VIN Checks

VIN checks or Chassis Checks are an excellent way to combat Vehicle "cloning", a scam that has grown at an alarming rate over the last few years. Cloning is a term used to describe a vehicle that has had its identity changed, usually because it is actually a stolen vehicle. Imagine going to a salvage yard and writing down the registration number of a vehicle, all you have to do to find the same vehicle, same colour, and put new registration plates bearing the number of the vehicle at the salvage yard, you now have a "ringer". However, if someone was to look a little closer and write down the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), then by using the www.mycarcheck.com VIN check service, you would discover that it would not match. If this should happen to you, you should call the Police and walk away - there is no excuse if the VIN does not match the Registration number and Tax disc.

Professional car thieves will actually change the VIN number on the vehicle so look closely to see if it looks original and always check under the bonnet for the second marker. You can call 0870 241 4259 and you will be given advice on where the VIN actually is on any given vehicle. If in doubt walk away, there are many thousand of perfectly legit vehicles out there.

Most VIN numbers are displayed on the nearside (passenger side) of a cars front windscreen, you will be able to see this from outside the vehicle, but always find the second VIN, as described above. Another good idea is to check the engine number as most car crooks do not bother with this. At mycarcheck.com this number will be given to you when you carry out a vehicle check online.

VIN numbers carry a code within them and manufacturers and specialist companies such as The Vehicle Inspection Company (UK) Ltd can decode VIN numbers for use within the Motor Industry for identifying vehicles accurately including parts and trim. It can also tell where the vehicle was manufactured and the general specification, but the most common use is for identifying ringers or clones and for the Police who use it to identify burnt out vehicles and seriously damaged vehicles.

Always be careful with vehicles that have a private number or cherished plates on. This is not an issue in itself but if a vehicle is written off then put back on the road the seller may legitimately change the registration in an attempt to hide the "write off". At mycarcheck.com we use the VIN and this is not changed - it does not matter how many plates the vehicle has had, the "write off" will always be a "Write Off" when checking the VIN against the ABI total loss register, the way we perform checks at mycarcheck.com.

In the USA everyone checks a vehicle by the VIN number alone, they would not consider a purchase with out doing this. Remember that all UK VIN numbers over the last 10 years are composed of 17 numbers and letters. Be careful with Z and 2 and with 5 and S, these are common errors why a VIN will not match a legitimate vehicle.