VIN etching was and still is a scam put on the public by new car dealers to make them think they are making their car harder to steal. Several hundred dollars for some stencils put on the glass and etching paste smeared over it? A Value...I think not. Cars get stolen all the time regardlees of this VIN etching crap.
Now ultaviolet vin imprinting on bodypanels works and has been used to breakup many car theft rings. That system works.