Buzz
The chassis number represents the final six digits of your car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Therefore, you must locate the VIN to determine the chassis number. Cars and motorcycles have differing locations for the VIN, contingent upon the vehicle type. Meanwhile, the engine number is a unique identification stamped onto your vehicle’s engine. If you encounter difficulty finding the VIN or engine number, there are several places you can check.
Procedures
Locating the VIN on a Car
Review your paperwork. If you cannot access your vehicle or prefer not to search around the vehicle for the VIN, several pieces of paperwork should contain the VIN. These include:
- Title
- Registration card
- Owner’s manual
- Insurance documents
- Body shop repair records
- Police reports
- Vehicle history reports
Dashboard Examination: The most straightforward place to locate the VIN on your vehicle is at the lower left corner of your dashboard. You should be able to view the number by peering through your windshield on the driver’s side of your car.
Driver’s Side Door Check: The VIN might also be found in the driver’s side doorjamb or on the doorpost. Open your driver’s side door and inspect around the edges of the doorjamb for a small white sticker.
- If your VIN is on the doorjamb, it should be located just below the level of the rearview mirror.
- The VIN number may also be on the opposite side of the driver’s side doorjamb, near where the driver’s side seatbelt latches.
Hood Inspection: If you haven’t found the VIN elsewhere, you can open your hood and inspect the front of the engine block. The VIN number may be inscribed on the front of the engine block.
Frame Examination: Sometimes the VIN is inscribed on the front of the vehicle’s frame, typically near the windshield washer fluid container. Proceed to the front of the car, open your hood, locate your window washer fluid container, close the hood, and then inspect the vehicle’s frame near this area for the VIN.
Spare Tire Lift: If you have a spare tire in the trunk and haven’t located the VIN elsewhere, it might be there. Open your trunk, remove the spare tire, and inspect the space where the spare is usually stored. The VIN may be written in this area.
Inspect beneath the wheel well. Another area to examine is beneath your rear wheel well. Go to the back of your vehicle, lower yourself to the ground, and gaze up at your wheel well. Check both sides to see if the VIN is inscribed here.
- You may need a flashlight to view the VIN if it is located here.
Record it somewhere! Once you have located your VIN, ensure that you jot it down and store it in a file for convenient access in the future. Keep the VIN number in a physical file, save it to a file on your computer, or send it via email to yourself.
Recognize the chassis number. Recall that the chassis number consists of the last six digits of the VIN. Examine the VIN you have recorded and highlight the final six digits of the number to identify your vehicle’s chassis number.
Locating the VIN on a Motorcycle, Scooter, or ATV
Search for the VIN at the steering neck. The steering neck is the typical location to find a VIN on a motorcycle. Locate the VIN by turning the handles to one side and examining the steering neck, which is a metal cylinder descending from the handles. The VIN should be engraved into the metal.
- You might need to inspect both sides of the steering neck to locate the VIN.
Refer to your owner’s manual. If you're unable to locate a sticker on your engine displaying the engine number, consult your owner’s manual. Typically, this information can be found within the initial pages of the manual. You might also find a visual guide to locate the engine number on the engine block.
Recognize the engine number. The engine number consists of a six-digit sequence following a three-digit engine code. Notice that the engine number comprises three digits followed by an additional six digits. The initial three digits represent your vehicle’s engine code, while the subsequent six digits signify your vehicle’s unique engine number.
