What your VIN can tell you about your car

2023-06-15 20:00:01

The VIN is a 17-digit code that truly uniquely identifies a car, as the composition of the code makes it can only be repeated after 30 years. This means that it is technically possible for a car made today to have a ‘double’ from 30 years ago, but it is highly unlikely. Thus, the VIN format is uniform throughout the world and can be used to discover a wide variety of information. The first three characters of the chassis number identify the manufacturer; The first two characters of this WMI world code identify the manufacturer’s region and country of origin, and the third character is assigned to specific vehicle characteristics.

Positions 4 to 9 of the VIN contain the so-called vehicle description code, which identifies the model of the car in question. Its format depends on the manufacturer. Skoda, for example, uses a format in which position 9 contains a ‘security code’, which makes it possible to verify that the VIN is real and not a random invention. “In Škoda cars, this part of the chassis number is used to determine the body type, the engine, information about the car’s restraint systems and the type of car. In the case of Skoda Enyaq electric cars, the fifth position of the chassis number can be used to find out the performance of the propulsion system,” he explains. Jiří Vasina, from Skoda. The letter A corresponds to a car with a power of 109 kW, the letter B to a vehicle with a power of 132 kW, 150 kW is represented by the letter C, E is for cars with a power of 195 kW and F is for the highest power of 220 kW.

For example, a Skoda Octavia Combi with a 1.5 TSI engine has the chassis number TMBJR8NX*PYxxxx. The VDS begins with the letter J, which indicates estate bodywork, left-hand drive, and single-axle drive. The letter R in the fifth position of the chassis number indicates the 1.5 TSI/110 kW engine. The next digit 8 indicates that the vehicle has 2 front airbags, 4 side airbags, and 2 head airbags. The seventh and eighth positions of the chassis number with the letters NX designate the Octavia model series, and instead of the asterisk in the next position, there will be the security code that is derived from the full chassis number. The letter P indicates the model year 2023 and the letter Y the production plant in Mladá Boleslav. Electric cars do not have a special character: the fact that a car is purely electric drive is deduced from the combination of letters in the fifth, seventh and eighth position of the chassis number.

batteries

P.F.

Then, positions 10 to 17 form a unique code (VIS, Vehicle Identification Section), which again can be created at will. In this case, Škoda reverts to the more detailed ‘American’ format (the idea of ​​entering VINs originated in the USA), where the character in position 10 indicates the model year of the car (but not the year of manufacture, which may be different). 2010 was assigned the letter A, 2011 the letter B, and so on. It should be noted here that the VIN code usually omits the letters O, I and Q to avoid confusion with the digits 0, 1 and 9. It is the character of this position that cannot be repeated for 30 years and is governed by more detailed regulations. . Position 11 in the VIN of Skoda cars then indicates the plant where the car was manufactured. “The characters 0 to 4 represent the different plants in Mladá Boleslav, while the Kvasiny cars have the digits 5 to 9 in this position. However, this is not a strict rule: manufacturers can also use letters in these positions, and Skoda does in some cases as well,” says Vašina.

The frame number is usually stamped on the bodywork, inside the engine compartment (usually on the right front, on a fixed part that is not easy to replace), but it can also be found on other parts of the car and nowadays , also usually appears visibly on a plate located in the front left, under the windshield. It is there where the emergency services can find out the data of the car from the chassis number.

classic car

P.F.

Likewise, the VIN can also be used to check the history of a car through various services. For example, you can find out if it has been involved in an accident, if the engine has been changed, if the mileage has changed, etc. For this reason, the frame number is still manipulated to hide the true provenance of a car. However, the detailed description of each car contained in the chassis number makes it extremely difficult to falsify it.

“However, there are cases where entire body parts have been replaced or even a vehicle has been cut in half and attached to another. So any discrepancy between the configuration of the car and what the VIN says should be a clear red flag,” says Vašina, adding: “It is certainly always recommended to check the VIN of a used car. It is advisable to use the services of specialized companies that have access to databases of manufacturers, workshops, test centers and databases of stolen vehicles.