In some cases, the letter stands for the manufacturer's name - like A for Audi, B for BMW.
Manufacturers that produce fewer than 500 vehicles per year in the EU (and fewer than 2000 vehicles per year in North America) use a number 9 as the 3rd character and the 12th, 13th, and 14th (3rd, 4th, and 5th of VIS) position of the VIN as a second part of the identification. The group of first 3 digits designates the manufacturer of the vehicle. So, without further ado, let's take a look at what goes into the components so you can quickly read your VIN because its search can tell you a lot about your vehicle.
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Complex as it may look at first glance, there is a mechanism behind the madness, and each portion of the string tells you a different part of the story.Įach of the 17 characters has a specific meaning, and the whole code is organized into 3 groups. A valid VIN will never contain letters O, I, or Q, as they are easily confused with numerals 0, 1, and 9. In general, all on-road vehicles must have a 17-character long VIN code consisting of only numbers and capital letters. Indication that provides "clear identification of a particular vehicle" Indication of "the general characteristics of the vehicle" Worldwide standards in VIN decoding Standard European VINs are not required to include year, factory, or vehicle attribute data. But do not get mistaken when it comes to rules, the EU has similar regulations for VINs, only not as strictly bound by them compared to the North American type. Compatible yet somewhat different applications of the standards have been adopted by the EU and the U. All in all, the structure of a particular VIN depends on the very standard used to encode it.
Wbayp9c57ddw21127 bmw vin decoder iso#
Modern VINs are based on standards issued by the ISO (most common is the ISO 3779 used in the EU). What do the characters in a VIN mean?Ī VIN is composed of 17 characters (numbers and capital letters) that break down into 3 main components - World Manufacturer Identifier, Vehicle Description Section, and Vehicle Identifier Section. And since then, all sold on-road vehicles must be identified by the agreed-upon digit sequence and concealed chassis markings of the specific and very complex structure of VIN code. In 1981, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration created a consistent, unified format. Before that, cars and trucks were usually registered by their engine number - which could become a problem since engines were commonly replaced at that time. First VINs already appeared in the 1950s, but different manufacturers used different numbering formats to stamp vehicles with unique IDs, and it took several decades before the format was standardized and universally accepted.
Modern-day VINs are made up of 17 characters (numbers and capitals letters) that do not include the letter O (o), I (i), or Q (q) to avoid confusion with numerals 0, 1 and 9. If you know the vehicle's unique identifier, you can also look the VIN up in several databases to figure out whether the vehicle has been stolen, recalled, etc.