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VIN Lookup Helpful Hints
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Understanding VINs
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VINs do not contain the letters "Q", "O" or "I".
The
check digit (9th position) of a VIN will have only the following values:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or
X.
The last five positions of a VIN should always be numeric.
The vehicle year is represented by the 10th character of a VIN.
Standard VINs are 17 characters long.
Common locations of the VIN vary but the following are places to look:
Firewall of the vehicle
Left hand inner wheel arch
Steering column
Radiator support bracket
Dashboard by windshield
Drivers door or post on passenger side
Guarantee & Maintenance Book *Vehicle documents
Machined pad on front of engine
Component parts as listed above -eg- engine, frame, etc. |
The Check Digit |
The 9th digit of a VIN is what is known as the check digit and is used to help
verify if a VIN is valid or not. Below is a description of the algorithm used to
determine what the check digit should be.
Each alpha character is given a numeric value based on the table below. The
letters "I", "O" and "Q" are not allowed in a VIN therefore they are not listed.
A=1 B=2 C=3 D=4 E=5 F=6 G=7 H=8
J=1 K=2 L=3 M=4 N=5 P=7 R=9 S=2 T=3
U=4 V=5 W=6 X=7 Y=8 Z=9
Each character position (except the 9th) of a VIN is assigned a value:
1st=8 2nd=7 3rd=6 4th=5 5th=4
6th=3 7th=2 8th=10 10th=9
11th=8 12th=7 13th=6 14th=5 15th=4 16th=3 17th=2
The first step is to multiply all the numeric values of the VIN with the value of each position. Now
add together all the resulting values and divide by
11. The remainder is the check digit and should match the value found in
position 9. If the remainder is 10 then the check digit should be an
"X".
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In the mid 1950's American automobile manufacturers began stamping and casting
identifying numbers on cars and their parts. The vehicle identification number
has become referred to as the "VIN". The obvious purpose was to give an accurate
description of the vehicle when mass production numbers were starting to climb
in very significant numbers.
In the early 1980's the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (U.S.
Dept. of Transport) required that all road vehicles must contain a 17 character
VIN. This established the fixed VIN system for major vehicle manufacturers as it
is known today. |
The Year Digit |
The year of the vehicle is represented in the 10th position of the VIN.
Below is a list of what year each character represents.
D=1983 E=1984 F=1985 G=1986 H=1987 J=1988 K=1989
L=1990 M=1991 N=1992 P=1993 R=1994 S=1995 T=1996
V=1997 W=1998 X=1999 Y=2000 1=2001 2=2002 3=2003
4=2004 5=2005 6=2006 7=2007 8=2008
9=2009 A=2010 B=2011 |
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