A Comprehensive Guide to VIN Decoding
4/24/2017
![]() VIN or Vehicle Identification Number is a specific code for every vehicle. It is a string made up of 17 letters and numbers to provide information about the vehicle. Individuals might need to decode the VIN to get information about the place of manufacturing, history report, or proper-fitting part for the vehicle. If you are buying a used car or motorcycle, performing a VIN check could save you from spending money on a piece of junk or purchasing a stolen vehicle. There are several online decoders to help you in knowing the basic and detailed VIN decoding. In this blog post, we decode each set of number step-by-step to make you understand how to check your motorcycle or car VIN. Read on. 1. First Letter The first letter in a VIN tells the place of origin where the vehicle was manufactured. The origin could, however, be different from the location of the manufacturer. Let’s understand more about the meaning of first letter with some examples:
2. Second and Third Digits The second and third digits of VIN provide information about the manufacturer of the vehicle. Some of the examples are listed below -
3. Vehicle Descriptor Section The vehicle descriptor section includes the next five numbers of VIN. These letters tell you the type of vehicle, size of the engine, and brand of the vehicle. Each manufacturer has its own codes for the numbers. To decode these numbers, you need to know the codes of the manufacturers. 4. Check Digit The ninth letter is a check digit, which is used to identify if the VIN is original or fake. As there is a complex calculation involved, it is difficult to provide fake check digit in the VIN. The VIN “5XXGN4A70CG022862,” has “0” as the check digit. 5. Year of Manufacture The tenth number tells you about the year of manufacture. The year in which 17-digit VIN was first used is 1980. It begins with “A” and follows the alphabet “Y” in the year 2000. In 2001, it changes to the number “1” and in 2009 to “9”. The alphabet then starts again with letter “A” for 2010 model years. For example, in VIN “5XXGN4A70CG022862,” the letter “C” indicates that your vehicle was made in 2012. 6. Location Where Your Vehicle was Manufactured The eleventh digit indicates the plant where the vehicle was assembled. Every manufacturer has a specific eleventh digit. 7. Remaining Digits The remaining numbers tell the serial number or production of the vehicle. This is specifically what makes VIN unique for each vehicle. To find out manufacturer-specific information, you can ask a vehicle repair shop or check for a decoding sheet on the manufacturer website. Wrapping Up Following the above-listed steps, you can easily decode the 17-digit VIN number information of your vehicle on your own without spending money. If you are planning to buy a salvage or used vehicle, follow these steps to decode the VIN to learn more about its history and decide if the vehicle is worth the purchase.
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AuthorWilliam Norberg has more than 15 years of experience in the automobile industry. Mr. Norberg is a strategist, evangelist, consultant, project manager and implementer. He has experience with enterprise in software manufacturing in automotive sector. ArchivesCategories |