The VIN is a mystery to most. It’s comprised of 17 numbers and letters, typically tucked away in an inconspicuous area under your windshield and seldom given much of a thought by the average motorist. Even though every vehicle manufactured since 1981 has a vehicle identification number (VIN), most people have no how to find it, much less read it. And that’s too bad, because a VIN can provide invaluable information–especially when you’re trying to buy a car. They can tell you everything from engine type to where it was built. But you have to know how to decode it.
Here’s a look at what you can learn about any vehicle:
Where to find the VIN
There are three places manufacturers place VINs: the driver-side door jam, the firewall in the engine bay and under the windshield on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
What the first three digits tell you
The first three digits of the VIN are the “World Manufacturer Identifier.”
The first digit tells where the vehicle came off the line. VINs staring with 1,4 or 5 were made in America. Those with a 2 are from Canada. Mexico is 3, Japan is J, South Korea is K and England is S. Vehicles made in Germany start with W and Sweden or Finland are Y.
The second digit tells you about the manufacturer. It’s usually first letter in the manufacturer’s name, but not always. A is Audio, B is BMW and N is Nissan. But A can also be Jaguar or Mitsubishi and R can mean Audio. The third digit works with the first two to tell you the vehicle’s type. There are many combination possibilities, so the best way to decode the first three digits is to look them up.
What about digits four through nine?
Digits four through nine represent the “Vehicle Descriptor Section” of the VIN. Four through eight describe the vehicle model, body type, restraint system, transmission and engine code.
Position nine is there to detect invalid VINs. If you’re going to buy a car, you’re going to want to verify that the ninth digit matches the rest of the VIN.
And the last eight numbers?
Digits 10 through 17 make up the actual “Vehicle Identifier Section.” This is where you can find the model year (in the 10th position), the manufacturing plant where the vehicle was assembled (the 11th position), and where the vehicle rolled off the production line compared to all of the other same models (digits 12 through 17). It can be confusing, but if you’re going to buy a car, you’re going to want to check the VIN to make sure what you see is what you get.
Get down to decoding
There are two easy ways for you to decode a VIN. You can either visit VINDecoder.net or you can visit Valley Automall and have a friendly and trained professional help you.
Either way, don’t let the VIN remain a mystery–especially when you set out to buy a car.