FILTERS BALDWIN

Catalog Baldwinfilters for cars

Auto Parts / Vehicle Identification
Number (VIN)
VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) DECODING

Originally, Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) were For each type of vehicle (passenger cars, multi-
designated to identify a vehicle, but there was no passenger vehicles (MPVs), trucks, buses, trailers,
standardization. Beginning in 1981, vehicles were assigned motorcycles, incomplete vehicles other than trailers)
an international VIN code consisting of 17 characters (which different information is required.
cannot include the letter I, O or Q) unique to each vehicle.
For cars, MPVs and light-duty trucks:
The VIN serves a variety of purposes. As well as providing 4th - 5th positions are alphabetic
identification in licensing and insuring the vehicle, the
history of the vehicle can be tracked. VIN codes provide 6th - 7th positions are numeric
complete vehicle information including: 8th position can be either alphabetic or numeric
n is the vehicle defective (lemon car)
n 9th Character (or Check Digit)
n has the vehicle been totaled Is determined by a complicated formula.
or had major accident damage
Each character is assigned a numerical value and
n has the vehicle had flood damage then multiplied by the value assigned to its position.
n has the vehicle had odometer fraud These values are added and then divided by 11. The
remainder is the Check Digit. This character can be
n has the vehicle been stolen numeric or the letter X.
To help decode the VIN, the following information has been n 10th Character
provided: Identifies the vehicle model year.
n 1st - 3rd Characters n 11th Character
Identify the manufacturer (country), make and Identifies the plant of manufacture.
type of vehicle.
n 12th - 17th Characters
n 4th - 8th Characters Consists of a sequential production number for
Identify the different aspects of the vehicle. manufacturers producing more than 500 vehicles per year.

VIN NUMBER ORIGIN AND YEAR

1ST CHARACTER - COUNTRY OF ORIGIN 10TH CHARACTER - YEAR
1 U.S.A. K Korea Y Sweden or A 1980 L 1990 Y 2000 A 2010
2 Canada L China or Finland B 1981 M 1991 1 2001 B 2011
3 Mexico Taiwan Z Italy C 1982 N 1992 2 2002 C 2012
4 U.S.A. M Thailand D 1983 P 1993 3 2003 D 2013
5 U.S.A. S Great Britain E 1984 R 1994 4 2004 E 2014
6 Australia V France or F 1985 S 1995 5 2005 F 2015
9 Brazil Yugoslavia G 1986 T 1996 6 2006 G 2016
J Japan W Germany H 1987 V 1997 7 2007
J 1988 W 1998 8 2008
K 1989 X 1999 9 2009
VIN plates are read through the windshield on the driver’s side of most vehicles. A manufacturer may use a variation of
the same size engine in one model. To insure that you are using the correct filters for the application, it is necessary to
identify the proper engine code. The following examples illustrate the location of the engine code in most manufacturer’s
VIN codes.

DOMESTIC VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN)

AM GENERAL/HUMMER AMC/EAGLE (EXCEPT JEEP)
1995-2010 1972-1980 1981-1988
ENGINE CODE ENGINE CODE ENGINE CODE
(Fourth Character) (Seventh Character) (Fourth Character)

137XE82H*TE013212 A3M798Z 700001 2CCBN387*GB529063
1989-98
ENGINE CODE
(Eighth Character)
2E3BB66U*LH038364

* See VIN Decoding Information on 9th Character (Check Digit).
40 / Auto Parts

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