How to Decipher a VIN
Many have heard the abbreviation VIN, but not everyone knows what it means. In simple terms, VIN is a unique code that every car has. The information that it contains will allow you to find out about the place of origin of the car, the manufacturer.
VIN is often used to find out about the number of previous owners, whether the vehicle was in an accident, and much more. You can order a car check by VIN in the company https://badvin.org/.
History of VIN. What is it?
In 1954, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began to standardize VIN numbers for all vehicles.
VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number. It consists of 17 characters (numbers and letters). It may seem to many that the symbols are determined by chance. However, it is not. Each part of the code has its own meaning.
Cars after 1981 have a VIN, which consists of 17 characters. Previous VIN codes were varied in both length and format.
Where is the VIN placed?
The VIN is most often located in the lower left corner of the dashboard in front of the steering wheel. Reading the license plate is easy: to do this, you need to look through the windshield from the driver’s side.
Sometimes the VIN is located elsewhere. For your convenience, list them — you can find the code quickly:
- The front of the cylinder block. The VIN is easy to find by opening the hood and looking at the front of the engine.
- On the front of the vehicle frame, next to the windshield washer reservoir.
- Rear wheel arch. Try looking directly over the tire.
- Internal door jamb on the driver’s side. You need to open the door and look below, in the place where the side view mirror could be located if the door were closed
- Door jamb on the driver’s side. Open the door and look near where the door snaps into place. The VIN may be near the seat belt return location.
- Under the spare tire.
What do the symbols in the VIN mean?
Give you a structured information about what the symbols in the VIN mean:
- The first character indicates the country of manufacture of the vehicle.
- The second character indicates the manufacturer’s name.
- The third symbol provides information about the type of vehicle.
- Characters from the fourth to the eighth tell about the size and type of the engine, the brand of the vehicle, the series and the type of body.
- The ninth character is the security check number.
- The tenth character indicates the year of manufacture of the vehicle.
- The eleventh symbol indicates the assembly plant where the car was manufactured.
- Characters from twelfth to seventeenth indicate the serial number of the vehicle.
Why do you need a VIN?
The VIN provides a lot of important information about the vehicle. There are special companies on the Internet that provide a vehicle history report based on VIN. The report may contain the following information:
- The actual number of previous owners of the car.
- Information about whether the vehicle has ever been in an accident.
- Information about the insurance status of the car.
- How the car was serviced.
- Is it hijacked.
This information is very important when buying a used car. Having received a vehicle history report, you can understand whether you should buy a vehicle, what kind of discount to ask the seller, and much more. This information will also be useful when selling a car — you will show buyers your honesty, which will allow you to sell the car at a higher price.
Find out everything about your car at BADVIN
BADVIN is a large vehicle database. For a small fee, you will learn a ton of useful information. For example, you will receive data on which auction and when the car was purchased.
You will also learn the following information:
- Vehicle Specifications.
- Title Records and Title Checks.
- Junk, Salvage.
- Lien, Impound, and Theft Records.
- Insurance Records.
- Owner History, Registered State.
- Many other important records.
To get this information, you need to indicate the VIN. BADVIN will save you from wasting time and money.