How to Determine the Manufacturing Date from a Vehicle's VIN?
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To determine the manufacturing date from a vehicle's VIN, focus on the 10th character, which indicates the production year. Note that the specific production month cannot be identified from the VIN. The year may be represented by a number or a letter, following a 30-year cycle, and the letters 'O' and the number '10' are excluded from this coding system. The VIN consists of 17 characters, each with a specific meaning: 1. The first three characters represent the country of manufacture, the manufacturer, and the vehicle type. 2. Characters 4 to 8 detail vehicle characteristics, such as the model, body type, engine type, and gross vehicle weight rating. 3. The 9th character is a check digit used to verify the VIN's accuracy. 4. The 11th character indicates the assembly plant. 5. Characters 12 to 17 represent the production sequence number.