![]() Understanding all the detail of the various components of the VIN number is a challenge because it’s a bit of a specialist area, but grasping the basics is pretty straightforward. Should I pay for a VIN check when buying a car?īecause a vehicle’s VIN number is always recorded on the V5 or log book issued by the DVLA, it’s vital that anyone buying a second-hand car checks the numbers on the document, and that the numbers on the car match up.īut a VIN number can provide a lot more information besides verifying a car’s identity, because finance companies and insurance companies also record information on their shared computer databases.Īny of these instances are likely to make a potential buyer walk away from a deal, and consider themselves fortunate for having spent the few pounds it costs to run a VIN search through companies like HPI, the AA or RAC. Underneath you’ll also find the car’s engine number, which if you’re really scrupulous you can use to check against the number stamped on the engine block installed in the car. Look in the Vehicle Details box at the top of page 2 –the left hand page when you’ve opened the form out – and there’s a field marked ‘VIN/Chassis/Frame No.’ followed by the 17-digit VIN. Locating the VIN number on a car’s V5C registration document couldn’t be simpler. Finding the VIN number on the registration document ![]() If things don’t look right walk away, and you may also want to consider notifying the police – discreetly, and from a safe distance, of course. If you haven’t access to a handbook to check the locations, then hunting around under the bonnet or behind plastic trim or carpets around the front doors will usually reveal hidden VINs. It’s there so police can make quick roadside checks, but if you’re buying a car it’s always advisable to find other locations where the manufacturer has applied the VIN number.ĭepending on the age of the car, this may be on a metal plate riveted to the chassis or bodywork, as well as being stamped into the metalwork of the car itself. On modern cars the VIN number is usually repeated in at least a couple of places, and the easiest one to spot is the so-called ‘Visible VIN’ which you can usually see from outside the car at the base of the windscreen on the passenger side. So it’s vital that car owners know where to find a VIN number and how to check it. VINs can often be useful too, when it comes to pricing and ordering the correct spare parts – particularly for DIY owners running older models. However a VIN number is a vital tool when it comes to proving a car’s identity and authenticating ownership. If you want to, you can scroll down for more info on how to interpret the information contained within a 17-digit VIN number, but that’s not anything most people really need to know.
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