VIN guide
What does a VIN tell you?
A VIN tells you who made the vehicle and where (characters 1-3), its model, body and engine (4-8), whether the VIN itself is valid (the check digit, 9), its model year (10), the plant that built it (11) and its serial number (12-17). Records like accidents and title brands are not in the VIN; they are linked to it.
The three parts
Characters 1 to 3 are the World Manufacturer Identifier. Characters 4 to 8 describe the vehicle. Characters 10 to 17 identify this exact car: year, plant and serial.
The check digit
Each character is converted to a number, multiplied by a weight for its position and added up. The remainder after dividing by 11 must equal the ninth character, with 10 written as X.
What is not in the VIN
Accidents, owners, title brands and mileage are records kept by states, insurers and auctions under the VIN. That is what a report looks up.
Quick answers
Why do VINs never use I, O or Q?
They are too easy to confuse with 1 and 0, so the standard leaves them out.
Does the year letter repeat?
Yes, every 30 years. For North American cars, a letter in position 7 means 2010 or later.