The VIN stored in the EEPROM did not have the "check digit" mentioned in the DIY. The VIN was stored in 5 consecutive characters for me.
Removing the EEPROM chip without a hot air station was fairly simple with a bog-standard soldering iron. I flooded each row of 4 pins with solder and then alternated between heating the two pools while pulling up with tweezers.https://www.skysmotor.co.uk/