A Detailed Discussion on Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

A Detailed Discussion on Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

Vehicle identification number or VIN is an exclusive string of letters and numbers that are assigned to each vehicle after it is manufactured. VINs are considered beneficial because the number allows you to know the history of your car, starting from its engine model to the transmission associated with it. The number is at times also used to check whether the concerned vehicle has gone through any sort of accident. Although this particular notion has been in use since the year 1954, one can decode VINs of only those vehicles that are built after 1981 because it is during this time that the International Standard System was innovated. If you are curious to find out the vehicle identification number of your car and decipher it, feel free to follow the below-mentioned tips.

VIN is generally of 17 digits and could be found at several locations inside a car, the most common one being- on the dash at the driver’s side lying below the windshield.

There are a number of online websites like https://www.vindecoderz.com, which provides relevant information regarding your vehicle after you enter the VIN. These specialized sites could also find out whether your car or truck has been through fire, accident or any sort of damaging situation in the past

While seeking professional recommendations does stand viable, individuals can successfully save their money and try out other methods for decoding VIN on their own. The foremost thing that you need to do is locating the place where as well as the time when your car was manufactured.

The first character would let you know the continent while the next two characters would allow you to know the country. The tenth character is specifically used to determine the model number. The third character would show the vehicle type and characters from 4 to 8 would provide data on components out of which the car is made. The eleventh character would show the name of assembly plant and characters from 12 to 17 are used to find out miscellaneous info.  

The aforementioned three pointers are substantial tips that one needs to follow if they wish to decode their VINs. Now that you are aware of the steps to interpret a vehicle identification number, let us go through some situations where your VIN might not decode. Take a close look at them as they are mentioned below:

- The VIN is not of 17 digits.
- The VIN might contain illegal characters.
- Your car is beyond the coverage of your data provider.
- Your car is not covered by the necessary data license.
- Your VIN does not make through the validation or checksum test.
- Your car is brand new and hence its database is not incorporated yet by the provider.
- Your vehicle is manufactured before 1981.

On facing any of the aforementioned situations, make sure to use identifiers that might solve the problem. In such cases, it is better to rely on the expertise of a professional, who would find out the cause behind the issue and resolve it in no time.