Does anyone know what this compartment was designed to do besides hiding the VIN? The cover is bendable to lift up.

 

Could it be a blank for a nameplate? I've seen SUVs where the model name is emblazoned in that location. Wonder if some trim lines get it (national/international) and some don't.

 

That's it. Nothing more.

 

You could put a wad of $100 bills or a Nature Valley granola bar in there for emergencies.

 

Or your stash

 

A little excessive in design just to hide/cover up the VIN.

 

weird , i just assumed it was a cover for some kind of side air bag , maybe it's there to comply
for a foreign market ?

 

Yes, it would be nice to know why Honda ended up to such an overengineered solution. Maybe in some market areas VIN has to be positioned like that, but I am quite sure there is no requirement to cover it. Obviously that also fulfils the European requirements for VIN, but it could have been fulfilled much easier and cheaper by stamping VIN to the firewall in engine bay, like in 1st gen CR-V.

 

There is one in the most obvious location, on the dash, bottom of the windshield, in front of the driver. You would think the VIN should be located in some permanent locations, right? There is one on the left near the front of the underside of the hood. The hood becomes the permanent part of the car?

 

In our part of the world VIN must be stamped or engraved right side of the vehicle to chassis frame or body integral with frame. The usual locations are in the upper part of the firewall behind the engine, around the shock mount or floor by the right sill (like in Jazz).

I would prefer the firewall, because it is least likely to get damaged due to corrosion or accident. VIN is checked annually in vehicle inspection, and if it becomes unreadable due to corrosion or that part of body needs to be cut for accident repair, there is a huge amount of bureaucracy to prove the vehicle identity to authorities and to get VIN officially stamped to again.

 

The hood is one of the least permanent items on a car. In a front end accident it frequently requires body work and repainting if not outright replacement. The dash on the other hand, well, if you have damage there from an accident the probability is that the car is going to be written off.

 

I was a little sarcastic about the hood. A VIN has no purpose there since the hood could be removed without too much effort. Your reasoning about damage to hood will most likely the car is totaled is not reasonable. Hood could be damaged in a hail storm or from rocks. If you replace the original hood do you a VIN on the new hood? Rather than trying to guess the reason I would like to know from Honda why the hood has a VIN. It would be interesting to know as I have never had a VIN on the hood in any of my other cars.

 

Of course it does. It's there for the same reason why it's stamped in several other locations. Hood, frame, engine, front crossmember, dash, firewall, etc. etc. The one under the 'overengineered' flap is a reference VIN. It's stamped into a location from which it can't be removed. The ones on the hood, engine, plate, dashboard, crossmember, even firewall, etc. etc. are all potentially modular so you use the frame VIN for reference.

They are there to indicate if parts have been replaced or repairs have been made, but not reported. If the hood is not original, that may be an innocent thing, but it at least makes you ask why it's not original. So you look for other signs of repairs that escaped record.

This is why classic cars with 'matching VINs' are worth more. Then you know everything is original.

This really shouldn't be a difficult concept to understand.

 

Obviously..
But lol:
It's where Honda was going to put the type r badging when they finally release the k20c powered fit.

 

I thought so too. But apparently not that obvious, otherwise this thread wouldn't exist.

 

[QUOTE=
This really shouldn't be a difficult concept to understand.[/QUOTE]

It can be peeled off and put on the new hood and there goes your concept that the hood is not original. VIN is placed where it is difficult to access and removed or replaced. It could be stamped. Certainly it should not made from a sticker like material. My Porsche does not have one on the hood or the engine lid.

 

Doesn't change anything. Go ahead and try to remove and reapply the sticker. See what happens to it. Even if it could be transferred successfully, it's not just about fraud. It's also about mistakenly unreported repairs.

The sticker is unlikely to be arbitrarily removed. It's unlikely to fall off. If it is removed, it still does the same job, that being a check into possible unreported repairs.

That your Porsche doesn't have anything on the hood is irrelevant. Honda chose to, therefore inspections take it into account. Whatever markings Porsche has are taken into account.
​​​​​
This is not that hard.

 

Interesting information. Having VIN stickers in multiple locations around the car must be a feature specific to US. Obviously due to your legislation, maybe that is if you have an oblication to report some repairs. For the rest of the world it is different. In most market areas GK Fit/Jazz has VIN marked in the floor by the right front seat, on the dash and in certification lable/sticker on doorframe. And that's it. Engine and transmission have their own serial number, but ot VIN.

 

Engines always have a serial, some manufacturers put the VIN on as well. The serial is associated with the VIN in manufacturer records anyway.

I don't know what the actual regulations state in the US for lesser damage, but I do know there is at least a legal obligation to report a salvage title.

All repairs affect the value of the car, so traceability or any indication that the car is not completely original is useful. Most accidents and damage ends up getting recorded anyway, but every indicator helps. Hence the VIN in a number of locations that have a likelihood of being replaced in the event of damage.

 

You are missing the point that it is not necessary, and it could cause confusions if the hood is transferred to another vehicle from the scrap yard. In regards to originals, then why not the doors, the windows, the seats. I hope you got the point that I am making. If you need a new hood from Honda, do you get a one with a VIN?