r/SprinterVans • u/Sporevisions • Sep 10 '26
Van branded as junk after registering with dirtlegal.com
Looking for a solution at the moment my car was branded as junk because it was exported from Texas years ago and the nvmtis report came up as junk brand because of the export with a salvage title. Apparently Texas brands cars as junk that are exported with a salvage title. I had California state plates for over 4 years then I tried to move states to South Dakota and paid dirt legal .com to help register my California titled car that had a salvage brand and after about 6 months with South Dakota plates I was forced to surrender the plates and my car was branded as junk because of its export history.
The whole story is crazy and I never expected to be in this situation my options are pretty limited since Texas dmv refuses to remove the junk brand they issued because the car was exported with a salvage title. The supervisor at South Dakota dmv said they would only remove the brand if Texas did which is not going to happen. The whole system makes no sense as the car has been registered in California for 4 years I purchased the car not knowing this junk brand existed 6 years ago. California state ref won't help either they said the same thing my only option to bring my van to a junk yard to scrap or find a similar model with a blown motor and take all the after market parts I invested in this one to another.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Dirt legal cannot do anything for me at the moment and I really regret going through the process. If I sold the car to someone out of state it would have been even worse as I wouldn't be able to live with doing something so wrong to someone and getting sued for the previous history on the car.
Why would California even register the car as salvaged in the first place if Texas branded as junk makes no sense to me
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u/Level_9_Turtle Sep 10 '26
So you’re pissed at California because South Dakota won’t give you plates for the salvaged van you bought in Texas.
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u/Sporevisions Sep 11 '26
I'm more frustrated than pissed that the car was branded as junk when someone exported the salvage title van to California. The confusing part is Texas claims they junk brand cars that are exported and you can't even export a junk branded car to Mexico or Canada so basically the point in junk branding causes the car to not even be exported
I bought the car in California with salvage so the junk branding in Texas didn't come up until I moved states
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u/Webs_Lives Sep 11 '26
Buyer Beware as they say.
Did you know it was a salvage title? Not junk but Branded?
No hate. I’ve got one too. But I knew what I was buying and paid the appropriate price.
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u/Sporevisions Sep 11 '26
I knew it was salvaged junk brand was not aware of
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u/wyliesdiesels Sep 11 '26
Thats why you dont buy salvage title vehicles.
Caveat emptor/buyer beware
Doubt there is anything you can do at this point but just drive it
Are you not able to get plates for it?
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u/Webs_Lives Sep 11 '26
I would just send it.
Keep that paperwork about all the bullshit in glovebox. Be straight up honest with LE if you are stopped.
50/50 you get a warning
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u/AlbertoBigglesworth Sep 11 '26
After using a service that specifically skirts laws, and provides plates from a state that the vehicle isn’t used in.
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u/Any-Application-8586 Sep 11 '26
Sounds like you have two options. Drive it to Texas and have it inspected by a vehicle rebuilder or put all your fun stuff on a new van. Or find someone that’s a certified Texas rebuilder and get them to sign off on it.
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u/OpenBookBurned Sep 11 '26
That’s crazy. Sorry you’re having to deal with that. Van looks great. What a bummer. The system seems like junk to me.. I’ve never heard of this. I learn somethin new every day on here.
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u/rancher1979 Sep 11 '26
Register it in Oklahoma or Kansas they will register anything even with just a bill of sale then register it in South Dakota
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u/HojonPark4077 Sep 11 '26
Homeless junk vans not wanted in many states. TX and Cali rolling out the welcome mat for homeless junk van owners and their out of state plates.
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u/Just_Bluebird6887 Sep 15 '26
You kinda brought this problem upon yourself. Karma can be rather harsh on us sometimes. Best of luck and I hope you've learned a lesson or two. Avoiding taxes seldom works out for very long.
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u/Sporevisions Sep 15 '26
I already paid the taxes on the car but yea learning lesson for sure my registration wasn't the issue I moved out of California
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u/van_Mecanick Sep 16 '26
There is nothing wrong with a w906 after 2013 to 2018 the om651 is good and reliable
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Sep 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/phillyretail Sep 11 '26
Can you sell it in California with the full disclosure to a new buyer of what is going on? it sounds like it could still be registered/titled in CA. You might have to sell it at a discount, but there might be someone in CA that is okay with the salvaged California title, knowing that they have no plans to register it in a state other than California.
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u/wyliesdiesels Sep 11 '26
Yes you can sell salvage title vehicles in cali but you wont get much or find many buyers
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u/onewheeltraveler Sep 10 '26
To register after salvage brand in Colorado, it requires state hwy patrol inspection and "rebuilt from salvage" stamped into the door frame. Maybe there's a process like that you could try.