Vehicle identification number
The vehicle identification number (VIN ) ( engl. vehicle identification number, VIN ) is the internationally standardized, 17-digit number with which a motor vehicle is uniquely identifiable. The earlier name chassis number is outdated since automobiles usually have self-supporting bodies, and through the implementation of the EU regulation 76/114/EEC in 1981. Consists of a manufacturer identifier (World Manufacturer Identifier) , for example W0L for Opel and Vauxhall, WDB for Daimler AG, WVW for Volkswagen, WF0 for Ford ( Germany ) or VF7 for Citroën, a vendor-specific key and a mostly dependent on the year of construction, serial number. Some manufacturers are associated with multiple vendor IDs.
Example of a FIN for an Opel or Vauxhall: W0L000051T2123456.
Attachment
The number can be found on the one in the vehicle documents, also several times on the vehicle itself, usually in the engine compartment or the right half of the vehicle. For U.S. vehicles or certain vehicles for this market is on the windshield lower left and mounted visible from the outside. It is for reasons of security against tampering multiple times and taken or thermoformed.
Structure of the FIN
There are two different standards for the FIN. Producers in the countries of the European Union use the ISO standard 3779, while North American manufacturers use a stricter, but compliant with the ISO standard system.
Only the following Arabic numerals and Latin characters may be used in a FIN:
1234567890ABCDEFGHJKLMNPRSTUVWXYZ Locked the letters I, O and Q are due to the high likelihood of confusion with the digits 0 and 1
European FIN from 1981
The vehicle identification number is assigned in Europe under Directive 76/114/EEC. This policy is, however, according to the Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 repealed with effect from 1 November 2014. It is replaced by the EU Regulation 19/2011, which does not differ with regard to the description of the structure of the VIN against the 76/114/EEC.
Prior to 1981, there was no generally binding standards for this number so that the vehicle manufacturer at the time used individually assigned chassis numbers.
In Germany the manufacturer's obligation to affix the FIN in § 59 Section 1 No. 4 Road Traffic Licensing Regulations and the storage of FIN in the Central Vehicle Register in § 33 Section 1 No. 1 Road Traffic Act is regulated.
The positions 4-9 are adjusted with the guidelines for export vehicles in the United States.
Example at Mercedes- Benz:
WDD 169 007 - 1Y - 236589
The WDD is the indicator for Germany (W) and the manufacturer Mercedes -Benz (DD, for other models also WDC / WDB ) included. The next three digits stand here for the series 169 ( A-Class ). 007 here is the code for body style, engine and all-wheel drive, etc. For example, J denotes the production site ( here Rastatt, other models also F, B, etc.). After that six consecutive numbers follow.
Example at Volkswagen:
WVWZZZ1JZ3W386752
American VIN from 2003
The U.S. VIN is used in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Israel is a hybrid of U.S. and European standard in use.
World manufacturer code ( WMI)
The first three digits of the VIN uniquely identify the manufacturer, according to the World Manufacturer Code (English: World Manufacturer Identifier, WMI). Manufacturer with a production rate of less than 500 vehicles per year using the number 9 in the third position and the 12th to the 14th place of the FIN as the second part of the identification number. Some manufacturers encode with the third digit of the VIN of the vehicle type (eg, bus or truck), combines a range part of the company, or both. For example, the General Motors, manufacturer code 1G, 1G1 used the code for the Chevrolet brand (cars ), 1G2 for the Pontiac ( cars) and 1GC again for Chevrolet, but this code is only assigned to trucks.
WMI regions
The first letter of the world manufacturer code indicates the manufacturer's region. In practice, each individual is assigned to the origin country. Manufacturers who produce together across borders, are marked.
List of common WMI
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE ) missed the WMI to countries and manufacturers. The following list shows a small selection of shared world manufacturer code.
For the third place will be awarded a 9 if it is a small manufacturer. In Germany, the manufacturer code is then W09. The manufacturer is generally coded in the digits 12-14.