VIN is a unique serial number used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles. In 1981 the format for VIN was standardized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States. It required all over-the-road-vehicles sold to contain a 17-character VIN, which do not include the letters I (i), O (o), or Q (q) (to avoid confusion with numerals 1 and 0).
Nowadays, there are two related standards for Vehicle Identification Number systems. They are originally issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1979 and 1980; ISO 3779 and ISO 3780, respectively. Compatible but somewhat different implementations of these ISO standards have been adopted by the European Union and the United States of America.
The VIN is 17 characters long and is composed of 3 main sections:
WMI - World Manufacturer Identifier - The first three characters that uniquely identify the manufacturer of the vehicle
VDS - Vehicle Descriptor Section - The 4th to 9th positions are used, according to local regulations, to identify the vehicle type, and may include information on the automobile platform used, the model, and the body style.
VIS - Vehicle Identifier Section - The 10th to 17th positions are used by the manufacturer to identify the individual vehicle in question. This may include information on options installed or engine and transmission choices.
VIN is normally located in several locations on a car, but the most common places are:
On the door frame/door post of the front doors (usually driver's but sometimes passenger's)
On the dash near the windshield
On the engine itself (machined pad on front of engine)
On the car's firewall
In the left-hand inner wheel arch
On the steering wheel/steering column
On the radiator support bracket
On your car's title, registration, guarantee/maintenance book or on the declarations page of your auto insurance policy
So, you can reference as below country (Region) code:
U.S is 1,4 or 5
Canada: 2
Mexico: 3
Japan: J
Korea: K
UK: S
Germany: W
Italy: Z
Sweden : Y
Australia: 6
France : V
Brazil: 9
VIN decoding and check
What is VIN?
VIN is an abbreviation for vehicle identification number, which is simply a 17 characters serial number dedicated to every motor vehicle by the automotive industry. The last 6 characters of the VIN is the most important part that contains the vehicle's unique ID.
VIN is an abbreviation for vehicle identification number, which is simply a 17 characters serial number dedicated to every motor vehicle by the automotive industry. The last 6 characters of the VIN is the most important part that contains the vehicle's unique ID.
VIN decoding process
VIN decoding is the process of finding out about the meaning of the digits and letters of the VIN number, which include technical information, such as the manufacturer, make, model, and the year and country of manufacturing.
VIN decoding is the process of finding out about the meaning of the digits and letters of the VIN number, which include technical information, such as the manufacturer, make, model, and the year and country of manufacturing.
A car VIN check
VIN number check saves your time, because It doesn’t take long to get a vehicle history report. But if the car is a junk, VIN number check reveals that immediately and you don’t waste your time on that car any longer. There are many factors to take into consideration before buying a used car, like the price and lifespan of the car, but first you should obtain some information about the car history by doing a VIN search. A free car VIN check provides you a report which include some basic information about the car. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) gathers this information from insurance companies and keeps them in its databases. So in the case the vehicle wasn't insured in some period in the past, no theft, fraud or other claims related to this car could be found in any insurance company records. That's why a free VIN number check is not enough and you should get a full vehicle history report.
VIN number check saves your time, because It doesn’t take long to get a vehicle history report. But if the car is a junk, VIN number check reveals that immediately and you don’t waste your time on that car any longer. There are many factors to take into consideration before buying a used car, like the price and lifespan of the car, but first you should obtain some information about the car history by doing a VIN search. A free car VIN check provides you a report which include some basic information about the car. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) gathers this information from insurance companies and keeps them in its databases. So in the case the vehicle wasn't insured in some period in the past, no theft, fraud or other claims related to this car could be found in any insurance company records. That's why a free VIN number check is not enough and you should get a full vehicle history report.
A vehicle history report
A vehicle history report contains full information about any events and claims associated to the vehicle since its production. So if you don't trust the seller much, you could find out so much valuable information about the car yourself. Many companies that let you do a VIN check would also offer you a full vehicle history report for a small fee. It only takes you a few minutes but worth a lot since it could help you take away from almost any problem regarding buying a used car.
A vehicle history report can protect you against purchasing a vehicle that may have:
A vehicle history report contains full information about any events and claims associated to the vehicle since its production. So if you don't trust the seller much, you could find out so much valuable information about the car yourself. Many companies that let you do a VIN check would also offer you a full vehicle history report for a small fee. It only takes you a few minutes but worth a lot since it could help you take away from almost any problem regarding buying a used car.
A vehicle history report can protect you against purchasing a vehicle that may have:
- Bad title information, including salvaged or junked titles
- Flood damage
- Total loss accident history
- Bad odometer readings
- A lemon history
- Multiple owners
- Too many accidents including as airbag deployments
- State emissions violations
- Poor service records
- Excessive vehicle use as a taxi, rental, lease, etc.
