Reference
How VINs actually work
Plain explanations of the seventeen-character standard, with the lookup tables you would otherwise have to hunt for.
Reference
How to read a VIN
What each of the seventeen positions encodes, section by section.
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Where to find the VIN
Cars, motorcycles, RVs, ATVs and trailers — and on the paperwork.
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Model year codes, 1980 to 2039
Position 10 decoded, and why the cycle repeats every thirty years.
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How the check digit works
The arithmetic behind position 9, worked through by hand.
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Why a VIN won't decode
Pre-1981 vehicles, grey imports, typos and nonstandard numbers.