Microdot technology to prevent car crime

And, once you have a stolen car which's microdotted, how you gonna find the dots? :D :D

Confirmation of vehicle identity is done by extracting a sample of the material and looking at it through a low powered microscope.
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Eh? Chop a piece off and take a shufty at it through a 'scope? Now what if said car don't have any dots, they gonna chop the whole car up in the vain hope of finding a dot? :D
 
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Microdots are usually offered as an optional extra on new cars. Will this not push up the price of cars?

I welcome the implementation of this of course but I also fear the impact that this legislation is going to have on the vehicle trade.
 
What prevents ne'er-do-wells of getting hold of the microdotting equipment, then spray a small section of a stolen car with their own dots, thereby luring the buyer into a false sense of security?

Or just bribing the right official not to look at microdots?
 
My sister's previous car had microdots. You can see them on the car in the paintwork if you look closely enough. A handheld magnifying glass makes them easy to spot. You don't need to chop up a vehicle to check if it has microdots. They're everywhere, sprayed pretty much over the entire body of the vehicle. Just take a close look at various places on the body and you'll be able to confirm that they are there.
 
The_Librarian said:
What prevents ne'er-do-wells of getting hold of the microdotting equipment, then spray a small section of a stolen car with their own dots, thereby luring the buyer into a false sense of security?

Or just bribing the right official not to look at microdots?
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I think that the sale of microdotting equipment would be a controlled/regulated process and that not just any Tom, Dick, and Harry would be able to get their grubby paws on such equipment. If, however, they do manage that, respraying the car with their own equipment would still not work because they would still need their fake VIN or PIN on a system somewhere - needs to be authenticated somehow. Can you start to see all the complications this is going to cause for car thieves?
 
I don't see how Microdots are effective against body panels though! Its just a strip and paint away!

And about controlled/regulated process.. so are many processes aren't they? Like how policemen are issued with firearms? Bottom line is every man made security feature has a flaw and its only a matter of time before it is countered.

I think if it really was that effective at preventing crime, it would reflect in the insurance premiums. But call one of the insurance guys and ask them what difference it makes to the premium and you'll see its nothing (last I checked).
 
How many police vehicles have been kitted out with microscopes to aid in the identification of stolen vehicles at chop shops and anywhere other than police stations?
 
VernD said:
I think that the sale of microdotting equipment would be a controlled/regulated process and that not just any Tom, Dick, and Harry would be able to get their grubby paws on such equipment. If, however, they do manage that, respraying the car with their own equipment would still not work because they would still need their fake VIN or PIN on a system somewhere - needs to be authenticated somehow. Can you start to see all the complications this is going to cause for car thieves?
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And what happened with RICA? Same will happen here - loopholes will be found and exploited.

I'm cynical.

Maybe it's a good thing, maybe not, we'll never know until it's implemented.
 
What about rebuilds? Hell, even just parts being replaced like the engine. This is just going to cause chaos which will be another excuse to milk the tax paying public.
 
I think the greatest benefit will be that it makes the 'ordering' of a car via the hijack or theft path more difficult. The roadworthy process which is required to transfer ownership will probably include microdot analysis. Exporting cars might also require analysis at the border crossing.
I am sure the system is such that the dots can be checked without major difficulty.

Overall this is a good move.
 
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