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The VIN can often be found on the lower-left corner of the dashboard, in front of the steering wheel. You can read the number by looking through the windshield on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The VIN may also appear in a number of other locations: Front of the engine block.
The VIN was stamped into various metal objects on the vehicle, including the frame, the body, the engine, transmission and other places. The VIN on the frame or the body became known as the Hidden VIN, the Confidential VIN or the Federal VIN. This number is usually not a full, complete VIN but a derivative thereof.
A Vehicle Identification Number, or “VIN,” is the unique code that is assigned to an individual vehicle by its manufacturer and that distinguishes it from all other vehicles. No two vehicles can have the same VIN.
The VIN is like your vehicle’s Social Security number: it makes that vehicle unique against others of the same make and model. Thieves can use a single VIN to register dozens of vehicles.
two cars
A cloned vehicle should have its original VIN, so always check the VIN plate in as many places as possible (and check for signs of tampering). The engine number should also be unique to the vehicle – so check this against the V5 registration document, and if it doesn’t match – walk away.
Any automated number plate (ANPR) cameras will only check the registration number. ANPR cameras are generally used to monitor traffic offences such as speeding, tax, MoT, insurance, etc. There’s no way of checking the vehicle has a number plate that belongs to another similar car.
What happens if I buy a cloned car? If you buy a cloned car, you’ll lose both the car and the money you paid for it. If a car’s being sold without V5C registration documents or a service history, that’s a definite red flag. But these documents can be forged, so be vigilant.
You can get a free VIN check at the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), VehicleHistory.com or iSeeCars.com/VIN. Just pop in your car’s digits and these sites will do the VIN lookup and give you information on the vehicle.
How to Check for a Valid Car VIN Number
Can You Change VIN Numbers On a Car? Yes, you can change the VIN of a car, but it is considered illegal and punishable by law. If you have a rickety vehicle for rebuilding, just make sure you do not tamper with the VIN.
Contact your local State Department of Motor Vehicle’s (DMV) office for specific instructions on what is required to replace the VIN (see Resources). You will likely be required to have an inspection of the vehicle by a police officer or DMV official to verify that the VIN plate was destroyed.
Every street-legal vehicle or trailer is assigned a vehicle identification number, or VIN, at the point of manufacture. If you have a trailer and would like to check the VIN, you might have to do a little searching, because there is no standard location for the VIN plate on trailers.
In the US kit cars come with a Certificate of Origin from the manufacturer with a serial number encoding specific information but not as comprehensively as a 17-digit VIN will. after passing state inspection, DMV will robot a 17-digit vin plate to the vehicle which you can then license.