How Do You Read a Vin Number?

Merely like a fingerprint, your car's VIN number can tell you lot all sorts of information, from where information technology was made and who past to its engine size, safety features, body mode and production number. This makes it easy to find the right parts for your car, and check that everything's legitimate before handing over cash on the forecourt.

In this guide, we offer applied tips on how to read your car's VIN code and what each letter of the alphabet and number represents.

Utilize the links beneath to discover the information y'all need.

• Understanding a VIN Code
• How to Read and Decode Your Motorcar'due south VIN

Understanding a VIN Code

VIN codes are found on every machine in the world built since 1983 and, even if cars were made on the same production line, no ii VINs are e'er the same. They're made upwardly of 17 numbers and messages which represent information nigh where the motorcar was congenital and its verbal specification, so you can discover out pretty much all there is to know about a machine from this unique code.

The diagram below shows examples of the kind of information y'all can become from your machine's VIN.

For a more in-depth look at reading your car's VIN, read on.

How to Read and Decode Your Car'southward VIN

If you spend a lot of time under the bonnet and enjoy DIY fixes, you should find out how to read your machine'southward VIN. This will make information technology easy to find the verbal parts for your car, so you can keep your faithful old motor running well for longer.

Here, we look at what each digit in a VIN code means and how it can assistance you find out more about your car.

First 3 Digits – Globe Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)

The starting time three digits of the VIN are classified equally the WMI, and show the country of origin, manufacturer, and specific segmentation inside a manufacturer.

1st – A alphabetic character or number showing where in the world the car was built

Remember the following:

• A-H – Africa
• J-R – Asia
• South-Z – Europe
• one-5 – Due north America
• half dozen-seven – Australia and New Zealand
• eight-9 – South America

2^nd – The manufacturer that made the auto

A full list of manufacturers and their associated VIN codes can be institute, hither.

3^rd – The specific sectionalisation of a manufacturer that fabricated the machine

For example, Mercedes' AMG sectionalisation's VIN is WMX.

Digits four-8 – Vehicle Descriptor

The side by side 5 digits outline specific details nearly the machine, including the engine size, safe features and body manner.

iv^th – Rubber features and model-specific data

The fourth digit gives details of the machine's model-specific features, such as additional safety information.

5^th – The automobile'south serial

This represents the verbal serial of a specific model, normally shown past a letter.

vi^th and vii^th – The body way

Convertible, saloon or hatchback; the six^th and 7^th digits show the car'southward body style and type.

eight^th – Engine size

The eighth digit shows the machine's engine size and is unremarkably represented by a alphabetic character. This is actually helpful if you're ownership spare parts for your car, as is it ensures that y'all can discover a spare that's the exact match for the engine type.

9^th Digit

This is called the 'check digit' and is used to validate the authenticity of the auto's VIN lawmaking. Using some complex maths that nosotros won't bore you with here, the check number should match up with the balance of the digits in the VIN. It's difficult to check the validity of a VIN yourself as it requires some serious maths, merely an online VIN de-coder should tell yous if the VIN is legit.

x^th Digit

The tenth digit shows the exact year the car was made, represented by a letter or number depending on its historic period. Using the tabular array below, you lot can find a car'due south year of industry through the VIN lawmaking – great if it has a personalised number plate or you want to check its validity before buying.

tenth Digit	Year	tenth Digit	Year
A	1980	Y	2000
B	1981	1	2001
C	1982	2	2002
D	1983	3	2003
East	1984	four	2004
F	1985	5	2005
G	1986	6	2006
H	1987	7	2007
J	1988	viii	2008
K	1989	ix	2009
Fifty	1990	A	2010
Chiliad	1991	B	2011
N	1992	C	2012
P	1993	D	2013
R	1994	E	2014
South	1995	F	2015
T	1996	G	2016
Five	1997	H	2017
W	1998	J	2018
X	1999	1000	2019

11^th Digit

The 11^th digit shows at which manufacturer constitute the car was made.

Digits 12 – 17

The last 6 digits of the VIN lawmaking is the production line number assigned by the manufacturer. This is the part of the VIN you're least likely to need, even so, in some cases, it can help to track down a part if certain changes were made to a specific model at the time of production.

Agreement how to decode your car'south VIN is not just satisfying, it can help you lot get the parts you need to continue it running at its best. Information technology'southward also a great way to acquire more than about a used car before y'all make up one's mind to buy, including its history.

Of course, there are easier means to decode a VIN than going through the letters and numbers yourself. At that place are now several VIN-decoding services online that let you observe information about your car in a matter of seconds, which is great if you need to find parts or check its history on the fly.

At Holts, our DIY car maintenance tools are smashing for quick fixes that will get you dorsum on the road after a flat tyre or non-starter. For more than information or to browse our complete product range, visit the homepage today .

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Source: https://www.holtsauto.com/holts/news/read-cars-vin-code/

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