Markings on your car - where to find them and what information they contain

Where to find markings on a car

Contrary to appearances, there is more important information in a car than just the lights on the dashboard. The most important places where we should look for relevant data are:

• door post
• visible under the hood
• fuel tank hatch 
• tires and wheels

In addition to these more standard markings, you can find among others:

• list of fuses - on the cover of the fuse box in the passenger compartment
• paint code - depending on the car manufacturer (usually - trunk lid or under the hood)
• information about the recommended oil - in a conspicuous place under the hood of the car

door post

Very often, after opening the driver's door on the B-pillar, several markings can be found. The most important element that is often found there is the nameplate. It must contain the VIN number, as well as the maximum permissible weight of the vehicle and the permissible load on each axle of the vehicle. However, this is required by minimum rules. Often the manufacturer also puts on it the model name, year of manufacture or engine size and power.

In many cases, three additional pieces of information are also given: the paint code (especially useful when looking for a body part in color) and the allowable tire pressure, as well as the size of the wheels and tires. The rating plate can also be located under the hood in a prominent place or in the trunk (depending on the make and model of the vehicle).

Fuel filler flap

Here you can often find the recommended sizes of wheels, tires and the corresponding pressure that should be in them. It happens that manufacturers also use the free space just in case, to tell the driver which fuel he should fill up: diesel or gasoline, and in the case of the latter, additionally what octane number it should contain.

Rims

The information provided by manufacturers on rims is not regulated in any way, so their location depends solely on the manufacturer. As a general rule, it usually appears on the inside of the rim (and is therefore invisible when mounted on a vehicle). They are often placed on the shoulders, but can be placed closer to the center of the circle.

The markings that we can see are, first of all, information about the rim itself, i.e. usually:

• size (expressed in inches)
• weaning 
• rim width

As well as important designations of screws, more precisely

• distance between pins
• screw size

These data are needed not only for the correct installation of the rim on the hub, but also for the correct selection of it for your car. However, we should not forget that cars have homologated rim sizes and we will not always fit larger wheels as recommended (permissible sizes are often written, including on the driver's door pillar mentioned earlier).

Tires

Tire markings are primarily about the size, width and profile (height to width ratio) of the tire. This is the most important data needed to match it to the rim and car (allowable dimensions can also be found on the door pillar). In addition, pay attention to the year of issue (represented by four digits: two for the week and two for the year). 

Tire type designation (summer, winter, all-season) is usually represented as an icon: three peaks with a snowflake for winter tires, a cloud with rain or sunshine for summer tires, and most often both at once for all. - seasonal tyres. 

Additional tire information includes, among other things, the approval mark, load and speed indexes, as well as mounting direction and wear indicator. 

Of course, knowing all these signs is not necessary in order to be able to drive a car. However, a responsible driver needs to know where the most important information about his vehicle can be provided.