What is the VIN? What are the Chassis/Frame Number and Model Code? Where can I find the VIN? What if my VIN doesn’t have 17 symbols? Australian VINs and ‘surrogate’ VINs
What is the VIN?
A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a unique identifier assigned to every mechanical vehicle. It provides essential information about the vehicle, including its brand, model, model year, engine, paint, frame colour, etc. No two VINs are the same, just as no two cars are identical.
VIN Format and Characteristics
Typically, the VIN consists of 17 symbols in Arabian numbers and Latin letters (e.g. JTF123Y5012345678, VSKCVND40A0476451). The code doesn’t include the letters O(o), I(i) and Q(q) to avoid confusion with 0, 1 and 9.
What are the Chassis/Frame number and Model Code?
Vehicles manufactured in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s often do not have a 17-digit VIN as the VIN standardized 17-character alphanumeric code format began in 1981. In such cases, you may find a ‘Chassis’ or ‘Frame Number’ and ‘Model Code’ on your plates instead (e.g. HJ75-1234567 and HJ75RP-MRQ or UZZ30-0016787 and UZZ30-ACPVK).
Chassis/frame numbers serve the same purpose as the VIN and are used for car registration and car sale, as well as for finding spare parts. While the VIN system was standardized worldwide in the 1990s, there are instances where a VIN code is referred to as a ‘frame’ or ‘chassis number’. This can be seen on the following plates:
Australian VINs and ‘surrogate’ VINs:
In Australia, both locally produced and imported cars have VINs that begin with number ‘6’ (e.g. 6MMDB4D416T013587, 6T153KK400X334447). If your VIN starts with ‘6ZZ’ or ‘6U90’, your VIN is a ‘surrogate’ VIN. You will receive such VINs when applying for a concessional RAV entry approval or import approval if the identification code isn’t available or recognised, or if only a chassis number is provided.
Many surrogate VINs are incompatible with online spare part catalogues and require modifications. For instance, VIN 6U9000EC5A0000546 only works if the initial letters ‘6U90’ with zeroes are omitted, so VIN EC5A0000546 is recognized. The same principle applies to VINs like 6U9000PE8W0028456 and 6U900000E51000652.
Furthermore, certain VINs do not function with the catalogues. A good example of this is Toyota Camrys and Corollas (e.g. 6T153SV2109111870). In such cases, contact local dealers for more accurate identification of spare parts.
Where can I find the VIN?
You can find the VIN of your car on:
- the alloy plate under the car bonnet: firewall or strut tower
- the driver’s side door frame
- the passenger’s side interior dashboard
Other places to locate the VIN (on paperwork or websites) include:
- Certificate of Registration (Rego)
- insurance card or insurance policy
-
government services websites where plate numbers can be entered. Examples of the VIC and QLD government websites include
vicroads.vic.gov.au
service.transport.qld.gov.au
Understanding the significance of Vehicle Identification Number is important when registering, selling or finding spare parts for your vehicle. This unique identifier provides essential information about a car`s characteristics and history, enabling smoother transaction and better maintenance.