Help me find a hit-and-run driver!

August 15, 2009 9:50 AM

Can you identify this GM car part?

My sister's car was significantly damaged by a hit-and-run driver last night. I know what color the other car was from some paint transfer. I also found an amber light cover (?) on the ground next to her car. It says "GM" on it, with this number: 16513298. I assume this is a GM car part number, but I've had no luck finding what kind of car it belongs to on any car parts website or Google. Photos of the light cover are here and here.
Anyone recognize this part, or know how to access a complete GM car parts database? I realize this is a total long shot and we'll probably never find the driver, but it would be nice to know what kind of car to keep an eye out for.
Thank you!

posted by janerica to travel & transportation (10 comments total)

It appears to be a side marker for a GM truck or van.....
posted by peewinkle at 10:02 AM on August 15

Phone a GM dealer (parts department). They'll tell you.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:07 AM on August 15

Side marker or front-bumper turn signal light cover.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:09 AM on August 15

Thanks for the quick responses. No luck with the GM dealer, I guess that is not a valid part number, he thinks it may be a "casting number." Maybe someone with the same car or truck will read this...
posted by janerica at 10:20 AM on August 15

It is marked RFL which suggests maybe right front (marker) lens? Can you tell from the damage on your sister's car if this makes sense?
The height of the damage may tell you whether it was a truck or a car. The color may match to a particular year or model.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:12 AM on August 15

There is an outside possibility that this part could be used to identify the driver of the other vehicle based on that number. Someone I used to live with hit another car while drunk driving and killed the driver. He fled the scene, leaving parts from the front end of his Jeep all over the intersection. The police arrested him two days later after looking up serial numbers on those parts and matching them to his exact vehicle. No idea if local police would run such a search for your case or whether a single reflector with a "casting number" can make an id, but you could look into it.
posted by Derive the Hamiltonian of... at 12:54 PM on August 15

Looks like one of the turn signals for one of these.
posted by C17H19NO3 at 12:58 PM on August 15 [1 favorite]

It looks like the Chevy Blazer and S10 from the early nineties-ish used turn signal lenses like those.
posted by C17H19NO3 at 1:02 PM on August 15

look around for a paint chip to tell you the color of the vehicle. years ago a girlfriend's neighbor was the victim of a hit and run and with about 15 minutes poking around with a flashlight I was able to tell him the make, model, color and approximate year of the car responsible.

he found the car, but the driver was unfortunately sober by that time. MADD and draconian DWI laws have made hit-and-runs more common as the penalty is less if the driver is drunk (especially if they already have a DWI)
posted by KenManiac at 7:11 PM on August 15

It might not be a GM part number, but there may be another brand name on the light cover. Items like that are often sourced from an outside company when they make the car. Anything else stamped on that light cover? Check the inside faces, too.
posted by Jon-o at 9:44 PM on August 15