WHAT IS THE VIN?
A VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a 17-digit number stamped in a vehicle (car,truck etc) that serves as the car's unique identity code. Its just like a car's personal identity or Social Security number which include important details, ranging from its country of production, auto-maker, engine type to when it was built. VIN are available on vehicle produced from 1981 model year till date, although VINs are claimed to have been in use by American automakers since 1954, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA), but for years, there was no standardization so they were extremely difficult to decipher.
WHERE DO I LOCATE MY CAR VIN?
The VIN are mostly found on the lower-left corner of the dashboard, in front of the steering wheel. VIN can be seen looking through the windshield at the driver's side.
Inside the driver-side doorjamb. Open the door, and look underneath where the side-view mirror would be located if the door was shut.
Front of the engine block. This should be easy to spot by popping open the hood, and looking at the front of the engine.
Front of the car frame, near the container that holds windshield washer fluid.
Rear wheel well. Try looking up, directly above the tire.
Driver-side doorpost. Open the door, and look near the spot where the door latches, not too far from the seat-belt return.
DECODING THE VIN
The first three characters are often referred to as the World Manufacturer Identifier.The Position one represents the nation of origin, or the final point of assembly. For instance, cars made in the U.S. start with 1,4 or 5, Canada is 2, Mexico is 3, Japan is J, South Korea is K, England is S, Germany is W and Sweden or Finland is Y.
The second and thrird postions denotes the manufacturer and type of vechile. For instance 1G1 means Chevrolet passenger cars(U.S) and 1GC means Chevrolet trucks (U.S).
The 4th to the 9th characters are often called vehicle descriptor
The fourth to eight characters describes the information of the car such as the model, body type, transmission type and engine type.
The nineth character is the security code that identify the VIN as being authorized
The 10th character indicates the model year. The letters from B-Y correspond to the model years 1981-2000. Alphabet I, O, Q, U or Z are not included. From 2001-'09, the numbers 1-9 were used in place of alphabets. The alphabet started over from A in 2010 and will continue until 2030. That is;
MODEL YEAR
| B=1981 | C=1982 | D=1983 | E=1984 | F=1985 | G=1986 |
| H=1987 | J=1988 | K=1989 | L=1990 | M=1991 | N=1992 |
| P=1993 | R=1994 | S=1995 | T=1996 | V=1997 | W=1998 |
| X=1999 | Y=2000 | 1=2001 | 2=2002 | 3=2003 | 4=2004 |
| 5=2005 | 6=2006 | 7=2007 | 8=2008 | 9=2009 | A=2010 |
| B=2011 | C=2012 | D=2013 | E=2014 | F=2015 | G=2016 |
| H=2017 | J=2018 | K=2019 | L=2020 | M=2021 | N=2022 |
The letter or number in position 11 indicates the manufacturing plant in which the vehicle was assembled. Each automaker has its own set of plant codes.
The last 6 digits (positions 12 through 17) are the serial number or the production sequence numbers. This is the number each car receives on the assembly line.
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