Purchasing a vehicle typically requires a lot of research, and the two main facts you need to know are the model and the year in which it was manufactured. Knowing when my car was built can provide you insights on damages that would not easily be noticeable and with this, you will be fully assured of your purchase. In this comprehensive article, there will be multiple methodologies on how to tell when and where my car was made and why it is crucial to know. Check our Salvage yard online inventory for more preferences and guidelines on maintaining your car.
VIN stands for Vehicle Identification Number and is sometimes referred to as the car’s name tag, this number is to cars as a name is to a person. Just like any other car, each car model is associated with a unique 17-digit code known as the VIN which contains vital information about the car’s history and physique. Information such as the manufacturer of the code, the model, and the year of production forms part of the code. Here’s a breakdown of how the VIN indicates the manufacturing date:
The VIN is a combination of alphanumeric characters, / consisting of 17 characters. The last digit of the first group of characters of the VM represents the model year of the vehicle. This system can help in finding out the year of manufacture despite that there could be variations in the build dates.
The 10th character was a letter for the year from 1980 to 2000 except for I, O, Q, U, and Z. “A” for 1980, “B” for 1981, and so on were the letter representations. From 1971–1979 and 2001–2009, the year was measured by a number format. For example, “1” means 2001, “2” for 2002, and so on, “zero” for … Excitingly, this system helps in determining the sequence of the year for any global event in case the former order was disrupted.
Manufacturing date for Ford cars, the information can be found at the 11th and 12th digit of VIN. It is interesting to notice that these characters indicate the month and year of manufacture of a car. For example, if such characters are “A9” the meaning can be January 2009. See the following section below for the general internal structure of the VIN: The details should be obtained by consulting Ford’s VIN decoding guide.
The VIN can most often be located on the dashboard through the windshield on the driver’s side. It may also be in the door’s jamb on the driver’s side or hidden in the hood of the car.
Go to websites involving automotive manufacturers, or VIN checkers, to input your VIN and gather specific data about your automobile including the build date. In this case, there are lots of websites freely decoding VIN that can offer you a lot of information about your car.
In this sense, some car manufacturers operate special patterns of VIN decoding. The exact procedure of decoding can usually be found in the owner’s manual of the car or on the manufacturer’s website.
Also, all around your car, and especially under the dashboard, you will see informational digits mentioning the manufacturing date. Here’s how to check:
Automobile parts such as car windows normally contain stamps that show the month/ year of production. Usually, the year figure is a single digit given as the last digit of the year IO in the case of a four-digit figure. For example, the digit “6” may signify 1996, 2006, or 2016, which makes the exact analysis of the situations virtually impossible. It is mostly characterized by letters or symbols of the alphabet.
For instance, where Fiat cars apply a different mode of marking where January starts with ‘B’, there is bound to be some shift in the said system. Before verifying there must be a cross-checking of all the windows if there is inconsistency it will show that some of them were replaced.
Most seatbelts come with the manufacturing date printed in small characters mostly at the bottom part of the belt. This label has the manufactured day, month and year indicated on it.
Other auto parts in which manufacturing date stamps are found are shock absorbers, battery terminals, and even the mufflers.
They play the role of identifying the production year or authentication of the components since they have to be original or replaced.
It is important to note that the tenth digit in the VIN code is generally the model year and not the calendar year. The model year used can be between half a year to a full year before the car was produced. This practice enables manufacturers to set new models in the market before the commencement of the new year calendar.
Example: The International Council of Automotive Engineers (ICO) has standardized this method under its reference that is namely, the ICO 3779-1983. It is common knowledge that in car manufacturing, companies bring out their models in summer while the production begins on the first of October of the next year.
To get the production date of a vehicle using the VIN, you can use VIN decoders that are found on the Internet or visit the website of the manufacturer. Key in the VIN to get the history of the make and model of the car, with the build date included as well. Unlike the other methods mentioned, this is the most precise way of identifying the right date.
Understanding the manufacturing date is essential for several reasons:
Some date differences between the manufacturing and the VIN could infer that some of the parts have been replaced. It could be because of accidents or repairs. It is important to know the build date of such things to realize and ask the seller about the problems.
This element may influence a car’s value because it tells consumers when it was manufactured. Cars that are out of warranty and even properly serviced could be less valuable since they are older models. On the other hand, it is possible to have the manufacturing date newer implying that the car is likely to perform better and possess better features than the earlier manufactured ones.
Some warranties and the compatibility of the parts are associated with the manufacture date of the products in question. Therefore, original parts will help avoid potential issues, and ensure that the car in question is in a good state depending on its build date.
The production date normally appears on the stamp or label located in the engine bay. These can include the day, month, and year as is the case with this particular gadget, thereby giving an extra assurance of the manufacturing date.
By collecting the chassis numbers of some of the old car models, one can be able to deduce when they were produced. This number is normally engraved on the body of the chassis and as with the VIN, it can also be decoded.
The manufacturing date is an important parameter, which should be known when someone decides to purchase a used car. Manufacturing dates may be found on VINs, car windows, seat belts, and many other parts. There is a distinction between the model year and the calendar year; follow the steps mentioned previously to verify the build date with trusted sources.
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