Registration establishes the vehicle’s ownership record. Keys let you use and secure it. Neither makes the vehicle untouchable.
Use the quick answers when you need an immediate solution, or follow the complete ownership process below.
QUICK ANSWERS
How do I assign a key to my vehicle?
Take a blank car key and the vehicle to a small Repair Center workshop with a green roof, then park the vehicle inside. Power the Grinder on the bench with a car battery and metal wire, or with a generator and cable reel. Hold the blank key and interact with the Grinder to assign it.
Bring metal wire and, if possible, an additional car battery. The Grinder needs power. Read the complete key-assignment steps.
What should I take to the workshop?
Bring the key, metal wire and, if possible, an additional car battery.
The workshop Grinder requires power. A generator and cable reel can be used instead. See the workshop checklist, then read the full Keys & Workshop section.
How do I register my vehicle?
Use Paper on the vehicle’s engine to obtain a VIN Printout. Take the printout to the DMV PC at City Hall in Novodmitrovsk and use it to register the vehicle.
Vehicles must be registered within 14 days. The server removes vehicles that remain unregistered after that period. Read the complete registration process.
Why won’t my vehicle start?
Check the battery, engine condition, oil, engine belt and other required components. Make sure you are using a usable paired key or a screwdriver. If the vehicle has manual transmission and its battery is empty, bump-starting may be an option.
See Batteries & Starting and Maintenance.
Can another player steal my vehicle?
Yes, when the vehicle is legitimately vulnerable under the server rules. An unsecured vehicle outside protected ownership conditions can potentially be broken into, hotwired and stolen. Mechanical vulnerability does not by itself determine whether taking it is permitted.
Read Security and the Server Rules.
Can a vehicle be hotwired?
A screwdriver can be used instead of a paired key to attempt to start a vehicle. The attempt can fail. A screwdriver can also be used to move a vehicle when its first key is being assigned or its existing key is missing.
What happens if I lose my key?
If you have a duplicate, use it. If no working key remains, obtain a blank key, use a screwdriver to move the vehicle to a workshop, and assign the blank key using a powered Grinder.
While you still have the original, you can make a duplicate by attaching it to the Grinder, holding a new blank key and selecting Duplicate. Read the complete key-recovery guidance.
What is the VIN?
A registered vehicle has a unique Vehicle Identification Number. The VIN identifies the vehicle and is tied to its current registration. Read about VIN and vehicle identity.
Can the VIN be changed?
A stolen vehicle can be taken to a workshop and have its VIN scraped. Once the process is complete, the old registration is lost, the server assigns a new VIN and the previous ownership record no longer applies. Keys paired with the old VIN become obsolete.
THE COMPLETE OWNERSHIP PROCESS
- Get the vehicle running. Check its battery, engine condition, oil, engine belt and required components. Use a paired key or screwdriver; a manual vehicle with an empty battery may be bump-started.
- Register it. Use Paper on the engine to obtain a VIN Printout, then take the printout to the DMV PC at City Hall in Novodmitrovsk within 14 days.
- Obtain a blank car key. Blank keys can be found in workshops and garages.
- Prepare the workshop. Drive the vehicle into a small Repair Center workshop with a green roof and locate the Grinder on its bench.
- Power the Grinder. Use a car battery and metal wire, or a generator and cable reel.
- Assign the key. Hold the blank key and interact with the powered Grinder.
- Duplicate it if desired. Attach the working key to the Grinder, hold another blank key and select Duplicate.
- Secure and maintain the vehicle. Keep its mechanical condition in order and understand when it remains vulnerable under the Server Rules.
REGISTRATION
Registration connects a vehicle’s VIN to its current owner and prevents the vehicle from being removed as unregistered.
Vehicles must be registered within 14 days. A vehicle that remains unregistered after that period will be removed by the server.
How to register
- Use Paper on the vehicle’s engine to obtain a VIN Printout.
- Take the VIN Printout to the DMV PC at City Hall in Novodmitrovsk.
- Use the VIN Printout on the DMV PC to register the vehicle.
- Once registered, the printout records the registration date and player name.
The DMV PC displays the result of its interactions on screen and can provide registration instructions.
Unregistering and recovering paperwork
A vehicle can be unregistered by using its VIN Printout at the DMV PC.
If the printout is lost, use Paper on the engine to create another. To recover the signed registration paper, obtain a new VIN Printout and choose Recover at the DMV PC.
KEYS & WORKSHOP
Blank car keys can be found in workshops and garages.
Key assignment takes place at a small Repair Center workshop with a green roof. Park the vehicle inside and use the Grinder located on the bench.
Key Assignment
- Park the vehicle inside the workshop.
- Power the Grinder using a car battery and metal wire, or a generator and cable reel.
- Hold the blank car key.
- Interact with the Grinder to assign the key to the vehicle.
If this is the vehicle’s first assigned key, or the existing key is missing, a screwdriver is required to hotwire and move the vehicle to the workshop.
Duplicating Keys
- Power the Grinder as described above.
- Attach the existing working key to the Grinder.
- Hold a new blank key.
- Select Duplicate.
Lost Keys and Key Handling
If no usable key remains, use a screwdriver to move the vehicle to a workshop and assign a new blank key at the powered Grinder.
Ruined keys cannot be used. A key also cannot be removed from the vehicle while the engine is running.
SECURITY
A paired key can lock the vehicle from outside.
The vehicle can be locked from inside without a key. Opening a door from inside unlocks all doors.
A locked vehicle can remain mechanically vulnerable:
- A player can break a window and open the door.
- Metal Wire can be used to attempt to unlock a door.
- A screwdriver can be used instead of a key to attempt to start the vehicle.
- Unlocking and hotwiring attempts can fail.
Hotwiring
A screwdriver substitutes for a paired key during a start attempt. It does not transfer registration or erase the vehicle’s VIN, and the attempt can fail.
The existence of these mechanics does not determine whether stealing a particular vehicle is allowed. Check the Server Rules.
VIN & VEHICLE IDENTITY
Registered vehicles have a unique VIN.
The VIN identifies the vehicle and ties it to its current registration.
If a vehicle is stolen, gaining access to it does not automatically erase its ownership history.
Reading a VIN
A light source is required.
- For a motorized vehicle, inspect the engine in daylight or while illuminating it with a flashlight or headtorch.
- For a bicycle, use a Wrench while wearing a headtorch.
- The VIN is displayed on screen.
- A VIN cannot be obtained from a ruined vehicle.
VIN Scraping
A stolen vehicle can be taken to a workshop and have its VIN scraped.
Once the process is completed, the old registration is lost and the server assigns the vehicle a new VIN.
At that point, the previous ownership record no longer applies. Keys paired with the old VIN become obsolete.
If you leave a registered vehicle unsecured outside your base, another player may be able to steal it, hotwire it and remove its identity.