For example, it may later turn out that the car was in a serious accident, was used as a taxi, the loan has not yet been paid off, and the last of the five owners has alimony debts. In order not to buy such a car, you need to check it in all possible databases. Cars are primarily identified by VIN or by body number - for cars from the Japanese market with right-hand drive. Sometimes the check can be done right from home if the number is indicated in the ad for sale.

Free services provide information on one or several inspection parameters. If you collect them all, you will get a full assessment of the car. Paid services collect all the data in one report and supplement it with useful details that were transferred by commercial companies. For example, recall campaigns of official dealers or old ads for the sale of a car with photos and descriptions.

In this article, I will tell you what VIN is and why you should check a car by it, what you can find out about a car by its number, what free government services are available for VIN check. I will also compare the capabilities and prices of popular paid services, and at the end I will explain why their reports should not be treated as 100% truth.

What is VIN

VIN is an abbreviation for Vehicle Identification Number. It consists of 17 numbers and letters, each of which contains information about the car. Each car has a unique VIN, like a fingerprint for a person.

The code is divided into three parts:

1. The first three characters are the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI).
2. The next six are general characteristics of the model, Vehicle description section (VDS).
3. The last eight are the characteristics of a specific vehicle, Vehicle indicator section - VIS.

The first number or letter of the VIN is the geographic area in which the vehicle was manufactured.

Range

Part of the world

A–H

Africa

J-R

Asia

S–Z

Europe

1–6

North America

6–7

Oceania

8–9

South America

The second symbol is the country. Some countries correspond to a whole range of letters or numbers. For example, after the one at the beginning of the VIN there can be any number or letter: in any case, it will be the USA. For ease of identification, there is a special table. Vertically - part of the world, horizontally - letters and numbers that correspond to countries.

The third symbol is the manufacturer's division. Sometimes it denotes the type of vehicle. Together with the first two digits, it forms a code by which the car's manufacturer can be identified. If the manufacturer produces up to 500 cars per year, it will always be 9.

Symbols from the fourth to the ninth are determined by the manufacturer itself - they are the same for two cars of the same model and configuration.

The symbols have their own sequence and unique designations for each manufacturer. They can contain information about the model, engine type, body and transmission.

Usually the ninth position is a check digit. It is calculated by a special algorithm at the factory, what it will be depends on the other symbols. If any symbol in the VIN is "rewritten", then the check digit will also change.

Not all manufacturers use all six characters to characterize the model, so the remaining characters are filled with zeros or the letter Z.

Characters ten through seventeen are the identification of a specific vehicle. The tenth character usually indicates the model year of the vehicle. Do not confuse this position with the year of production of the vehicle, as they may differ. For example, if the model was launched in 2018, the tenth character will always be "J", even if this particular vehicle was manufactured in 2021. Since 2001, codes have been designated by a number, and since 2010 by a letter.

One manufacturer may have many factories around the world, so the eleventh digit designates a specific manufacturing plant. The last six positions of the VIN are the unique serial number of the vehicle, and the last four are always digits.

VIN is applied to the car body, and is also indicated in the vehicle passport and registration certificate. Additional plates with the number can be under the windshield, on the driver's or passenger door pillar, on the area under the mat in front of the passenger seat, on the area near the left wing under the hood, on the glass of one of the front pillars - in general, wherever the car manufacturer decides.

Why VIN might be useful

Select auto parts. Parts sellers recommend, and some even insistently ask to indicate the VIN when ordering. With its help, the manager finds out the modification of the car and minimizes the likelihood of an error when selecting parts.

Even two models with the same technical characteristics and configurations can come off the assembly line at different times - and if the manufacturer has slightly changed some unit or assembly during this time, some parts will differ. In addition, VIN will help in the independent selection of spare parts from the original manufacturer's catalog.