Can the VIN be covered?
2 Answers
The VIN can be covered, and traffic police will not penalize you, but be careful not to cover the license plate number. The functions of the VIN: Confirming the vehicle's identity, traffic violation inquiries, batch inquiries for vehicles, and precise parts lookup. How to check the production date from the VIN: The 10th digit of the VIN indicates the vehicle's production year. The specific production month cannot be determined. The production year may be represented by a number or a letter, with codes cycling every 30 years. The letters 'O' and the number '10' are not used. The VIN consists of 17 digits. The first 3 characters represent the vehicle's production country, manufacturer, and vehicle type. Characters 4 to 8 indicate vehicle characteristics such as vehicle category, body type, engine type, and gross vehicle weight rating. The 9th character is a check digit used to verify the correctness of the VIN. The 11th character indicates the vehicle's assembly location. Characters 12 to 17 represent the production sequence number.
I once encountered a situation where my friend thought the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) revealed too much personal information, so he covered it with a small sticker. One day, he was pulled over by traffic police for a routine check, and they immediately issued him a 200-yuan fine and deducted points. The officer explained that the VIN is like a car's ID card, and obscuring it could hinder vehicle identification, affecting processes like ownership transfer, accident handling, and even theft tracking. Later, when he took his car for repairs, the mechanic also had trouble reading the VIN, causing delays. This experience taught me that, no matter the reason, keeping the VIN clean and visible is essential—it helps avoid fines and unnecessary hassles. A quick wipe of the VIN area during regular car washes is all it takes.
