VIN code of the vehicle– identification number of the vehicle. In other words, this serial number car. It is quite difficult to determine the characteristics of a car only by engine size or mileage. If you don't have full information about the car, you can make a mistake when buying and spend money on a car with poor performance. Let's find out in this article how to decipherVIN-code. We will also analyze which ones can be determined only by the serial number.
VIN structure
The body number consists of 17 characters and is divided into 3 parts:
- WMI - 3 letters;
- VDS - 6 letters;
- VIS - 8 letters;
Almost all VIN codes decode You can use the instructions below. When you figure out the decoding of the number, you can contact the authorities to find out if the car is stolen.
WMI - manufacturer index
From the first 3 characters, decoding begins. The first 2 characters indicate the country of manufacture. The first letter of the code indicates the geographic area:
- North America - numbers from 1 to 5;
- Europe - letters from S to Z;
- Africa - letters from A to H;
- South America - numbers 8, 9, 0;
- Oceania - numbers 6 and 7;
- Asia - letters from J to R;
The second letter in the VIN code means . In some cases, multiple characters are used to define the country. Below are the codes for some countries:
- USA - from 10 to 19;
- Canada - from 2A to 2W;
- Germany - from W0 to W9;
The third character is assigned by the National Organization for Standardization ISO. Each manufacturer has a different code. For small firms that produce up to 500 cars a year, there are special number- 9. Thanks to this, you can easily decipher the car body number. Such companies can produce large construction equipment, cranes, supercars or fire equipment.
To identify small producers, the code from 12th to 14th position is used. For example, the following code W09yyyyyyyyXXXyyy stands for:
- Country of origin: Germany;
- Producer: small producer;
- Manufacturer number: XXX - a unique number assigned to all car manufacturing companies;
The remaining positions are filled by the manufacturer at its discretion. There may also be cases where one manufacturer has multiple WMI codes.
VDS - descriptive part of the wine code
This part of the code is a combination of six characters, taking place from 4-01 to 9th position. If only 5 characters are enough for the plant, then the lack on the right is filled with zeros.
This part of the index allows you to determine the modification and model of the car. In the fourth character, the type of body is encrypted, in the fifth - the type of engine, in the sixth - the model. Symbols that go further may describe the type of chassis, cab, body, machine series, etc.
Below is an example VIN decoding- code for a Toyota car. The fourth and fifth letters can mean the following:
- 11 or 12 - minivan or jeep with a standard or raised roof;
- 12 - jeep or with a raised roof;
- 21, 22, 23 – cargo bus with high, raised or standard roof;
- 31,32, 33 - with one and a half, double or single cab;
- 41, 42, 43 - a bus with a raised, high or standard roof;
- 52, 54 - hatchback with 2 or 4 side doors;
- 53 - sedan;
- 63, 64 - coupe or liftback;
- 72 - station wagon;
The last character in the code determines the correctness of the VIN code.
VIS - a distinctive part of the VIN code
From the 10th to the 17th position contains the last characters of the code. 4 characters at the end must be numbers.
- 10th character - model year;
- 11th - assembly plant;
VIN code decoding scheme
If you do not want to pay anyone, use the instructions below:
Where to find the VIN
In the video below, see where the VIN code of the car is mainly located.
A structural combination of characters assigned to a vehicle for the purpose of its identification. [GOST R 51980 2002] Topics for motor vehicles EN Vehicle Identification NumberVIN ... Technical Translator's Handbook
Identification number (VIN)- a unique 17-digit number assigned to vehicles by the manufacturer ... Source: Guidelines on conducting an independent technical examination of a vehicle with OSAGO (N 001MR / SE) (approved by NIIAT of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation ... Official terminology
An identification number - 15. An identification number A visible number written on the payment card, designed to identify the cardholder and containing the identification numbers of the bank account of the cardholder, industry and organization, ... ...
vehicle identification number (code)- 2.2 vehicle identification number (code) Vehicle Identification Number, VIN (hereinafter referred to as the VIN code): A structural combination of characters assigned to the vehicle for the purpose of its identification. Source: GOST R 51980 2002: Vehicles. ... ... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation
FORGERY OR DESTRUCTION OF VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER- a crime against the order of management, provided for by Art. 326 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and constituting a forgery or destruction of an identification number, body number, chassis, engine, as well as a forgery of the state registration plate… … Dictionary-reference book of criminal law
The vehicle passport is a document containing information about the main technical specifications vehicle, identification data of the main units, information about the owner, registration and deregistration. In TCP, ... ... Wikipedia
vehicle passport- noun vehicle passport (abbr. Title) A document containing information about the main technical characteristics of the vehicle, identification data of the main units, information about the owner, registration and removal from ... ... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky
GOST R 51980-2002: Vehicles. Marking. General technical requirements- Terminology GOST R 51980 2002: Vehicles. Marking. Are common technical requirements original document: 2.8 year of issue: The calendar year in which the vehicle was manufactured. Definitions of the term from various documents: year of issue 2.2 ... ... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation
Vehicle identification number (VIN) is a unique 17-character code for a vehicle. The code provides information about the manufacturer and characteristics of the vehicle and ... ... Wikipedia
This article or section needs revision. Please improve the article in accordance with the rules for writing articles ... Wikipedia
The VIN of a vehicle is as unique as a person's fingerprints. In 17 characters of which it consists, everything about the car is encrypted: where, by whom, when it was produced, its type and model, when it was sold and bought, whether the car was involved in a traffic accident, whether it was stolen and etc. In the age of the Internet, decoding the VIN code of the car online available from any smartphone, which is especially true when you plan to buy vehicle. After all simple check. Which takes no more than ten minutes, can save you from buying a car with a dark past.
Common VIN Locations
The vehicle identification number, or more simply VIN, is located on a fixed part of the body, which is the least susceptible to damage during an accident. At the same time, the code is necessarily duplicated in several places - on the dashboard, on windshield, left pillar.
The VIN code of the car is located on the non-removable part of the body, which is the least susceptible to damage during an accident.
Row modern cars equipped with secret VIN locations, which can be found out by being an employee of the manufacturing plant or, in extreme cases, Interpol. So, it can be found in the trunk, under the wings, and even found when cutting a frame with inside tubes. But there are also completely opposite situations. For example, on Mitsubishi cars Pajero II, before restyling, VIN number not duplicated at all and due to the age of the car, a number of them no longer have it. In conditions Russian realities, it’s quite possible to drive a car without a VIN, but to buy, sell and make other registration actions, No.
So what are these 17 signs, and what information is hidden in them. VIN is assembled from 3 components:
- WMI - manufacturer's index, contains data on the geographical area and country of production (this part takes 1-3 characters in the number);
- VDS - descriptive part, which is a model, modification, mass of a car, etc. (accommodates 4-9 code characters);
- VIS is an identification part in which the year of manufacture, plant, serial number (10-17th characters) are encrypted.
Manufacturing plants do not hide what information the number carries. And given the fact that decoding the VIN code of a car online is available for free - everyone can check their car.
Who made you up
Deciphering the VIN code of BMW cars
So, WMI or international manufacturer code, is a numeric or alphabetic combination. The first character, which denotes the geographic area in which the vehicle is made. The symbols for each of them are individual and fixed according to the letters of the Latin alphabet or numbers from 1 to 9. Accordingly, cars are labeled as follows:
The indexes and numbers of the VIN code are not universal and may differ even within the same concern.
- A - H - made in Africa;
- J - R - cars of the Asian market;
- S - Z - cars of the European assembly;
- 1 - 5 - made in North America;
- 6 - 7 - production of Oceania (practically not found on our market);
- 8 - 9 - South American assembly.
This is followed by the country where the car was manufactured.
Well, the last in this part, the 3rd mark is assigned to the manufacturer by the national regulatory authority. It is worth noting that all small factories with less than 500 cars leaving the assembly line per year automatically receive the number 9.
VDS is 6 characters, and in accordance with the factory design documentation, indicates the lineup car, in what body it was produced, what is provided by the factory equipment, what engine is installed. In a number of countries, in without fail, the 9th indicates a check character that allows you to verify the authenticity of the VIN.
For example, consider the VIN code Toyota cars. The decoding of the second and third positions of VDS, based on the design data, looks like this:
- 11-12 - refer to a jeep or minivan;
- 21, 22, 23 - cargo buses;
- 52, 54 - hatchback marking;
- 53 - indicates a sedan.
A complete table can be found in the manufacturer's documentation. These data are not universal and may differ even within the same concern. Therefore, it is not worth memorizing them by heart.
Well, VIS has 8 characters, the last 4 of which, without fail, have a digital expression and are the body number. As a rule, the 10th character of the VIN code is the keeper of information about the model year of the car. How is it considered separate story. Let's just say that the model year is not always comparable to the calendar year. However, here the sequence is recommended, but not required. And a number of manufacturers do not indicate the model year at all, or, like Ford, put it in 11 characters. (Picture 4)
VIN code for Russian cars
VIN Country Indices
More and more global automakers are locating their car manufacturing plants in Russia. As a rule, this does not cause any difficulties with identification. Except in cases where the assembly of vehicle components is carried out in several countries. And then, out of nowhere, two VINs appear at once. Such stories are known from Kia and Hyundai. For example, let's take Kia Ceed 2010 release, which was collected in Slovakia, and brought to mind in Russia. In a strange way, it has a Korean and Russian VIN code. Transcription in this case more problematic, but possible. Since there are special databases that can reformat numbers, but not everyone has access to them.
Consider the standard VIN of a Russian car
X7LLSRB1HAH548712 - we see that this is a 4-door sedan Renault Logan assembled in Russia in 2010.
How did we get this information:
More and more global automakers are locating their car manufacturing plants in Russia.
- X - the car is made in Europe;
- 7 - country of production - Russia (let's add that Russian marking correspond to characters from X3 to X0);
- L - Renault;
- L - by body type it is a 4-door sedan;
- SR - the model range of the car indicates Logan;
- B - the machine is equipped with 2 airbags;
- 1H - engine code is encrypted;
- A - indicates that the model year of the car is 2010;
- H548712 - these signs speak directly to the body number.
Build year indexes in VIN code
The VIN often even indicates which optional equipment installed on the vehicle.
Such an oversight with two identification numbers is more of a special case than a constant practice. And manufacturing plants assure that on this moment All cars are labeled correctly.
It should be noted that not all information about the vehicle is mandatory for its inclusion in the identifier. But, manufacturing plants are trying to put the maximum of useful things there and the decoding of the car's equipment by the VIN code often even indicates what additional equipment is installed in the vehicle.
Going to buy a car secondary market, collect as much as possible more information about the secret location of the identifier code. And do not always rely on the reliability of what is in the public domain, even if it, at first glance, does not raise any doubts. For example, the VIN number on the rack of certain models Honda cars, fastened with two branded rivets. What can be the surprise of a potential buyer when the program for decoding the VIN code of a car shows that such a VIN does not exist and never existed. The thing is that these rivets, quite legally, can be bought from official dealer and no one will ask why. Although they are intended solely for attaching a single plate.
Perfect cipher
The VIN code of a car is its past and present, which allows you to find out literally everything about the car. There are frequent cases when, in this way, buyers were able to protect themselves from acquiring a drowned car, a designer or a car after, the management of which is simply unsafe. And if data on the year of manufacture, model, configuration or decoding of the engine by the VIN code are in the public domain, then where the data on an accident or theft come from remains a mystery to many. They are collected by special agencies, usually cooperating with the police. They work for banks and Insurance companies. And their data is reliable and taken from trusted sources.
The VIN code of a car is like DNA, which cannot conceal anything.
In order to register a car with the traffic police or take out insurance for it, each driver must provide information about the vehicle identification number (VIN code). This code is presented in the form of 17 characters containing both numbers and letters. It was developed and introduced by the International Organization for Standardization and contains encrypted individual information about the vehicle.
Deciphering the wine code of the car is necessary in order to exclude the possibility of replacing one car with another. VIN will also help you find out the correct data about the car when buying, comparing them with those declared by the seller.
You can easily avoid possible troubles related to the unreliability of the information provided about the vehicle, knowing which parts of the car the VIN code can be applied to and what it means.
Where can I find the VIN on a car?
Unique information about the car different brands can be located in different places on the body and chassis in accordance with accepted standards application. However, still manufacturers try to adhere to general rules applying an identifier.
Areas where the identification number can be found:
under the hood, on the passenger side;
inside the car - on the driver's door pillar;
on the windshield in a special window;
on the floor under the trim near the passenger or driver's seat.
Without special knowledge, it is difficult to find places where the code is applied, since they are carefully hidden from users and are located in hard-to-reach places. But now, knowing exactly where to look, each car owner will be able to make sure that the VIN code exists and can be decrypted.
Necessary data for decoding the wine code
After you have found individual information about the car, you need to study it. Knowing what each of the 17 characters presented will help you correctly decipher the VIN code.
You should know that only the Latin alphabet and Arabic numerals are allowed to be encrypted in VIN. The letters I, O, Q cannot be used, for the similarity between themselves and with the numbers 1, 0.
The meaning of the data indicated on the identification number in order of priority:
Symbol 1 . Shows the geographic location of the manufacturer:
If it's Europe: letters in the range S-Z;
Australia and Oceania: numbers 6, 7;
Africa: letters within A-H;
North America: numbers 1 to 5;
Asia: letter range from J to R;
South America: numbers 8, 9.
Symbol 2. Shows a specific car manufacturer (firm, company).
Together, the first two characters allow you to determine the manufacturer and directly the country in which the car was assembled.
List of the most common VIN codes and their international designations:
Russia: X3-X0;
US: 1A-10, 4A-40, 5A-50;
Japan: JA-JT;
England: SA-SM;
Korea: KL-K;
Germany: SN-ST, WA-W0;
France: VF-VR;
Italy: ZA-ZR;
Brazil: 9A-9E;
Sweden: YS-YW;
Canada: 2A-20.
Symbol 3 . Identifies the company that produced the vehicle and is designated according to the rules of the national automotive industry. So, the number 9 indicates that the production is small and produces no more than 500 cars per year.
Important! The 1-3 characters combined with each other show the World Manufacturer Index (WMI), which uniquely helps to identify the manufacturer of the vehicle. You can decrypt it using the data widely presented on the Internet. For example, using the tables from Wikipedia, you can easily determine: the first three characters in the code in the form of XTA indicate that the car was produced in Russia in the city of Togliatti at AVTOVAZ OJSC.
The first three characters are the most famous Russian manufacturers cars look like this:
GM-AVTOVAZ: X9L;
GAS: XTH, X96
AVTOVAZ: XTA;
KAMAZ: XTC;
Symbols 4-8. These symbols contain information that encodes the main characteristics of the vehicle: body type and engine type, security and braking system, transmission and options - everything that can characterize the vehicle's equipment. Each manufacturer uses its own encryption, approved by international standards.
Symbol 9. Contains a control symbol, which is calculated mathematically from all presented and serves as VIN check authenticity code.
To make your own calculations, you need:
Replace characters represented by letters with numbers using the provided international notation, which you can find here: http://people.vi rginia.edu/~sns5 r/resint/empiost f/checkdigit.htm .
Multiply all numbers (except for the control 9th), including those obtained from letters;
The result that you get must be divided by the number 11;
Compare the resulting number from division with the number in the 9th place of the wine code: if they match, then it means that it is reliable.
True, in fairness it is worth noting that only manufacturers from the USA (or those who import cars into the USA) encrypt the 9th character in this way. Other companies, in recent times, use this position to report Additional information about the car itself.
Symbol 10. Displays information about the year of manufacture. It may not always coincide with reality, because the manufacturer can indicate the year of production of the prototype of this model. For example, a VAZ car manufacturer indicates July of the previous year as the year of manufacture. Also, the so-called “model year” is often indicated here, and not the real one.
Symbol 11. Contains information about the factory that assembled the machine.
Symbols 12-17. This range contains characters that display the autoworks issue number. It shows how the car was produced at the factory.
Now you know how to decipher the VIN code of the car, you can easily find where it is and compare it with the data indicated in the car's passport.
Broken VIN numbers
Secondary automotive market often used by various scammers to make a profit and deceive buyers. Often at the same time, the VIN code of the car is “interrupted” in order to mislead the buyer. Or not allow to calculate the stolen vehicle.
In the simplest cases, scammers just slightly change one number to another:
Draw "1" to "4", "3" to "8".
Reverse conversion "4" to "1", "8" to "6".
It happens more deep processing when the entire identification code is completely replaced.
Therefore, it is important to know the signs that indicate that the VIN is not real:
The presence of fuzzy, poorly visible signs.
Various character depths.
Shift letters or numbers vertically/horizontally.
Extraneous strokes, different spelling of the same characters.
The presence of traces of surface treatment.
The presence of seams from welding.
mismatch with reverse side vincode panel.
How can I check the VIN?
Many car buyers, taught by the bitter experience of their predecessors, already know that before purchasing it is necessary to check the car for the possibility of sale. In this case, it will be possible to make sure that this vehicle is not wanted, not pledged as a pledge, not prohibited from registration with the traffic police.
There are currently many.
The check will not take long. But at the same time, it can tell a lot about the purchased car.
Important! Make sure the correct keyboard layout is selected and that all characters are entered correctly.
For most people, the mysterious VIN code of a car is just an incomprehensible and long set of characters that, in some incomprehensible way, store almost all information about the purchased car in themselves - like human DNA.
Today, employees of the online store of Korean auto parts Korean dot ru will tell you how to decipher the "magic" characters of any VIN code.
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN code) is a unique identification number of the machine, in which almost all Technical information. A kind of DNA or a car passport, by correctly deciphering which we will receive complete and up-to-date information about it. Automotive VIN codes regulated by ISO 3779-1983.
At the moment, the group that affixes VIN codes to their cars includes 24 countries. The VIN code contains 17 alphanumeric characters.
Previously, instead of the VIN code, the car was marked with two signs - numbers on the body and engine, when the car was stolen, they were interrupted or cut down, but as a rule, any auto-examination easily determined such frauds.
Now engines and car bodies are not marked, there is only a VIN number, which is usually applied not to the car body. The 17-digit VIN code appeared only in the 90s of the previous century, before that it consisted of only 7 digits and was applied to automobile chassis. Modern VIN codes are longer and more complex - they contain not only numbers, but also Latin letters, which allows you to encrypt the history and characteristics of the car as accurately as possible.
The VIN code of a car consists of 3 important parts:
1.World Manufacturers Identification (WMI) - world manufacturer index. It contains all the information about the manufacturer of the car and is assigned by the country where the company that produced the car is located and registered.
The first part of the VIN code contains 3 capital letters, which mean the following:
- The country of manufacture is the first character;
- The car manufacturer is the second character;
- The manufacturer's division is the third character;
2. Vehicle Description Section (VDS)- this part contains 6 characters, they describe most of the individual features of the car. How and in what order to arrange the symbols in this part is determined by the manufacturer himself, as well as its semantic component.
3.Vehicle Identification Section (VIS) - in this part of the VIN code, all distinctive features car. It consists of 8 characters, last - 4 must be numbers, because they indicate the year the car was built.
However, if you have a car brand Audi, Isuzu, Hyundai, Jaguar, KIA, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Renault, Rover, Saab, Toyota, Volvo, Volkswagen, designate the last 4 characters with numbers according to the standard, and European and Japanese manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Toyota may not indicate the year of assembly of the car at all.
Compliance with ISO 3779 is a recommendation, That different manufacturers they themselves choose what to indicate in the VIN code, some do not indicate the place of assembly and years of manufacture. It is because of this that some VIN codes are difficult to decipher.
What a standard car VIN code should look like:
We decode the VIN code in the correct order:
Any VIN code is deciphered from left to right in the order of the numbers, starting from 1 to 17 characters.
The first character of the VIN code indicates the region where the vehicle was manufactured:
- Africa - A B C D E F G H;
- Asia - J K L M N P R;
- Europe - S T U V W X Y Z;
- North America - 1 2 3 4 5;
- Oceania - 6 7;
- South America - 8 9 0;
The second character indicates the car manufacturer's company:
Audi(A), Acura (H), BMW(B), BMW(USA)(U), Buick(4), Cadillac(6), Chevrolet(1) Chrysler(C), Dodge(B or D), Ford (F), Ferrari (F), Fiat(F), General Motors(G), GM Canada(7) General Motors(G), Honda(H), Hyundai (M), Infiniti (N), Isuzu(S), Jaguar (A), Jeep(J) Lincoln(h), Land Rover(A), Lexus(T), mercedes benz(D), Mercedes Benz (USA) (J) Mercury(M), Mitsubishi(M), Mitsubishi (USA) (A), Nissan(N), Oldsmobile(3), Opel(O) Pontiac(2 or 5) , Plymouth(P), Saturn(8), Skoda(M), Subaru(F), Suzuki(S), Toyota(T) VW(V), Volvo(V).
The third character indicates the type of vehicle - passenger car, truck, minibus.
In rare cases, it may denote a division of the manufacturer. This symbol is most often understood by car owners.
4, 5, 6, 7, 8 symbols most often mean various individual characteristics of the car - model, series, engine type, body type.
The ninth character is a test character.
It determines the validity of the VIN. This symbol is calculated by a special mathematical formula. Below we will give links to services where you can independently and quickly check the authenticity of the VIN code of your car.
The tenth character indicates the year of manufacture of the car.
However, not all manufacturers indicate it.
Below we have given a decoding of the symbols and the years of manufacture of the car:
1 - 2001
2 - 2002
3 - 2003
4 - 2004
5 - 2005
6 - 2006
7 - 2007
8 - 2008
9 - 2009
A - 1980
B - 1981
C - 1982
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
A - 2010
B - 2011
Remember! Model year and calendar year are different. The model year is encrypted in character 10.
A model year is the year in which a new line or model of car was launched.. It is determined by the manufacturer independently. Most often, the model year is ahead of the calendar year and may not coincide with the one indicated in the TCP.
Important! The following characters are NEVER used in the model encoding: the number 0 and Latin letters - I, O, Q, U, Z.
The eleventh character indicates the factory where the car was assembled.
12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 characters - contain information about the serial number of the machine.
Where to look for the VIN code of the car:
- On the vehicle registration certificate;
- In the vehicle's PTS;
- On one-piece body parts (most often the left front pillar of the body);
- On the chassis of the car.
Can there be errors in the VIN code?
Errors in the VIN code are allowed in the following cases:
- VIN code read incorrectly;
- Error in the order and decoding of characters;
- If decryption programs are used, the language keyboard layout is incorrect. There are no Russian letters in the VIN code;
In all other cases, errors will indicate that the VIN code of your car is not genuine and most likely has been broken.
Additional useful materials for checking and decoding the VIN code of cars:
Online services for decoding VIN code:
- vin.auto.ru
- vinexpert.ru;
- vinid.ru.
On these sites, you simply enter the VIN code of your car in a special field and set the search parameters you need - car brand, year of manufacture, etc.
For reliability, check the VIN code of your car at several services. Also in this section of our site you can find other useful for the motorist
