What year is the car with the letter F?
3 Answers
The 10th character F in the VIN indicates the car was manufactured in 2015. Here is relevant information: 1. The Vehicle Identification Number serves as a car's ID card and cannot be wrong. You may consult the manufacturer for verification. Manufacturers who compile and mark VINs must register with the China Automotive Technology and Research Center Standardization Institute at least one month before first using the VIN, and can only use it after registration. 2. The following documents are required for registration: a copy of the "World Manufacturer Identifier" certificate approved by the Automotive Industry Division, vehicle type, the format and images of the marking containing the VIN, description and images of the VIN marking position or area, and an explanatory document for the VIN.
Are you referring to a car with the 'F' designation? This code is quite vague. It would be easier to determine if you specify the exact model, such as the BMW 3 Series' F30 representing production from 2012-2019, while the F80 is the 2015-2018 M3. Different brands use letters to denote years in completely different ways: the Lexus LC500 F Sport could be from 2017 to present, and the Ford F-150 pickup changes its code with each generation. If you want to know the specific year, it's best to provide the full model name or the 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The 10th character of the VIN, whether a letter or number, directly indicates the year. Here's how you can check next time: locate the VIN at the bottom left of the windshield. For example, 2010 is 'A', 2020 is 'L', and it cycles through the alphabet. A friend of mine once bought a used car and discovered the odometer had been tampered with by checking the VIN.
The relationship between vehicle model years and codes is something I frequently encounter during car repairs. For instance, the Mercedes-Benz W123 is a classic car from the 1970s, while the modern FCA Group (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) wasn't established until 2014. When asking about specific models, like the Toyota Supra A90 being the 2019 model year, or the Mazda MX-5 ND generation which has been in production since 2015. There are also facelift demarcation points across different years – the Audi A4 used the B9 platform before 2018, which was upgraded to B9.5 in 2020. Actually, the most accurate way is to check the manufacturing plate on the door frame or the registration date on the vehicle license. Last week, while helping a neighbor inspect a used car, I discovered that the letter 'K' in the 10th position of the VIN indicates a 2019 production year, which didn't match the seller's claim of it being a 2018 model.
