9 Places Car VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) Is Located

One of the most important checks you should carry out when buying your brand new, tokunbo or some Nigerian used cars is a VIN check. If you are wondering why you need a VIN check for a brand new car, i’ll burst your bubble by telling you that some used cars are refurbished and sold as brand new.

You are on your own if you still buy cars without doing a VIN check in this day and age that cars with multiple combo accidents are trooping into Nigeria on a daily basis.

I’ve discussed with several people who think the VIN of a car is one covert number that you need some high level security clearance to have access to. Some even say they don’t have a clue how to locate the VIN. Don’t allow any car seller to use this bread to take your soup away.

Today, Autojosh.com will be taking us through 9 places we can find the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) of our vehicles.

1. Under The Front Windshield On The Driver’s Side

This is about the easiest place to check the VIN of a car. You don’t need to open the door of the car. You don’t even need to touch the car. All you need to do is stand close to the windshield on the driver’s side. Look at the lower part of the windshield where it meets the dashboard. There it is in the picture below.

2. Driver’s Side B-Pillar

By default, most people check either the first option above or this second option which is also very simple. Just open the driver’s door and check the sticker on the B-Pillar that the door jams into.

3. On The Driver’s Door Frame

In some cars, the VIN sticker can also be found on the inner part of the driver’s door. Open the door and check its edges i.e that part of the door that jams into the B-Pillar.

4. Near The Driver’s Door Hinge 

The part that has the door hinge as seen in the photo below

5. Under The Bonnet

Another place to find the VIN of your car is by opening the bonnet. The yellow arrows in the photo below are pointing to the places you can find the VIN. It may be found on a sticker or engraved to the body.

6. Vehicle Documents:

This is one easy place to spot the VIN of a car especially when the car is not in sight. You can check the vehicle licence, bill of lading, custom papers, etc. I recommend that you confirm the accuracy of the VIN in the documents with what is actually on the vehicle as soon as you can just to be sure that there is no error in the numbers on the document.

7. Under the Rear Wheel Well

Some vehicles have their VIN located in the rear wheel well. In some cases mud must have covered the thing.

8. Underneath the Front Chassis

9. Spare Tyre Compartment in the Boot

Open the boot of your car, lift the spare tyre and check underneath the spare tyre.

If you still can’t find the VIN of your car, there’s a problem somewhere. If you found yours in a place that is not included in this list, don’t forget to give us a hint in the comment section.

Note: The importance of VIN checks cannot be overemphasized but do not rely solely on it as some VINs may have been altered and some records may have been omitted or not reported.

See some of the information you can get through car VIN checks HERE