Hi
Where is the firewall etched vin located in a LHD 93-95 Rx7 FD3S USDM and CDM models? Right or left side?

So theres the driver vin sticker, dash vin plate and firewall etched vin. Does it sound correct? where else?

 

Can somebody take a photo of it?

 

its in the center of the firewall on top. google an image of an FD engine bay and it will be right there

 

Most of the vin photos online are from the jdm fd3s.

 

Is it behind some brakes lines etc or completely exposed in a stock engine compartment?

 

Why? What are trying to accomplish?

 

Well im trying to buy an fd and requested an inspection service. The inspector couldn't find the firewall vin because the garage was dark, so i want to see how it looks like and where exactly it is on an fd firewall. If the vin is filled up for some reason then i know theres an issue and i wont buy it

 

It’s stamped in and should be as apparent as a giraffe in a flock of sheep.…even among the brake booster hard pipe. Tell the inspector to get a flashlight.
I think if it’s that hard to find, and the dash VIN doesn’t match it should be an obvious hard pass as recommended by mr2peak in your other thread.

 

True. Id pass the car if the vin doesnt match or missing on the firewall. I removed the post details because the topic felt a bit awkward for the mods and readers. I requested the inspector to check the car again and make a final decision

 

Yeah, an “Inspector” who can’t find the firewall VIN, someone really curious about the appearance and placement of said firewall VIN, and anyone that would even contemplate buying a car with two different VIN numbers sounds “awkward” to me too.

 

California does a "vin verification" when you bring a car in from out of state, and they fill it out looking at the car. it sounds ominous, but the DMV person and i were standing behind the Rx8, and she says what kind of car is this?
and it says MAZDA RX8 in HUGE LETTERS..... then she asked where the vin was...

 

I would be wary of an inspector who apparentely "inspected" a car in the dark.

You didn't get an inspection. You got, at best, a verification that the car physically existed.

When the inspectors says that he can't find the VIN because it was dark, I'd be at least as worried about the quality of your in-the-dark "inspection" as the presence, or lack thereof, of the VIN on the firewall.

To be clear, the firewall VIN is not hidden behind anything whatsoever.

 

I think nearly every state does a VIN inspection on cars titled out of state before a domestic title is issued. It was designed to discourage exactly what the OP described. Along with counterfeit and/or altered VIN plates. There use to be resource material compiled and distributed almost annually to LE and those inspection stations describing the locations, appearances, font, size, appearance, materials etc, even rivet styles used by the various manufacturers thru the years. Unfortunately in some areas it sounds like it devolved into just a revenue stream.

 

He did go in there with a torch light. Its that he couldnt find it and didnt know where the vin etching could be. Yes one of the main reasons i sent an inspector was to know if the car physically existed, check for any body or structural damage and if its rust free. The inspector will go for a second visit

 

Update: after doing a second inspection it is found that the firewall vin matches the drivers vin sticker and title. Its the only the dash vin plate is different.