Missing EPA/VIN Sticker?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 9
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Missing EPA/VIN Sticker?
Hey guys, I just joined the club. I got a 2010 F150 Reg. Cab about a week ago. It's pretty basic but it is a huge upgrade from my 2000 S10. I couldn't be happier with the truck overall.
Here is the strange thing though. I had to take it in to a shop to get photo inspected for Collision/Comp insurance. One of the photos was supposed to be of the EPA/VIN sticker inside the driver's side door jam. Well the mechanic takes a look in there and goes "Uh oh, no sticker. Must have been in an accident."
Well this truck had a clean carfax report and I realize that doesn't mean it hasn't been repaired and not reported. But I don't really want to get into things like bent frames/alignment issues from having a cracked up truck. I was kind of worried about it, and called the dealership about it. They claim to go by the carfax report too, and said they would "look into it". Anyway I decided I would go check for overspray in the doors to see if I could definately tell it had been repainted. I don't think it has been. You can clearly see where the sticker was, and that it was scraped off. Some gouges and everything, it looks like someone scraped it off with a key and did a pretty poor job of it.
Anyway two questions... One, why would someone take the sticker off? I think this truck was a fleet vehicle, but it has pretty low miles (15k). Is this something they do with fleet vehicles... take off the sticker and file it somewhere?
And secondly, can I get a new sticker? Would I go to a dealership or is there a way to contact Ford? I heard that they would issue one if the vehicle was 3 years old or newer, but I don't know how to go about doing it. May not be a big deal, but I guess I would like to have it.
Here is the strange thing though. I had to take it in to a shop to get photo inspected for Collision/Comp insurance. One of the photos was supposed to be of the EPA/VIN sticker inside the driver's side door jam. Well the mechanic takes a look in there and goes "Uh oh, no sticker. Must have been in an accident."
Well this truck had a clean carfax report and I realize that doesn't mean it hasn't been repaired and not reported. But I don't really want to get into things like bent frames/alignment issues from having a cracked up truck. I was kind of worried about it, and called the dealership about it. They claim to go by the carfax report too, and said they would "look into it". Anyway I decided I would go check for overspray in the doors to see if I could definately tell it had been repainted. I don't think it has been. You can clearly see where the sticker was, and that it was scraped off. Some gouges and everything, it looks like someone scraped it off with a key and did a pretty poor job of it.
Anyway two questions... One, why would someone take the sticker off? I think this truck was a fleet vehicle, but it has pretty low miles (15k). Is this something they do with fleet vehicles... take off the sticker and file it somewhere?
And secondly, can I get a new sticker? Would I go to a dealership or is there a way to contact Ford? I heard that they would issue one if the vehicle was 3 years old or newer, but I don't know how to go about doing it. May not be a big deal, but I guess I would like to have it.
Go Broncos
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 362
Likes: 1
From: Mile High City
I'm not sure about your sticker issue, but don't you hate when inspectors jump to conclusions about the history of a vehicle just by something small like that?
I had my 2008 Volkswagen GTI inspected prior to lease turn in back in January and let me tell you I was shocked to hear the "professional inspector" who had "seen thousands of cars" ask me why the paint looked different from the drivers door to the rear body panel. They thought it had been repainted due to an accident, which was definitely not the case and it was in factory condition. I noticed no paint differences and that car had never seen the inside of a car wash, let alone a body shop. I told the inspector they must not be used to seeing 3 year old cars look brand new.
Some people............anyway I hope you figure out your issue.
I had my 2008 Volkswagen GTI inspected prior to lease turn in back in January and let me tell you I was shocked to hear the "professional inspector" who had "seen thousands of cars" ask me why the paint looked different from the drivers door to the rear body panel. They thought it had been repainted due to an accident, which was definitely not the case and it was in factory condition. I noticed no paint differences and that car had never seen the inside of a car wash, let alone a body shop. I told the inspector they must not be used to seeing 3 year old cars look brand new.
Some people............anyway I hope you figure out your issue.