why would that lower your insurance? my VIN number is right where it should be on the registration card and in that lil spot by the steering wheel ... i think it is the door panel on a stick too, not sure ... explain though please.
Habib

 

DotNet member: rseifer mentioned he had done his own glass etching on his IS. But I don't know if insurance rate goes down because of it. I saw his at a CA meet.

 

Glass etching makes your vehicle less likely to be stolen because it's expensive for the person stealing the car to replace all the windows. Less likely to be stolen sometimes translates into lower insurance rates.

 

Soy, get your a$$ back in PL and post 5K already. :grin:

 

I am embarrassed to say I had it done. Embarrassed because South Bay Lexus didn't put the VIN, instead they put some number starting with ES and looking like a phone number. I would have rather had the VIN. I might complain about that. Ask for my money back. But its barely noticible like the other writing on the windows.

 

I had it done because they threw it in for free. I asked my insurance if it would lower the rate and they said that it is one item that would lower the rate but because of the keyless remote system with alarm (panic button??) I am already getting the discount that the vin etching would have gotten me. If you are going to pay for it, it probably really isn't worth it.

 

i think the idea is to have the car worked over so the vin number has been etched aon all the most expencive parts so they can't resale those parts if they steal the car. also if they do resale the parts it is traceable.

 

I didn't pay for VIN etching, I didn't notice I had it for like 2 weeks.

 

On 2002-02-27 16:36, s0yb0mb wrote:
Anyone have the VIN etched in (or done yourself)?
How much if any, did it lower your insurance?
_________________________________________

Haven't done it and probably won't .... the guy from http://www.carbuyingtips.com says it's one of the most popular dealer scams out there to help you clean out your wallet! DOH!

 

oh i get it now ... thanks for the clear up everyone
Habib

 

I have a question and I'm not trying to be smart. Do insurance companies think a thief will go to all of the windows and see all the etching and say "damn I can't steal this car because all of the windows are etched?"

 

all right a-holes, it was a simple question, thanks for the flame :grin:

My reason for asking about insurance is that i would *assume* that it is done as a security function... correct? the purpose is to keep the VIN on all the glass (and other parts i guess too reduce the chances of a car being stolen for parts. That being established, I was wondering if the ins. co's were putting any weight to this theory.

 

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On 2002-02-28 11:33, Tomegun wrote:
I have a question and I'm not trying to be smart. Do insurance companies think a thief will go to all of the windows and see all the etching and say "damn I can't steal this car because all of the windows are etched?"
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See post #4 in this thread. :grin:

 

yea, that makes sense... no reason to pay extra if you're already getting the discount for it.

 

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On 2002-02-28 11:33, Tomegun wrote:
I have a question and I'm not trying to be smart. Do insurance companies think a thief will go to all of the windows and see all the etching and say "damn I can't steal this car because all of the windows are etched?"
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No, a kid who wants to joyride in the car will try to grab it regardless of whether the glass is etched or not. But the serious
car thief might just notice the small stickers I have at two places on the car, and pay attention to the fact that the VIN appears on all the glass, including the sunroof.

I etched it myself with a kit I bought from a commercial outfit. The kit cost $20 and took about 30 minutes to install on the glass.

My insurer, 21st Century, would NOT give me a
discount because of the etch, but I understand some insurers will give you a break.

I posted on this at length, and a search might produce some more info that I don't immediately recall.

 

i had rseifer's guide archived when tech.is300.net was still working. don't know where the hell my files are anymore, they're around someplace though. should turn up w/ a search here too.

 

I got it done when I got my IS. It does lower your insurance.