UPDATE: Due to possible showers, the location of the VIN Etching event has moved to Thompson Toyota, 122 W Swamp Rd, Doylestown, PA 18901.

A free VIN etching event will be held at Thompson Lexus in Doylestown on Saturday, Oct. 30, through a partnership between the Thompson Auto Group and the District Attorney’s Auto Theft Prevention, Awareness and Education Program.

The event, sponsored through a grant from the Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority, will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Thompson Lexus, 50 West Swamp Road in Doylestown. The District Attorney’s Office will be on-site at both the Thompson Lexus and the adjacent Thompson BMW locations.

The event is free to all members of the public.

“VIN etching is a proven deterrent to car thieves, and the best way to fight crime is to prevent it in the first place,” District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. “We are pleased to partner with Thompson Toyota to offer this valuable, free crime-prevention service to our citizens. Make your car a less desirable target to the thieves who would steal it.  See you on October 30.”

VIN etching is the permanent engraving of a vehicle’s unique, 17-character, federally registered Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) onto its windshield and all other window glass, including sun and moon roofs through a chemical process that neither harms the glass nor detracts from the vehicle’s appearance.

Because no two vehicles have the same identification number, VINs provide useful information about a car, such as its make, model and year – and also help law enforcement officials identify a stolen vehicle.

VIN etching not only makes it difficult for thieves to profit from selling windows and windshields, but it also makes it harder for thieves to sell a stolen vehicle without first replacing the etched window glass.

VIN plates are typically affixed to the lower left side of most dashboards, but thieves are able to grind them down or replace them with different VIN plates.

A number of insurance companies offer comprehensive coverage discounts to customers with VIN-etched vehicles, reasoning that such vehicles are less attractive to auto thieves. Please contact your insurer to find out whether your vehicle is eligible.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority, go to https://watchyourcar.org/.

Contact: Assistant District Attorney Edward Furman Jr., 215.348.6780, efurman@buckscounty.org