How to decipher the VIN code of your car?

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How to decipher the VIN code of your car?

Surely, you have resorted to the VIN code for many things in your relationship with your car, either having dictated it in an after-sales service or having entered it in a website for spare parts or revision calls, but what the hell is that string of numbers and letters? that appears in some places and documentation of your car?

What is the VIN number or code?

To begin with, you have to know that VIN is the acronym for Vehicle Identification Number or what is the same, the vehicle identification number. It is a set of numbers and letters made up of 17 characters that help us to decipher a lot about our car as well as to obtain a lot of useful information.

You should know that it is a global harmonization number used by all car manufacturers and eyes because it is a unique combination of numbers and letters for each unit.

It is more than possible that in the market, especially very old second-handmodels , we do not find the happy VIN and this is because with some exceptions, the VIN number or code has been applied in the market since 1980-1981. Prior to this date, each manufacturer had its own code with a unique alphanumeric system. How To Find My Old Car Without The VIN?

What is the VIN for?

As I have told you, the VIN code or number is a unique identification tool that insurers, authorities, after-sales services, spare parts stores, and even the manufacturer itself, constantly use to identify a specific vehicle and find out all the details about it.

Where can I find the VIN code or number?

As a general rule and with some exceptions, the VIN code is present in the lower right part of the front window, in some parts of the interior of the vehicle, on the threshold of the driver’s door, in the engine compartment – next to the chassis number- and of course, in the documentation of the vehicle itself.

How to decipher the VIN code?

As I have told you, the VIN code is made up of 17 characters distributed as follows:

The first three characters indicate the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) . It is a unique combination that each of the manufacturers worldwide has and allows us to decipher the manufacturer and the place of manufacture.

  • The first digit of the VIN number is the country of origin or final processing plant.
If they start with 1, 4, or 5 it indicates that it was manufactured in the United States, 2 in Canada, 3 in Mexico, A – AH in South Africa, J in Japan, KL – KR in South Korea, L in China, MA–ME in India, MF–MK in Indonesia, ML–MR in Thailand, PA–PE in the Philippines, PL–PR in Malaysia, SA–SM in UK, SN–ST–W in Germany, SU–SZ in Poland, TA–TH in Switzerland, TJ – TP in the Czech Republic, TR – TV in Hungary, VA -h and VE in Austria, VF – VR in France, VS – VW in Spain, X3 – X0 in Russia, YA – YE in Belgium, YF – YK in Finland, YS – YW in Sweden, ZA – ZR in Italy, 6A – 6W in Australia, 7A – 7E in New Zealand, 8A – 8E in Argentina, 8F – 8J in Chile, 8X – 82 in Venezuela, 9A – 9E – 93 – 99 in Brazil, 9F – 9J in Colombia and RF – RK Taiwan.
  • The second character identifies the manufacturing company:
Audi(TO), BMW(B), Buick (4), Ford(F), Cadillac (6), Chevrolet (C), Chrysler (C), Dodge (D), Renault(F), GM Canada (7), General Motors (G), Honda(niH), Jaguar (A), Lincoln (L), Mercedes Benz (D), Mercury (M), Nissan(N), Oldsmobile (3), Pontiac (2 or 5), Plymouth (P), Saab (S), Saturn (8), Toyota(T), Volkswagen(V) Chery (VV).
  • The third character combined with the first two can identify the type of vehicle, such as whether it is a truck, pickup, SUV, or passenger car.
  • From the fourth to the eighth character, we find several of the vehicle’s characteristics such as the type of engine, the type of body, the model, the transmission, and much more. This depends on each of the manufacturers and they give more or less information depending on the manufacturer itself.
  • The ninth character is a verifier that is obtained by assigning values ​​​​to the letters of the alphabet, omitting I, O, Q, and  Ñ according to OIE standard 3779, which standardizes the characters used. This number or letter is generated by the manufacturer to verify the authenticity of the whole number.
  • The tenth character of the VIN indicates the year of manufacture of the model. If the vehicle was produced between 1980 and 2000 or between 2010 and 2030 it is identified with a letter, but if it was manufactured between 2001 and 2009 or between 2031 and 2039 it will be identified with a number according to what we leave you.
Categories: Data Services

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