What is a VIN code and what is it for?
Until 1954, there was no single database with car numbers. This created problems in the process of identifying vehicles that were stolen or involved in an accident. This was the case until 1981, when the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in the United States created uniform requirements for vehicle identification numbers.
Nowadays, a VIN is a vehicle identification number or serial number that consists of a unique 17 characters.
Which cars have a VIN?
Any vehicle that falls under ISO 3833 regulations must have a VIN code. Identification numbers are printed on the body or chassis and on specially manufactured number plates. The places where the number is most often stamped are: on the front of the engine, under the hood, under the floor trim on the driver’s side, on the driver’s door pillars, in a special window next to the windshield on the driver’s side, under the spare tire and in the vehicle’s passport.
How to decipher the VIN code?
- The first part of the code is three characters. They indicate the country code and the vehicle manufacturer code.
- The second part has six characters. They indicate a descriptive part of the car. The symbols encrypt information about the characteristics and type of vehicle, according to the design documentation.
- The third part is eight characters. It contains recognition information: the year and plant of production and the serial number of the car. If the manufacturer produces up to 500 vehicles per year, then the international manufacturer code is indicated at the end.
How to check a car’s history using the VIN code?
There are many paid services on the Internet for checking history by VIN code. This amount includes the opportunity to check the database of stolen vehicles, check the countries of previous registrations of the vehicle, view the photo gallery, if available, find out the actual mileage of the vehicle, find out if the vehicle has been in an accident, when the next maintenance procedure is scheduled, find out about security and service cancellations.