7 Tips on How to Dispose of a Car Used in a Crime

If you use a car in a crime, it can be the piece of evidence that proves you guilt.

We all know the paperwork involved at the DMV – be careful what you do in/with your car becasue it can be traced back to you.  Fibers left behind, video of you driving or blood are all damming evidence when you are the owner of the car.  Therefore, here are…

7 Tips on How to Dispose of a Car Used in a Crime

1. Remove Vehicle Identification numbers (VIN)

The most important aspect of disposing of a car is to remove ALL of the vehicle’s identification numbers. Most cars have more than one location for these numbers, so it is imperative ALL of the VINs are unreadable. VINs are engraved in metal, so you will need a sharp object, such as a screwdriver, to effectively erase them.
Here are the places VINs are located:

- On the door frame/door post of the front doors (usually driver’s but sometimes passenger’s)
- On the dash near the windshield on the driver’s side
- On the engine itself (machined pad on front of engine)
- On the car’s firewall
- In the left- hand inner wheel arch
- On the steering wheel/steering column
- On the radiator support bracket
- On your car’s title, registration, guarantee/maintenance book or on the declarations page of your auto insurance policy – so make sure nothing is left in the glove compartment.

2. Remove License Plate

This would seem like a no brainer since this is one of the easiest ways to indentify a car’s owner. To really throw off investigators, replace the licenses plate with a stolen one. A car driving around without a license plate will cause immediate suspicion.

3. Pant Job

At the scene of a car crash, eye witnesses and paint evidence left behind often points investigators in your direction. Painting you car will immediately throw off investigators that will be on the lookout for a certain model and color.

This tactic is also useful when you have been videotaped committed a crime, which is more often than you think. On average, a person is videotaped between 10 – 40 times a day, depending on the size of the city they live in. This includes at traffic lights, parking lots and toll booths.

4. Abandonment

If you choose to simply abandon your car, don’t just leave it on the side of the road. It will be noticed within days. Pushing it off a cliff in a deserted area, preferable in another state, is your best bet. Again, you must remove all of the VIN numbers or it can be traced back to you when it is eventually discovered.

5. Leave it to be Stolen

This is a great way to get rid of a car AND cause reasonable doubt in the eyes of a jury if the car is ever found. You can also say your car was stolen and that criminal committed the crime you are accused of. Simply leave your car in a shady part of town, with the windows down and the keys in the ignition. Areas known for drug activity are a great place to do this. Before you know it, the car is stolen and as long as you have given it a paint job and replaced the license plate, it will be a difficult car to find.

6. Junkyard

You could sell your car for scrap or parts at a junkyard, but depending on the records they keep and the time it takes to completely demolish a car, the police can find your car and trace it back to you. Also, when you bring your card to a junkyard, in most cases they track your VIN, so erasing this number before you drop it off won’t help you.

7. Burning

This is not the most effective technique for disposing of a car. It immediately draws attention and suspicion to the situation. It will incinerate forensic evidence, but not a body. In addition, unless you have removed all of the VIN numbers, the car can be easily traced back to you.

Stay Brutal!