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Re: Moral Serial # Question

To: Bill D <billd@voicenet.com>
Subject: Re: Moral Serial # Question
From: "W. R. Gibbons" <gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu>
Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 13:00:02 -0400 (EDT)
On Thu, 9 May 1996, Bill D wrote:

> On Thu, 9 May 1996 Wyngaarden@aol.com wrote:
> 
> >      Does anyone think that it is wrong, illegal or immoral to change the
> > letter designating the color?
> >      Thanks for the input.
> 
> 
> Absolutely.  First off, altering any component of the VIN# will get you
> into BIG BIG legal trouble in most parts of the US.  If you live somewhere
> that issues titles, your title will no longer match the VIN... and you
> will be unable to sell or register the vehicle.

The color code is generally on a separate clearly identified line, and is
not part of the VIN.  I doubt if it would be illegal to change the color
code.  On the other hand, the only reason for altering the color is to
fool show judges, or to fool *somebody.* You can hardly argue your intent
is to fool yourself.  To the extent that misrepresentation is immoral,
well...  If, in a show, judges awarded points for original color (and I
think some do), you would gain an unfair advantage over someone who did
not change his id plate. 

My Alpine has code 1 (black) on the body tag.  I'm likely to paint it
black, largely because I think that would look classy, but partly so the
code will be right.  If I wanted the car red, I would paint it red, but I
don't think I would alter the code. 

   Ray Gibbons  Dept. of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
                Univ. of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT
                gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu  (802) 656-8910


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