The VIN code of a car is the only official and global vehicle identifier. If you have Mack in front of you, and it is registered in the database as Scania, then you will not be able to register the truck or draw up a legal document for its alienation. What is more, there is a likelihood of having the vehicle embargoed even if it was purchased honestly without any malicious intent.
Therefore, checking the VIN number is a mandatory procedure. And this refers to cases when buying both a used and a new car. You can check the code on the truck VIN lookup to avoid legal issues.
What Is the VIN Code?
It is a unique alphanumeric combination of seventeen characters. It does not involve three letters of the Latin alphabet — O, Q, I, which can be easily confused with the numbers 0 and 1. The task of the code is to identify the car in several ways. From a legal point of view, these are engine size, body color, serial number, actual manufacturer, and country of manufacture, as well as the year of manufacture, which greatly affects the price of a used truck. From a technical point of view, we are talking about some nuances that determine the modification of a car.
How VIN Helps in Work
The legal component is important here to collect taxes, determine the ownership of movable property, and check the car in the context of participation in crimes. From a technical perspective, it facilitates car service. For example, the truck was stolen, so the owner went to the police. It is clear that the criminal does not need to change or falsify the license plate, but it will not work to do the same with the VIN because of its uniqueness. The absence of a plate and its duplicate inscriptions on the body gives the law enforcement bodies the right to suspect that the car has been stolen.
By VIN, you can indirectly determine whether the car has been in an accident. Automakers often even code options such as parking sensors, rain sensors, or headlight washers. Their actual absence in the purchased copy, if present in the coding, indicates the replacement of the body kit or body elements. Also, the VIN check allows potential clients to:
- Find out the real mileage;
- Participation in an accident;
- Number of owners;
- Archival photos.
Do It in the Right Way!
It is worth noting that service stations also actively use VINs when selecting or ordering spare parts and components. In practice, situations often arose when the spare parts corresponding to the code did not fit in fact. Later, it turned out that this instance had undergone profound changes, and the owner, as a rule, was not the first, had no idea about it.
