tier of Dante's Inferno need to make a little room. For those of you who think I went in to the DMV trying to pick a fight, I don't think that's the case. I'm that annoying guy who chuckles and asks, "did you enjoy the long Thanksgiving weekend?" ... to try and disarm the DMV employee's chip-on-shoulder. I have even taken my wife, who is 98% sunshine and bubble gum. Yesterday, in response to that very question, the seated DMV employee rolled her eyes up over the top of her gl***es without shifting any other part of her body, huffed, and drawled out, "yeah... because I didn't have to be here," then rolled her eyes back down. Now that's customer service. /****ytic rant off (for now, hopefully)
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