What is this number? Why do all the car tech people always ask for it? What is the big deal about this?
VIN is an acronym for Vehicle Identification Number, also known as the serial number or chassis number of your vehicle. It is a 17 digit alpha-numeric string. This number basically provides the DNA of your vehicle and tells anyone associated with working on your vehicle what year, make, model it is and all of the features it has built into it. It is the most critical number that is needed in order to find the exact parts needed for the vehicle and, in many cases, the exact service & repair procedures needed.
WITHOUT KNOWING THIS NUMBER IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PROVIDE ANY SORT OF ACCURATE ESTIMATE
How do you find this number? It is in lots of common places and you can find it on your car’s paperwork & on the vehicle itself. Here are some examples and please excuse the amatuer arrow drawings done to point out the number. Unless this is your car the number will be different than the one shown and may start with a number or a letter but will always be 17 digits long ( unless your car was made in the Seventies ).
1st Example:
This is taken from the State Safety Check paperwork.
2nd Example:
This is from the vehicle registration paperwork.
3rd Example:
This is taken from the vehicle Insurance Card. This card is supposed to be in the car itself along with the registration & safety check paperwork however a huge number of you folks (ahem 😊) keep this piece of information in your wallet, your purse, or on your phone. Sometimes these sources are the easiest places to find the VIN.
4th Example:
This is from the sticker tag that’s put on the car and usually found on the drivers door frame but sometimes on the driver’s door itself. Here’s a picture of the sticker and where it is usually found ( locations may vary ).
5th Example:
This is a shot of VIN number that is found at the bottom left corner of the driver’s windshield. This location should work for all cars but sometimes parking passes or some other card has worked it’s way down between the dashboard and the inside of the windshield and has covered up the VIN.
