Where Is the VIN Number on my Car? | Mercedes-Benz of Palm Springs
A car VIN number (or just VIN) allows a vehicle owner to identify a vehicle using various online tools. For example, when someone wants to perform a vehicle history report from their La Quinta home, they need the VIN to look up the ownership and history of that exact vehicle. Every new and used car, truck, and SUV you see on our lot near Palm Desert has a VIN.
Are you wondering, “Where is the VIN number on a car?” or “What is a VIN number?” Our team will provide more details about a car’s VIN number with our handy guide, and we’ll answer these two questions and more.
Where Is the VIN Number on a Car at Mercedes-Benz of Palm Springs?
Your car's VIN number can appear in a couple of places on your vehicle.
Where Dash & Windshield Meet
- Stand outside of your vehicle.
- Head to the driver's side.
- Look closer to where the dash and the windshield meet.
- Located the car's VIN number permanently imprinted on a small tab.
Near the Driver's Door
- Open the driver's door.
- Look where the door latches to the frame.
- See the permanent label somewhere on the doorpost that has a series of letters and numbers.
No matter where this number is, it must remain attached to the vehicle for at least 30 years.
What Is a VIN Number?
VIN is an acronym for a vehicle identification number. It's a unique alpha-numeric code specific to your car, truck, or SUV.
Why Do I Need a VIN Number?
You may need to use the VIN for certain situations:
- Registering your vehicle with CA
- Finding past vehicle registration information
- Examining vehicle history reports
- Seeing about active recalls
- Making warranty claims
- Completing theft/police reports
- Buying insurance coverage
- Ordering OEM parts
- Scheduling service
- Applying for financing
- Selling your vehicle
- Trading in your vehicle
It's usually one of these situations when you need to submit your VIN to a secure online form.
What Do VINs Consist Of?
Each VIN is a 17-character code of numbers and capital letters unique to the vehicle, much like your Social Security number, fingerprints, DNA, and personality are to you. No two cars on the road have the exact VIN. A VIN from 1980 or before is less than 17 characters long.
Here's an example of what a VIN looks like: W1KVK5AB6PF017346
Your car's VIN provides identifying information about the vehicle's manufacturer, specifications, features, and more.
What Do the Different Characters in a VIN Mean?
- Character 1: Country of Origin
- Character 2: Manufacturer
- Character 3: Vehicle Type or Manufacturing Division
- Character 4: Body Type
- Character 5: Engine
- Character 6: Series
- Character 7: Restraint Type
- Character 8: Model
- Character 9: Check Digit to detect a valid VIN
- Character 10: Model Year
- Character 11: Plant
- Last Six Characters: Car's Serial Number
Cars made in the United States start with a 1, 4, or 5. Canada is 2, Mexico is 3, Japan is J, South Korea is K, England is S, Germany is W, and Sweden or Finland is Y.
When looking at the second character, 1 is for Daimler AG, the owner of Mercedes-Benz, while K indicates it is a passenger car. If the first three characters were W1N, it would be an SUV as of 2022.
The fourth through eighth characters depend on the manufacturer, and each automaker uses a unique system to identify their vehicles in these digits.
Fun fact: the letters I, O, and Q are not allowed in VINs to prevent misreading.
Learn More About Your Car's VIN From Mercedes-Benz of Palm Springs
Do you have more questions about vehicle ownership in Indian Wells or VINs? Contact us or call 760-205-8398. Our team of service experts or finance personnel will be happy to help!