by Axel Rondon
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a combination of symbols assigned to a vehicle by the manufacturer for the purpose of its identification. The adopted ISO 3779 - 1983 standard defines the content and format of the vehicle identification number, which makes it possible to create a single worldwide system of vehicle identification numbers.
The code structure is based on ISO 3779-1983 and ISO 3780 standards. Identification numbers are applied to integral components of the body or chassis and to specially manufactured number plates (nameplates).
The developers had the goal of creating a simple and reliable way to classify cars and protect them from thieves, and not just to number the cars of the world. The VIN code is not, as many people think, a random combination of letters and numbers. Each code symbol identifies certain data about the car and has a strictly limited set of codes for this as you can do VIN check. Each VIN code consists of 17 symbols, these are Latin letters and numbers. The following symbols are never found in code combinations: I, O, Q. The code also provides a position for a check digit, calculated on the basis of the remaining symbols of the code.
Calculating the check digit is a fairly effective means of protection against number re-punching. The fact is that it is difficult to replace all the digits. Usually, only some signs are changed and replaced with outwardly "similar" ones (for example, "3" with "8"), which already creates big problems for counterfeiters: adjusting the number to the check digit becomes a rather problematic task.
When compiling the number, all American automakers, as well as car companies exporting their cars to the United States, adhere to the rules for calculating the check digit. Japanese automakers do not use a check digit, as do Russian and most European and Korean ones.
The first three characters are the manufacturer's code. The first digit is the continent code, the second is the manufacturer's plant, the third is the type of vehicle (truck, passenger car, etc.).
Characters from the fourth to the ninth are the description of the car: model, body type, engine type and displacement, gearbox type, etc.
Characters from the tenth to the twelfth are the production date (with some exceptions). The year of production of the car in most brands (Audi, VW, Chrysler, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Opel, Porsche, Renault, Rover, Saab, Volvo) is in the 10th place of the VIN code. Ford uses the 11th to indicate the year of production. It is interesting that in accordance with the international standard ISO 3779, the model year for manufacturers begins on July 1 of the current year and ends on June 30 of the following year. So if the car was produced, say, on July 1, 1994, then the VIN code will contain the letter R, indicating that the car was produced in 1995. This, in turn, will mean that the car can still be imported into our country (the article was written in 2003), since, according to the VIN code, it is less than 8 years old.
From the twelfth to the seventeenth is the factory chassis (body) number.
Decoding VIN numbers: part three
The third section, called VIS, consists of 8 characters.
the first character of the section (or the tenth character of the entire code) is the year of vehicle production;
the second is the plant where the assembly took place;
The next 6 characters indicate the serial number of the machine.
Be sure to pay attention to the third section of the VIN code, especially if you are buying a car manufactured abroad. Sometimes unscrupulous sellers may indicate a later year of manufacture in order to increase the price of the car.
The VIN number can be found under the hood of the car or on the front pillar. Sometimes it is placed on the steering wheel, on the shield near the windshield, on the heat-insulating partition, on the left wheel.
When checking the VIN on a vehicle, pay attention not only to its presence, but also to its condition. If the number is damaged, erased or illegible, you should not buy such a car. Any defects in the VIN may indicate a major accident or criminal facts in the car's history. It will be difficult to even register such a car.
If you were unable to decode the VIN code yourself, use special services, there are quite a lot of them today. They were developed specifically so that everyone could buy a verified car - not crashed and without a criminal history. It is equally important that the VIN and its decoding allows you to buy the right spare parts for the vehicle.
It happens that two cars of the same brand and even the same model, but produced at different times, differ in configuration, and their parts are not interchangeable. This cannot be determined visually, so the VIN number is used to select a spare part. In addition, the individual car code is often useful in court proceedings to prove the owner's innocence or confirm his ownership.
The code structure is based on ISO 3779-1983 and ISO 3780 standards. Identification numbers are applied to integral components of the body or chassis and to specially manufactured number plates (nameplates).
The developers had the goal of creating a simple and reliable way to classify cars and protect them from thieves, and not just to number the cars of the world. The VIN code is not, as many people think, a random combination of letters and numbers. Each code symbol identifies certain data about the car and has a strictly limited set of codes for this as you can do VIN check. Each VIN code consists of 17 symbols, these are Latin letters and numbers. The following symbols are never found in code combinations: I, O, Q. The code also provides a position for a check digit, calculated on the basis of the remaining symbols of the code.
Calculating the check digit is a fairly effective means of protection against number re-punching. The fact is that it is difficult to replace all the digits. Usually, only some signs are changed and replaced with outwardly "similar" ones (for example, "3" with "8"), which already creates big problems for counterfeiters: adjusting the number to the check digit becomes a rather problematic task.
When compiling the number, all American automakers, as well as car companies exporting their cars to the United States, adhere to the rules for calculating the check digit. Japanese automakers do not use a check digit, as do Russian and most European and Korean ones.
The first three characters are the manufacturer's code. The first digit is the continent code, the second is the manufacturer's plant, the third is the type of vehicle (truck, passenger car, etc.).
Characters from the fourth to the ninth are the description of the car: model, body type, engine type and displacement, gearbox type, etc.
Characters from the tenth to the twelfth are the production date (with some exceptions). The year of production of the car in most brands (Audi, VW, Chrysler, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Opel, Porsche, Renault, Rover, Saab, Volvo) is in the 10th place of the VIN code. Ford uses the 11th to indicate the year of production. It is interesting that in accordance with the international standard ISO 3779, the model year for manufacturers begins on July 1 of the current year and ends on June 30 of the following year. So if the car was produced, say, on July 1, 1994, then the VIN code will contain the letter R, indicating that the car was produced in 1995. This, in turn, will mean that the car can still be imported into our country (the article was written in 2003), since, according to the VIN code, it is less than 8 years old.
From the twelfth to the seventeenth is the factory chassis (body) number.
Decoding VIN numbers: part three
The third section, called VIS, consists of 8 characters.
the first character of the section (or the tenth character of the entire code) is the year of vehicle production;
the second is the plant where the assembly took place;
The next 6 characters indicate the serial number of the machine.
Be sure to pay attention to the third section of the VIN code, especially if you are buying a car manufactured abroad. Sometimes unscrupulous sellers may indicate a later year of manufacture in order to increase the price of the car.
The VIN number can be found under the hood of the car or on the front pillar. Sometimes it is placed on the steering wheel, on the shield near the windshield, on the heat-insulating partition, on the left wheel.
When checking the VIN on a vehicle, pay attention not only to its presence, but also to its condition. If the number is damaged, erased or illegible, you should not buy such a car. Any defects in the VIN may indicate a major accident or criminal facts in the car's history. It will be difficult to even register such a car.
If you were unable to decode the VIN code yourself, use special services, there are quite a lot of them today. They were developed specifically so that everyone could buy a verified car - not crashed and without a criminal history. It is equally important that the VIN and its decoding allows you to buy the right spare parts for the vehicle.
It happens that two cars of the same brand and even the same model, but produced at different times, differ in configuration, and their parts are not interchangeable. This cannot be determined visually, so the VIN number is used to select a spare part. In addition, the individual car code is often useful in court proceedings to prove the owner's innocence or confirm his ownership.
