Hello Everyone,
I recently took my 2003 Fiat Ducato 2.0 JTD 11 to a local mechanic in Conakry for a clutch disc replacement. He ended up stealing my original gearbox and replaced it with a worn, overused gearbox bearing thé following Number: 963 768 3280 mb 11. Visual inspection and changes in performance alerted me to thé dubious swap. When I entered this number in Google, thé search returned a Citroën Jumper 2.0 HDi vehicle information.

Now I know that the Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer and Citroën Jumper/Relay are essentially thé same vehicles with différent badges and I believe it is this similarity that the mechanic has sought to exploit. But from thé before and after puctures Of thé gearbox, I can sée clear différences in thé Size and colour Of thé casing, size and shape Of thé breather plug cap, colour Of thé clutch linkages and thé condition Of thé bolts. In one instance, thé incompatibility was such that thé mechanic was obligéd to use a câble to tie or hold parts together!!! Furthermore, when I entered my VIN on eFER/ePER, thé compatible gearbox part numbers are completely différent in format and length from thé Number above. I have reported thé case to thé local police and it's being investigated.

To help the police discern thé truth I have Côme to this forum to ask experts and experienced professionals if it's possible to discern thé VIN (numéro de châssis) Of a vehicle given a part Number. More precisely, is there an online portal, database etc into which one can enter thé gearbox number 963 768 3280 mb 11 and thereby obtain thé VIN/châssis number Of thé vehicle for which this particular gearbox was originally intended? I can then submit thé VIN to thé local automotive registry to pinpoint thé current Owner and location Of thé vehicle. I know it's commonplace to use VINs for discerning part numbers but can thé reverse be done? Does anyone have any other technical ideas I can use to prove that my gearbox has indeed been swapped. Thank you.

Traditionally any cast parts will have a 'clockface'

Showing..as an example..

the year in the centre '04'
Then dots showing which of the 12 months
It was produced in.

This should be :
NO LATER than your vehicle
And earlier by only a maximum of 1 year

FamaMarah said:

To help the police discern thé truth I have Côme to this forum to ask experts and experienced professionals if it's possible to discern thé VIN (numéro de châssis) Of a vehicle given a part Number. More precisely, is there an online portal, database etc into which one can enter thé gearbox number 963 768 3280 mb 11 and thereby obtain thé VIN/châssis number Of thé vehicle for which this particular gearbox was originally intended? I can then submit thé VIN to thé local automotive registry to pinpoint thé current Owner and location Of thé vehicle. I know it's commonplace to use VINs for discerning part numbers but can thé reverse be done? Does anyone have any other technical ideas I can use to prove that my gearbox has indeed been swapped. Thank you.

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Specialist police autocrime examiners will have access to whatever information may be available to identify component parts to specific vehicles, through direct contact with the vehicle manufacturers' police liaison departments. You will not find anything accessible to the public and such information as may exist is closely guarded because if it were to be compromised it would constitute additional features for criminals to alter or deface making investigations even more difficult. Such examiners are well aware of various date marking techniques, but used in isolation on a single item such as a gearbox, whilst a manufacturing date on its own may indicate that the box is not original to the vehicle it is installed in, it will not prove anything else such as its origin or whether it was stolen.