What Are The First Two Letters On My Car Number Plate
The first two letters tell you where your car was first registered.
The first letter is called the memory tag and is used to group one or more postcode areas. The second letter, called the local identifier, will specify which DVLA office your car was registered at.
View the table to see where your car was first registered.
| MEMORY TAG |
|---|
Why Does Tire Age Matter
Tires are constructed of many organic, natural materials. Like other organic materials, the rubber compounds in a tire degrade with time. Exposure to environmental oxidation, sunlight, weather, the elements, all contribute to slow but unavoidable degradation of the materials that comprise your tires.
How Do I Know Which Body Model My Car Has
This question arises most often on annual models that change model years, meaning to say that the car gets a new updated body. If you think your car is a 2008 model, but you know that a new car of the same model was released the year after , it may be important to look it up. The simplest thing to do is, for example, to Google for images of the older and a newer models of the car. Often, you can easily see which of the bodies corresponds to your own car. Another way is to check Wikipedia, which often has very good information about different car models and about when model changes took place.
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How To Read A Vin
Jason Unrau
A vehicle identification number, or VIN, identifies your car. Its made up of individual numbers and letters with special significance, and provides information about your vehicle. Each VIN is unique to the vehicle.
You may want to decode the VIN for a number of reasons. You may need to find a proper-fitting part according to your vehicle build, find the place of manufacture for importation, or you may want to verify a cars build if you are looking to buy it.
Whether you need to find specific information or if you are just curious about your vehicles build, you can decode the VIN number for a wide array of information.
How To Use The Vin Decoder To Do A Vin Number Check
Enter your vehicle’s 17-character Vehicle Identification Number in the field above to look up and receive an instant report on its manufacturer, brand, make and model, body style, engine size, assembly plant, and model year. The information is provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from the data submitted by the manufacturers to NHTSA. The VIN Decoder lookup is intended for use with vehicles manufactured since 1981. If your vehicle was made before 1981, the VIN will most likely contain 11 characters.
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Use An Online Decoder
Step 1: Look up your VIN through the manufacturer. Visit your cars manufacturer website and see if it offers a VIN lookup.
While not all manufacturers include this, some do.
Step 2: Use an online decoder. There are several free online services to help you decipher the numbers and their meanings.
To find one, enter a search for online VIN decoder and select a top result.
Some decoders provide basic information for free while others will require payment to give you a full report.
A popular choice is Vin Decoder, a free service that offers basic VIN decoding. For more detailed VIN decoding that provides installed and optional equipment, vehicle specs, color options, pricing, MPG, and other details, check out DataOne Software’s complete vehicle data and VIN decoding business solution. Carfax and CarProof are paid vehicle history report sites that also provide a VIN decoder.
Flags On Your Number Plate
National flags can be displayed alongside their identifier.
In the UK, the country flags are:
- Union flag
- Cross of St Andrew / The Saltire
- Y Ddraig Gogh / Red Dragon of Wales
These are the official country identifiers:
- GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB
- UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or the UK
- CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym
- ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng
- SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco
- WALES or Wales
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How Do Auto Transport Companies Ensure They Abide By This Rule
In order to operate legally, all auto transport companies must have a surety bond. This bond guarantees that the company will abide by all vehicle transportation rules and regulations.
The first thing auto transport companies do is check if the vehicle they are supposed to transport meets the requirements set forth by the rule. This means that these companies will not transport vehicles over 25 years old. It also means the company will ensure the motor vehicle meets all DOT safety standards.
Auto transport companies also provide their customers with a detailed contract specifying all of the terms and conditions of the transport, including the 25-year rule. This helps customers to know what they agree to in the contract.
These are just a few of the ways that auto transport companies ensure they are abiding by the 25-year rule. This rule exists to protect customers and their vehicles from any potential harm during the shipping process.
How To Read A Cars Vin Code
Just like a fingerprint, your cars VIN number can tell you all sorts of information, from where it was made and who by to its engine size, safety features, body style and production number. This makes it easy to find the right parts for your car, and check that everythings legitimate before handing over cash on the forecourt.
In this guide, we offer practical tips on how to read your cars VIN code and what each letter and number represents.
Use the links below to find the information you need.
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Make Model Trim Engine & More
Characters 4 through 8 are the Vehicle Descriptor Section . They identify the vehicle brand, model, body style, engine type, transmission and more. Service centers commonly use this information to identify an automakers systems so that they can properly service a car. When you use the VIN decoder tool at the top of this page, we are decoding this information.
What Is The Vin Number
Before getting into the practical steps, we must know the basic concept of a VIN number. VIN number or the Vehicle Identification Number is the unique number of a car, which is used to identify a car from other units. It is a version of Aadhaar but for vehicles only. This VIN number also indicates the year and the month of manufacturing.
VIN Number can be found either on the engine bay or on inside the passenger compartment
The VIN number could be found on the car, usually on the engine bay or the passenger compartment. A VIN number can include up to over 20 digits and characters combined. Using the alphanumeric coding method, the VIN number will not show the manufacturing date directly. Instead, you have to refer to the decoding system of each car manufacturer to read the VIN number. Each carmaker will have a different way of generating VIN numbers so there will not be one single rule to apply to all car VIN numbers. To know what the VIN number of your car is suggesting, you need to refer to that manufacturers rules of creating VIN number.
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Why Are Model Years Not Calendar Years
In the northern hemisphere it has been common practice to introduce a new model year in the last quarter of the preceding year. So a 2020 model may be introduced in October or November of 2019.
There are plenty of reasons given for this some of them sound like urban myths. One reason is that the introduction of new model years occurs around the end of the third quarter, coinciding with the traditional dates for major motor shows in Frankfurt and Paris.
That alone doesnt explain it, however. In the US, it is not unknown for some new model years to be introduced as much as nine months prior to the commencement of the respective calendar year.
And some manufacturers are introducing running changes to the model line with such frequency that the model years have to be broken down into quarters.
At the time of publication, Ford is already taking orders for the 2021.75 model year of Ranger while the 2021.25 model line is still on sale and being delivered to customers.
Theres often no plate or documentation to reveal to the buyer which model year of vehicle theyre buying, but trainspotters will be able to pick them by minor styling details or trivial specification changes.
In short, how a manufacturer chooses to label its vehicle in terms of model years can be very misleading and is frequently irrelevant to whether the car is worth more for being a later model year unless the specification is markedly different as in the case of a Life Cycle Impulse update from BMW.
Find Out What They Mean
You can easily work out how old a vehicle is once you understand the way the ‘age identifier’ changes over time. Here’s our guide.
New registrations changed from annual to twice yearly in 1999. Shortly after, in September 2001, the current format number plate was introduced, made up of three parts:
- Local memory tagThe first two letters show where the vehicle was registered. The first represents the region and the second a DVLA local office.
- Age identifierThe two numbers in the middle show the age of the vehicle down to a six month period – March to August or September to February. The age identifier changes on 1 March and 1 September. The table below shows how the age identifier changes over the life of the current format plate.
- Random lettersThe last three letters are random and give the car a unique identity.
Age identifier
Do your plates meet the rules?
New rules about typefaces and ‘GB’ plates came into force with the introduction of the new plates.
- All new number plates must display the new mandatory font.
- Existing plates need not be changed provided the font used is substantially the same as the new one.
- Number plates must be replaced if they have been customised with stylised letters and figures, such as italics, or with number plate fixing bolts that alter the appearance of the letters or numbers. Failure to replace such number plates may result in keepers risking prosecution.
National flags on number plates
Earlier number plate formats
| Old suffix letters |
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Series Or Generation Codes
Almost everyone who knows anything about the local automotive industry will be able to picture an FJ Holden. The year 1953 will immediately spring to mind. For Ford fans, perhaps the XD Falcon will bring back memories of 1979.
In their day, local manufacturers were very reliant on codes rather than model years to distinguish new designs or facelifts from what went on before.
But the Europeans also separate different generations of model families, with Baumeister codes for Mercedes-Benz W126, W140, W220, etc for S-Class and the Entwicklungsnummer for BMW E34, E39, E60, etc for 5 Series.
And Toyota, among the Asian brands, is particularly well known for its katashiki codes ACV30 for Camry, TA22 for Celica, UZJ200 for LandCruiser, etc.
Outside of the manufacturers own R& D facilities, these codes end up being little more than shorthand expressions for the benefit of enthusiasts.
A VF II Commodore signifies a world of difference from the ZB Commodore…
How To Read And Decode Your Cars Vin
If you spend a lot of time under the bonnet and enjoy DIY fixes, you should find out how to read your cars VIN. This will make it easy to find the exact parts for your car, so you can keep your faithful old motor running well for longer.
Here, we look at what each digit in a VIN code means and how it can help you find out more about your car.
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Why The Age Matters To You
There are two reasons the age could matter to you. The first is that you may simply want the newest one out of the available inventory. The less time a vehicle has been at a dealership, it is likely that fewer people have been inside of it and test driven it. In extreme weather, the newer car has been exposed to the elements for less time.
You’ll probably want to pay particular attention to special edition vehicles that may have been on the lot for an extremely long period of time. A few years ago, a local dealer had two special edition Corvettes on the lot. Even though they were the same model year, one was close a year older. If they aren’t starting it up and driving it regularly, seals and gaskets can start to dry out and fail. Not to mention, the sun beating down on the paint for all that time.
The second reason that the age might matter to you is that you may be able to negotiate a better deal on the car that has been on the lot the longest. As we discussed above, dealers normally want to sell the older inventory first. They might be willing to give you a lower price or some type of incentive to take the oldest one.
Based on what the price difference would be, you will have to decide what is more important to you. Would you rather have a better deal or a car that has been on the lot for less time? Let us know what you would decide in the comments section.
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How To Find Your Car’s Make And Model
A car’s make, model and trim package are often indicated by badges, emblems or decals located on the rear exterior of the vehicle.
This is the easiest way to determine your vehicle’s make and model. If you are having trouble determining your vehicle’s make or model by inspecting the exterior of the car, you can find it printed on the vehicle registration certificate or in your owner’s manual.
You can use your vehicle identification number to find information about your car, like equipment specifications, the model year and even the factory where it was manufactured. Find your VIN on the driver’s side dashboard.
- They’ve been 17 digits long since model year 1981
- You can then use a VIN tracking tool to look up information about your vehicle
Year Model Model Year Or Vehicle Year Of A Car
The rules about how a car model is specified have changed in recent years, which has created a great conceptual confusion amongst both consumers and car dealers. Is the car of a certain year model or of another model year? It’s easy to get lost and be “fooled”, for example, when buying a used car. Which concept is most important depends on what you are looking for. In any case, it’s important information when buying precut window tint film for your car.
Previously, the manufacturers decided what year model a car would have, but with harmonization in the EU, this has changed. Nowadays, the car gets its year model on the date it is registered, but the manufacturers give it a model year so that you can see what version the car is.
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What About The Eu Symbol On Car Number Plates After Brexit
If you have the EU symbol on your car registration plate, you wont have to remove it now the UK has left the EU.
But if youre driving in Europe without one, the DVLA say you must have an EU or GB flag on your number plate.
You can also have the UKs other national flags on your number plate, but they must say which country you are from.
For example, if you have the Cross of St George, it must also say ENG too.
If you dont have any flags on your number plate, you need to put a GB sticker on your car when driving on the continent.
All other number plate formats must also feature a GB sticker on the vehicle.
Now the UK has the left the EU, the rules may change. Of course, well update you if this is the case.
Wont My Tread Run Out Long Before My Tires Expire
Most likely. Tire tread wear associated with typical driving and use will probably expire your tires long before they expire due to age.
Exceptions include vehicles that are used only occasionally, such as classic or show cars. And dont forget spare tires, which are often not replaced over the lifetime of the vehicle. Under usual spare tire storage conditions , these unused tires may still be mounted in emergency circumstances some years past usual tire life. However, particularly if your vehicle mounts its spare tire on the exterior of the vehicle, its a good idea to check on condition at least once per year.
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