Do you know where to find the VIN number on your N Charlotte Toyota?

Have you ever bought or sold a car and wondered what is a VIN number – maybe even where to find the VIN number? Well, you’re not alone. To start, VIN is short for a ‘vehicle identification number’. VINs are very important and they share a lot of information about your N Charlotte Toyota. Our Toyota of N Charlotte specialists are Making it Simple™ and sharing everything you need to know about your VIN. 

How to decode a VIN number

Before you know where to find your VIN number, you should know what a VIN is and what it means. To answer, a VIN is a series of 17 characters – both numbers and letters – that are assigned to each car by the automotive manufacturer. If your car is from 1981 or before, there’s a possibility that your N Charlotte Toyota’s VIN has fewer characters.

A VIN is never going to change throughout your N Charlotte Toyota’s lifetime and is completely unique – so no car will share the same VIN with another car. Here’s how to decode your VIN:

• The first character indicates the continent where the car was built.

• The second and third characters tell you about the auto manufacturer.

• The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth characters tell you the vehicle brand, engine size, and engine type.

• The ninth character is a security code used by the manufacturer.

• The tenth character tells you the model year of your N Charlotte Toyota.

• The eleventh character tells you about the assembly plant where the car was put together.

• The last set of characters is a serial number that’s unique to your car.

What are VIN numbers used for?

Now you know what a VIN is and how to decode it, but what are they realistically used for? It’s more important than you think. Let’s get into it.

• One of the main reasons is if your N Charlotte Toyota gets stolen, the police can identify your car with the VIN and hopefully bring it back to you.

• You’ll also need it for your car insurance because insurance companies use the VIN to match your insurance policy to your car. Your insurance could be invalidated if you accidentally give them the wrong VIN – so make sure to double-check!

• If you’re looking to buy a used car near Charlotte, then you’ll need to pull a vehicle history report to see its history. You’ll want to know what you’re getting yourself into before buying. 

How to tell if a vehicle is AWD by VIN

As we’ve shared earlier, your VIN gives you a lot of information. But, if you’ve ever wanted to know if your vehicle is AWD, you can tell it by your car’s VIN. But, how do you tell if a vehicle is AWD by VIN? It’s pretty simple! You’ll just pull a vehicle history report, which you can do with CarFax, or use a VIN decoder, which you can do with the Department of Vehicles’s online tool. Also, when you’re reading through the information, you’ll notice that there’s more information than just if it's AWD or not.

Now you know why the VIN is important. The final step is to see where to find the VIN number on your N Charlotte Toyota.

A guide on where to find the VIN number

Where is your VIN located on your N Charlotte Toyota? Here are some of the most common places to find it:

• Stamped on your dashboard close to the windshield on the driver’s side

• On a small metal plate or sticker on the driver’s side door jamb

• Stamped on the engine firewall

• On your vehicle title and registration paperwork

• On your vehicle’s insurance car and insurance policy paperwork

• In the trunk – could be on the inside of a car’s liftgate or the floor next to the spare tire well

• On the frame – check the driver’s side

• On the window sticker

Not sure where to find the VIN number? Talk to an N Charlotte Toyota specialist.

Have trouble finding the VIN on your N Charlotte Toyota, or want tips on how to read your vehicle history report? Contact Toyota of N Charlotte today! We’re open seven days a week at 13429 Statesville Road, just off I-77 at exit 23 in Huntersville.