Cracking the Code: How to Calculate a VIN’s Check Digit
A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is much more than a random assortment of letters and numbers on your vehicle’s dashboard. It’s a complex code that holds a wealth of information about your car’s make, model, and even its manufacturing plant. Yet, among those 17 characters, one stands out as the guardian of accuracy—the check digit.
Read a full post about VIN and why VIN is important
What is VIN and why it is important
This seemingly simple number serves a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of your VIN. Join me as I delve into the fascinating world of VIN decoding, demystifying the process of calculating the check digit, and unveiling the secrets it holds about your vehicle’s identity.
Whether you’re a car enthusiast or simply curious about the inner workings of vehicle identification, this guide is your key to understanding the check digit’s role and significance.
Calculating the check digit of a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) involves a mathematical formula that verifies the accuracy of the VIN. The check digit is used to detect errors or discrepancies in the VIN, ensuring it has been correctly entered.
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VIN break down
What is VIN and why it is important
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to calculate the check digit:
1. Assign a numerical value to each character in the VIN based on the following chart:
A = 1 B = 2 C = 3 D = 4 E = 5 F = 6 G = 7 H = 8
J = 1 K = 2 L = 3 M = 4 N = 5 P = 7 R = 9
S = 2 T = 3 U = 4 V = 5 W = 6 X = 7 Y = 8 Z = 9
Ignore the letters I, O, and Q as they are not used in VINs to avoid confusion with numerals.
2. Multiply each assigned numerical value by the position weight.
The position weight starts from 8 for the first character and decreases by one for each subsequent character, ending with 1 for the eighth character.
For the VIN “1HGCM82633A123456,” the calculation for the ninth character “3” would be:
(1 * 8) + (H * 7) + (G * 6) + (C * 5) + (M * 4) + (8 * 3) + (2 * 2) + (6 * 10) = 337
3. Divide the total obtained in step 2 by 11 and calculate the remainder:
337 % 11 = 3
4. Check the reminder:
If the remainder obtained in step 3 is 10, replace it with the letter “X” to represent the check digit. Otherwise, use the remainder as the check digit.
Since the remainder obtained in step 3 is not 10, the check digit remains the same as the remainder:
Check Digit = 3
So, for the VIN “1HGCM82633A123456,” the check digit “3” is calculated as shown above. This check digit helps verify the accuracy of the entire VIN and ensures that it has been correctly entered.
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