Meaning of VIN in Cars.

The acronym VIN actually stands for Vehicle Identification Number. They are actually utilized so as to identify motor vehicles. Each one is unique so it stands as the vehicles identity. At present, the usual VIN is made up of some 17 characters. What is quite fascinating is that they do not include the letters I, O, and Q.

The VIN is usually found at the upper left side of your vehicles dashboard. If you found it, you would see all 17 characters on it. The first character represents the nation of origin of your vehicle, although it could also stand for the final point of assembly. For example, J is for Japan, W is for Germany, 1 is for the US, and 2 is for Canada.

The next character is actually the code of the manufacturer. A is for Audi, B is for BMW, L is for Lincoln, and N is for Nissan. These are just a few. Of course, there are various characters for each one. The characters number four to eight are actually information or codes about the vehicles series, body type, restraint system, and engine code. As per the ninth character, it is the so-called check digit. It could be a number from 0 to 9 or it could also be the letter X. This is called such for officers and experts in this field could actually know if you have tampered with your vehicle through this character.

The 10th characters position actually indicates the model year.

A is for 1980,

B is for 1981,

C is for 1982,

D is for 1983,

E is for 1984,

F is for 1985,

G is for 1986,

H is for 1987,

J is for 1988,

K is for 1989,

L is for 1990,

M is for 1991,

N is for 1992,

P is for 1993,

R is for 1994,

S is for 1995,

T is for 1996,

V is for 1997,

W is for 1998,

X is for 1999,

Y is for 2000,

1 is for 2001,

2 is for 2002,

3 is for 2003,

4 is for 2004,

5 is for 2005,

6 is for 2006,

7 is for 2007,

8 is for 2008, and

9 is for 2009.

The 11th character shows the place where the vehicle is assembled. If you see the number 9 in that position, it would mean that the vehicle has been assembled in Detroit, Michigan. The characters from the 12th to the 17th positions are the production sequence numbers.

It is important for you to be able to understand the VIN. After all, it contains various pieces of information about your vehicle. It is also your vehicles unique identifier.