Your car’s identification number is everything. Every car has a unique number meant to identify it. It is like its fingerprints. It comprises of numbers and letters, each with a special significance providing information about your car. You may need to decode the number for numerous reasons. For example, you may want to find the vehicle’s place of manufacture, you may be in need of getting a proper-fitting car part based on your vehicle build or you may want to verify it if you’re going to buy or sell a used car. The reasons are countless, but unfortunately, most people do not know to locate the Car’s VIN.
Let’s have a glance at some of the places you can find the Car’s VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)
Check the Car’s Dashboard
Most car identification numbers appear on the lower, left-hand side of car’s dashboard. How do you locate it? You should be at the driver’s seat since the dash is found near the steering wheel. Also, you can identify it while standing outside and looking through the windshield. The number should have seventeen characters if the car was made after 1981. Cars made before that year usually have 11 to 17 characters depending on the model. How does a VIP read? An example is 1HGBM22JXMN109186.
The Car Frame
You can also locate the VIP by checking the front of the vehicle’s frame or near the windshield washer container. To find it easily, try spotting it when on the driver’s seat or crouch down in front of the vehicle while on the driver’s side.
The Spare Tire
Yes, this one of the places where you are likely to find the number. Manufacturers understand that thieves and scammers are likely to tamper with these numbers and that is why it is placed on most of the hidden areas of the car. Lift up the spare tire and check underneath or on the trunk.
The Front of the Engine Block
As mentioned, these numbers are found on the most hidden parts of the cars where nobody can rush to think of. The engine block is one of them and to locate it, you need to pop open the hood and look on the front of the engine. Some makers attach a body plate containing the VIN or a part of it, mostly the last eight digits. This plate is affixed on the firewall side in the engine compartment.
The Driver’s Side Door
All new vehicles have the Federal Safety Certification Label which is on the driver’s side door. This is another hidden area where you can find the VIN. Open the door and on the door post, check the area where the door latches. The number should be near the seat belt return. You can also check it on the doorjamb. This is the area where the mirror is located once the door is closed.Those are not the only places to find the VIN. If you are having trouble finding it on the car, you can turn to the paper.
These include;
- The car title.
- The car’s registration card.
- The owner’s manual.
- The insurance identification card.
If you are still unable to find it, it is time to go to the next available option which is an online decoder.
Selling or buying a used car involves a lot of risks. You never know who to trust and who to avoid, looking at the tremendous increase in the number of thieves and scammers out there. You have to ensure that your car’s identity is safe in case anything goes wrong.
Contact Us
However, you do not need to worry. If you are having second doubts about selling your old car, probably because it is hard to locate its identity, you can use car removals services for quick, reliable and trustworthy services. Contact Paul Car Removal at 0466 879 131 and let them take the stress off your shoulder.