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Driving Tips
Making Sense of Your VIN
By Liz Kim
Email
Date Posted 12-03-2000
Don't you feel special? Not only did Mom sew your name onto your underwear
when you went off to summer camp, you now have your tastefully understated monogram
gracing your shirt cuff, your briefcase, your hankie, and yes, some still have
it on their undies. It's a way of marking your territory, a way to let the world
know that it's yours and no one else's.
Guess what? Your car also has a badge denoting that it's
your very own. It's the method by which the police can identify your vehicle
after it's been stripped down courtesy of your local five-finger discount consumer
(so that your insurance company can cheat you out of a full reimbursement),
as well as the way for Lovely Rita Meter Maid to give you a parking ticket even
though you haven't received your license plates.
But it would be nice to know what those mysterious numbers mean, wouldn't it?
Aside from amazing your family and friends with your car knowledge, you also
need VINs to get the status report on a used car so that you can find out about
its history before you buy it.
Look on the upper left side of your dash — you should see an important-looking
badge with 17 numbers on it. Found it? Good. Now, you can figure out what makes
your very own car unique, aside from that odd stench emanating from the backseat.
- Position one represents the nation of origin, or the final point of assembly.
For instance, cars made in the U.S. start with 1, Canada is 2, Mexico is 3,
Japan is J, and Germany is W.
- Position two tells you about the manufacturer. For example, A is for Audi,
B is for BMW, L is for Lincoln and N is for Nissan.
- This letter tells you about the make.
- Positions four through eight tell you about the car, such as the series,
body type, restraint system, and engine code.
- Position nine is the check digit, a number from 0-9 or the letter X. By
some magic finagling, law enforcement officials can detect if you've tampered
with your VIN by this character.
- Position 10 indicates the model year. The letters from B-X correspond to the model years starting with 1981, with X bringing up the rear with 2000; model years 2001 and up are indicated with numbers, starting with the number 1. There is no I, O, Q, U or Z. Confusing? Here's a list of the model years: B=81, C=82, D=83, E=84, F=85, G=86, H=87, J=88, K=89, L=90, M=91, N=92, P=93, R=94, S=95, T=96, V=97, W=98, X=99, Y=00, 1=01, 2=02, 3=03, 4=04, 5=05, 6=06.
- The letter or number in position 11 indicates where the vehicle was assembled. For instance, 9 identifies that it was made in Detroit, Michigan.
- The last 6 digits (positions 12 through 17) are the production sequence numbers.
Your car also comes with a handy-dandy sticker, usually located in the doorwell
of the driver's side (your owner's manual will help you locate it), that also
has other important information for the well-being of your car. As different manufacturers
have various information and locations where they place the stickers, we won't
label the pictures that came from our long-term Honda Odyssey. Here's a primer
on what those codes mean.
- Usually, the date that the car was produced is denoted. Yes, it's like the
Born-on Date on your can of Bud..
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) tells you about the total weight
of the vehicle including passengers and load. It is used as an indicator of
how much weight can be safely loaded in your vehicle.
- The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) tells you about the total load carrying
capacity of a given axle. It can be expressed as a rating at the springs or
at the ground.
- A certification statement, which usually says "THIS VEHICLE CONFORMS TO
ALL APPLICABLE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY AND BUMPER STANDARDS IN EFFECT
ON THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE SHOWN ABOVE" tells you that your tax dollars are
hard at work, and that the children of safety officials can rest easy at night
knowing that their Dad saved the world and that they can get that James Van
Der Beek poster for Christmas.
- Another copy of your VIN is here as well.
- The Vehicle Class Type will denote what sort of car you have, whether it's
a passenger car or a passenger truck. No, it won't say "The Love Machine."
- A number tells you the maximum number of passengers that your car can carry.
- This sticker will tell you the tire size, the spare tire size, and the optimal
tire pressure for your type of vehicle. Pay heed - keeping your pressure at
this level will prevent undue wear and tear, avert damage to your tire, as
well as yield the maximum fuel efficiency.
Labels are good things. bottle of spring water with a bottle of vodka. The labels in your car give you all sorts of information about your car, from where it was born to the maximum amount of cargo it can carry.
Now, if only first dates came with such clearly labeled information.
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