| Vehicle identification numbers, more commonly known | | | | 3. The tenth through seventeenth digits are known as |
| as VIN's, are used for a variety of reasons. Their | | | | the Vehicle Identification Section (VIS) and identify |
| primary purpose is to identify motor vehicles but they | | | | various characteristics of the vehicle, such as the plant |
| are often used to track other things such as | | | | where it was built, its options, and in what order it |
| registrations, insurance coverage, and even parking | | | | came off the assembly line. |
| tickets. | | | | Since there are endless permutations of VIN codes, |
| A VIN is usually a small, rectangular metallic plate that | | | | the best way to decode the VIN of your own vehicle |
| is attached to the driver's side of the dashboard, near | | | | is to use a VIN decoder. |
| the bottom of the windshield. Vehicle identification | | | | There are many free VIN decoders available on the |
| numbers can also be found on major components of | | | | Internet. You can use any search engine to find one |
| a vehicle such as the engine block, chassis, and | | | | and once you have done so, you simply input the VIN |
| transmission. | | | | of your vehicle and its unique information is then |
| Before 1980, there was no industry standard for | | | | displayed for your review. |
| vehicle identification numbers. Nowadays, auto | | | | A VIN is fairly uninteresting to most people except |
| manufacturers use 17 digits in total, comprised of | | | | employees of your local DMV, law enforcement |
| numbers and letters (except the letters I, O, and Q). | | | | personnel, and die-hard car collectors. |
| Each number and letter of a VIN represents specific | | | | The DMV will use your VIN to maintain a detailed |
| information about the vehicle. | | | | record of your vehicle and issue you ownership and |
| The following information applies to most standard | | | | registration documents. |
| vehicle identification numbers: | | | | Law enforcement personnel usually use VIN's in the |
| 1. The first three digits of a VIN are known as the | | | | course of vehicle theft recovery and prosecution. |
| World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) and these digits | | | | Die-hard car collectors use VIN's to identify rare and/or |
| simply identify the manufacturer of the vehicle. Some | | | | valuable cars and their special features. |
| automakers use the third digit though to identify | | | | Decoding the VIN of your own vehicle will probably not |
| subdivisions or particular brands. This is common to | | | | yield any surprising information but if anything, vehicle |
| GM and other large auto manufacturers. | | | | identification numbers can be helpful in discovering |
| 2. The fourth through ninth digits are known as the | | | | important facts about a car you may want to |
| Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) and identify the | | | | purchase. |
| model and the body style. The ninth digit though is | | | | There are many companies in the business of |
| almost universally used as a check digit. A check digit | | | | providing vehicle history reports, such as CarFax.com, |
| is a single letter or number used to verify the accuracy | | | | and these valuable reports are all based on that |
| of the vehicle identification number transcription. | | | | magical and mysterious code known as the VIN. |