You're probably at least aware that all cars have a unique Vehicle Information Number (aka VIN), but you may not know that the 17-digit VIN is packed with interesting information about your vehicle.


The car jockeys over at our sibling weblog Jalopnik detail how to decode your car's VIN. The meaty part:

The VIN is broken down into six parts: Make/Model: (Digits 1-3) This breaks out the make, model and manufacturer of the vehicle. Vehicle Features: (Digits 4-8) These digits identify the various features of the specific model. Verifying #: (Digit 9) Using a complex mathematical formula this number determines whether or not the information has been faked. Model Year: (Digit 10) This number or letter describes the year the MY for the car. Assembly Plant: (Digit 11) This single digit identifies the assembly plant. Sequence Of Model Production: (Digit 12-17) These digits indicate the order in which the vehicle left the assembly line.


Jalopnik's post runs through nine steps for decoding your VIN to decipher such information as vehicle features, where it was built, its sequence in production, and more. Remember that checking the VIN is an important part of protecting yourself when buying a used car, but beyond that, it's just an interesting source of info about your vehicle.

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How To Decode Your Car's VIN [Jalopnik]