Where to look for VIN code?

Finding the identifier on a car is not difficult. It is located in several places, usually in non-detachable parts of the body and the engine compartment. Also don't forget to VIN check. Possible locations:

• car engine;
• shock absorber bowl;
• partition between the underhood and the passenger compartment (in the center, between the wipers);
• pillar or threshold of the driver’s (less often – passenger’s) door;
• in the window at the bottom of the windshield on the driver's side;
• bottom of the spare wheel niche in the trunk;
• inner arch of the left wheel;
• under the mats near the driver's seat.

There are also other locations for the VIN code. Some manufacturers additionally hide the number in unusual and hard-to-reach areas of the car - it will be more difficult for car thieves to find and change the VIN there.

What does it consist of and how is it deciphered?

The VIN code is a combination of 17 Latin letters and Arabic numerals, each of which carries specific information. Interestingly, the code never uses the letters O, Q and I, as they can be confused with the numbers 0 and 1.

The whole combination can be divided into three parts:

• WMI — first 3 characters;
• VDS — characters 4 through 9;
• VIS – characters 10 through 17.

WMI

WMI stands for World Manufacturers Identification. This part of the number will tell you where and by whom the car was produced.

The first symbol is the geographic area. For example, if the code starts with a number from 1 to 5, the car was made in North America. And if with a letter from S to Z, then in Europe.

The second character is the country code. The combination of the first and second characters will help you determine exactly which country the car was manufactured in. For example, 1A is the USA, 2W is Canada, and WZ is Germany.

The third symbol is a number or letter designating the manufacturer and assigned to it by the international technical committee. The number 9 in the third place designates all manufacturers that produce a small number of cars (no more than 500 per year). There are few of them in the world: for example, manufacturers of exclusive supercars or large construction equipment.

VDS

VDS stands for Vehicle Description Section. It includes information about the vehicle itself: body type, engine, transmission, configuration, etc. Manufacturers fill out this section in their own way, and each brand has its own markings and their decoding. For example, for Toyota, the first two VDS characters (4th–5th characters of the VIN code) indicate the body type. 53 is a sedan, 54 is a hatchback, 11 is a jeep or minivan.

The last character of this part of the identifier is a check digit, which allows you to verify the correctness of the VIN.

VIS

VIS stands for Vehicle Identification Section. The first character indicates the year the car was released. Many manufacturers indicate not the year of production of a specific model, but the year the model appeared. Next comes the code of the plant that produced the vehicle, and the last digits are its serial number in production. This information does not give anything to the car owner, but it will be useful if the manufacturer suddenly recalls a series of cars.

What is VIN for?

The most important thing is to identify the car. There are many cars of the same make, model and color with the same characteristics, the code allows you to distinguish them. How else is the number useful for the car owner?

Purchase of spare parts by VIN

When buying a spare part, you need to be sure that it will fit a specific car. Instead of filling out a long form indicating the brand, model and characteristics of the vehicle, it is enough to enter the VIN. The system will simply accept the information, determine exactly what kind of car you have, and select the parts. This saves time and guarantees that the parts will fit.

Buying a used car

When buying a used car, it is important for the new owner to know as much information about it as possible, especially its history. Using the VIN code and special services, you can find out:

• about documents (whether they were restored, how many times they were reissued);
• about the number of owners and resales;
• about participation in an accident and the severity of the damage;
• about working as a taxi driver or car sharing;
• about repairs and maintenance at official maintenance centers;
• about the actual mileage;
• about collateral, loans and other restrictions.

It is also easy to determine whether a car is wanted.

This information will help you better evaluate the vehicle, its condition and avoid such unpleasant situations as buying a stolen, damaged or restricted car, with which you will not be able to complete the registration procedure.

The car has two different VINs

Yes, it happens. Some companies do not manufacture the entire car, but only assemble it from ready-made parts - in Russia, for example, there are more than ten of them. They are the ones who produce cars with two VIN codes. In this case, the first VIN contains information about the manufacturer of all components, and the second - about the one who assembled the car. The second number is considered the main one, so it is indicated in the PTS and other documents, and the first is entered in a special column in the passport "Special notes".

When the number is damaged - what to do?

Sometimes, a VIN stamped in metal rusts and becomes illegible. This happens especially often in older cars and with numbers located under the hood, where moisture and dirt can damage the symbols.

You can try to clean it from rust yourself. But if the cleaning fails and traces remain, questions may arise - was there an attempt to forge the inscription?