Why do I need a VIN code?

The combination of letters and numbers assigned by the manufacturer to the vehicle is called the VIN number. The character set contains the most important information for any vehicle. Let's look at how VIN stands for, and how you can use it.

For the first time, the wine code was introduced by American car manufacturers in the 50s of the last century. At first, a single standard for car marking was not used. Each manufacturer used a different algorithm. A uniform standard has been introduced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association since the early 80s. Thanks to this, the procedure for identifying numbers in all countries was unified.

What is VIN number?

In fact, VIN is an ISO standard (World Organization for Standards). They describe the following parameters:

• Manufacturer;
• Date of vehicle manufacture;
• The region where the build was performed;
• Technical equipment;
• Equipment level;

As you can see, the VIN is nothing more than the DNA of the machine. The VIN standard contains 17 characters. These are Arabic numerals (0-9) and capital Latin letters (A-Z, except for I, O, Q).

Where is the VIN number?

Before decrypting the strange combination, you need to find this tablet. Each manufacturer places it in different places in the car. It can be located:

• on the inside of the hood;
• at the bottom of the windshield;
• on the side pillar on the driver's side;
• under the floor;
• near the "glass" from the front side.

Why do I need a VIN number?

For the uninformed, these symbols seem random, but with the help of this combination, you can find out information relating exclusively to this car. No other code like this can be found anywhere else.

It's like a person's fingerprints - they are unique to an individual. Even the hands of one person do not have identical fingerprints. The same goes for the "DNA" of the machine, printed on the plate. By these symbols you can find a stolen car or pick up an original spare part.

Various agencies use it in their database. Thus, you can find out when the car was sold, whether it was involved in an accident and other details.

How to decode VIN numbers?

The entire code is divided into 3 blocks.

Manufacturer data

It contains 3 characters. This is the so-called. International Manufacturer Identifier (WMI). It is assigned by the American Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). This section provides the following information:

• The first sign is the country. Numbers 1-5 refer to North America, 6 and 7 refer to Oceania countries, 8,9, 0 refer to South America. The letters SZ are used for cars made in Europe, models from Asia are designated with JR symbols, and African cars are designated with AH symbols.
• The second and third represent the plant and production department.

Vehicle Description

The second part of the vehicle identification number, called the vehicle descriptor section (VDS). These are six characters. They mean:

• Vehicle model;
• Body;
• Motor;
• Steering position;
• Transmission;
• Chassis and other data.

Often, manufacturers use not 6, but 4-5 characters, adding zeros at the end of the code.

Car indicator

This is a section of the vehicle indicator (VIS) and contains 8 characters (4 of them are always numbers). In the case of an identical make and model, the car should still be different. Through this part, you can learn:

• year of issue;
• model year;
• assembly plant.

The 10th character of the VIN corresponds to the model year. This is the first character in the VIS section. Symbols 1-9 correspond to the period 1971-1979, and AY corresponds to the period 1980-2000.

How do I use the VIN?

By understanding the labeling of the VIN number, you can find out data about the past of the vehicle, which is an important factor when buying it. Today, there are many sites on the Internet that offer this service. Most often it is paid, but there are free resources. Some car importers also offer VIN verification.