TheClairvoyant

I took my car for re inspection at my local indy shop after a bonehead at the state inspection facility failed my gas cap for the vapor test (even though they didn't have the correct adapter for the test.)

The indy mechanic had to spend time on the phone the the MVC, as his computer wouldn't let him pass the car do to an 0 / O discrepancy on the registration. This is the first time I had an issue since the car had never failed before.

PortlandTom

So I went back to DEQ this week and met with the manager of the inspection station. He checked the VIN number in the windshield, and confirmed that it is WP0, not WPO. He then scanned the bar code on the sticker on the driver's door jamb, and showed me the result: WPO, as in the letter O, not the numeral 0.

This is very strange. It's hard to believe that Porsche would make a mistake like this on the sticker, but it's also hard to believe that DEQ's bar code scanners are wrong. I don't know enough about bar codes to understand what's going on here.

Anyway, they renewed my registration and told me to have them read the VIN off the windshield if I had a problem in the future. But I'd still like to know what the issue is.

PorKen

Print out your own bar code and overlay the old?

http://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php

PortlandTom

Hi Ken,

At first I thought you were suggesting that I cover the bar code with one I printed. I'd be pretty leery about tampering with the VIN number on the car. But then I realized that you just meant to print an 0 and O to compare against the bar code on the car.

That made me realize that there are bar code reader apps for smartphones. So I downloaded one and scanned the VIN sticker. It IS WPO, with the letter O, not a zero.

Very strange. Now I wonder how common this is.

scxtasy

I have an RS America with exactly the same issue. It drives me nuts as it causes issues all of the time with the DEQ, especially now that I'm trying to register the car in Oregon... It really looks like there is an issue with the bar code..

Andrew

sendarius

I had almost the opposite problem when I registered my LHD ex-California car here in Oz.

As you all know, and unlike Australian-delivered cars that the examiners are used to, the vehicle has two different VINs on it - the original one (assigned before the destination country is known) with the ZZZ in it, and the US compliant one with other information in that location.

I completed the paperwork using the WP0ZZZ... form, but the vehicle inspector filled in his inspection report using the other one.

You can imagine all sorts of hilarity while they straightened it out, but it only took five minutes - about two minutes longer than the actual inspection.

worf928

Basically, very few people, in this trail of tears, that should know that, in this conetxt, O is always 0, do know it. This most-certainly, and damingly, includes the software geeks that wrote the code that provides data exchange between the bar code scanner and the DMV database.

jpitman2

I think you mean 'vale of tears', Dave, although in this context, 'trail' is also appropriate! Like I said in an earlier post, most people will say 'oh' for a zero if reading it out.
Is it possible that the bar code type printed (or the reader config)is not exactly correct somewhere along the line? Is the bar code defined by the US VIN rules ?
jp 83 Euro S AT 57k

M. Requin

Actually, not necessarily. In the U.S. there is a very well known "Trail of Tears" (q.g., now there are two) (and q.g. is "which google" btw, I'm a on a one-man campaign to get this adopted in general usage).

bureau13

So, my license plate that I asked for was "NADO3" (1 and 2 were taken, apparently) because I was making a "Sharknado" joke (I know, I know...). That's what I asked for, and they didn't tell me they gave me anything differently, so that's what I put in my phone's parking app. But I kept getting parking tickets! WTF? I finally called them to complain/dispute, and they told me I had registered "NADO3" when I parked (with the app) but the auto-license plate reader was showing "NAD03" because that's what I had...they don't issue Os. Doh! Not sure what I think of my little plate joke now that it's essentially "Nad Zero".

Mamdouh Rajab

Hi everyone
I know it is old post but 2 weeks ago I had tge same situation, I couldn't regist my 964 as the VIN on door shows O letter not zero as on windshieldso they refused to register the car and they ask me to attach offical letter from Porsche confirmed the VIN is correct, can anyone help

928cs

Just ask anybody who sees a O to read this:
https://www.cjponyparts.com/resource...th%20the%20VIN.
No i, o or q !

GregBBRD

Idiots trying to rationalize their job.
The government is absolutely filled with them, sucking up a living and a retirement.
If anyone should know which letters that are NEVER used in a VIN, it should be them!