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VIN Basics Blog

Jake Maki

Jake has been working in the Automotive industry, with a focus on creating vehicle data and VIN decoding solutions, since 2007.
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Feb 5 2023

Posted by:
Jake Maki

VIN Decoding 101: Everything You Wanted to Know About VINs

This post has been republished with updates since its original publish date of November 2011

As you might expect we get a lot of questions about VINs.  There is a lot of confusion about what a VIN is, how is it used, what information is captured within it and what is not.  In this series we hope to provide a good resource that you can use to educate yourself on Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) and VIN Decoding.  The articles will progressively build from very basic and general information about VINs to more detailed and specific aspects of using them and vehicle data in business and technical settings.  We hope you find them useful.

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Topics: Vehicle

Dec 14 2020

Posted by:
Jake Maki

Squish, Stub, Pattern, Explosion: 25 Common VIN Data Terms Defined

VIN Decoding 101 Part 4: 25 common VIN terms defined

This blog has been updated since its original publish date in Dec 2011

Like almost every area of expertise, VIN Decoding has unique terminology associated with it.  If you haven't worked with a VIN decoder or VIN data in the past, many of these term's meanings may not be intuitive.  Below are the definitions of 25 common terms that you will likely come across as you work with automotive and VIN data.

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Topics: Automotive Data, VIN

Sep 17 2020

Posted by:
Jake Maki

VIN Decoding Outside the Light-Duty and Passenger Vehicle Segment

This post has been republished with updates since its original publish date in June 2012

While the light-duty and passenger segments encompass a large portion of the vehicles that one might be looking to VIN decode, it certainly doesn't cover them all. These additional segments, such as mid-duty, heavy-duty, and motorcycles, each represent huge markets with large direct and allied business opportunities. As a result, there is a fair amount of interest in services to VIN decode these vehicles.

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Topics: VIN

Aug 31 2020

Posted by:
Jake Maki

VIN Decoding "Off-Road" Vehicles

This post has been republished with updates since its original publish date in April 2012

The NHTSA standard for VIN assignment is applied to all motorized vehicles, motorcycles, and trailers that travel on the roads, streets and highways of the US.  However, the NHTSA has no jurisdiction over recreational vehicles not intended to ever be driven on a street or highway.

These "off-road" recreational vehicles are hugely popular and account for millions of purchases and tens of millions of vehicles in use in the US every year. As a result, there is a need to decode and identify these vehicles for initial sales and marketing efforts, resale, registration, insurance, and taxation. 

Are these vehicles able to be VIN decoded using the same principles and decoders used for light-duty and passenger vehicles? The answer is a solid... maybe.

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Topics: Auto Portals, Automotive Data, Vehicle, VIN, Powersports

Apr 1 2016

Posted by:
Jake Maki

What's in the Vehicle Identification Number?

VIN Decoding 101: Part 2 - What's in the VIN?

This post has been republished with updates since its original publish date in November 2011

As we discussed in the preceding article, What is a VIN, there are two ISO documents that established the 17 digit VIN standard and the WMI section of the VIN. However, these documents were only recommendations. The VIN standard created by the NHTSA and enforced starting with the model year (MY) 1981, was required of all vehicles manufactured for use in the US and was much more stringent in its requirements.

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Topics: VIN

Jun 18 2013

Posted by:
Jake Maki

How a VIN Decoder Can Increase Your Online Traffic, Leads and Sales

Incorporating VIN decoding enhances online shopping and sales.

For online businesses that handle vehicle sales, car parts, automobile accessories, or just about anything car-related, you know there is plenty of competition out there. Competing successfully online requires more than just good pricing. You need to differentiate your offering and online experience to make it stand out. By integrating advanced vehicle data and VIN decoding into your customer's online experience, you can create an advantage over your competition's online offerings. The VIN can be used to pull information on the vehicle and provide back to the customer a custom set of offers focused on the vehicle your customer owns.

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Topics: Marketing

Mar 8 2013

Posted by:
Jake Maki

VINBasic HD: Medium and Heavy-Duty VIN Decoder

 

VIN Decoding Large Commercial Vehicles

The medium-duty and heavy-duty truck segments offer unique challenges to VIN decode properly.   Almost all commercial trucks offer many options to significantly customize and up-fit the vehicle. These options and up-fits include everything from engines and transmissions to axles, cab types and body types, all of which can substantially change the details and specifications of the vehicle.  (For more information on the challenges of decoding large trucks see our article “VIN Decoding Outside the Light-Duty Segment”.)  The customized nature and complexity of these vehicle segments has contributed to their being few commercial VIN Decoding solutions available for large trucks.

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Topics: VIN

Jan 23 2013

Posted by:
Jake Maki

10 Attributes of Vehicle Data That Will Sell Your Online Listing

Never before have there been more ways for auto dealers to market inventory to customers - who are able to take advantage of unprecedented availability of vehicle data and methods of comparison shopping.

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Topics: Automotive Data, Marketing, VIN, Safety, Vehicle Valuations

Jan 18 2013

Posted by:
Jake Maki

3 Reasons Why a VIN Database Is Essential For Your Transport Business

Like an individual fingerprint unique to each person, the Vehicle Identification Number is unique to each individual vehicle. And just like the federal government maintains a database of fingerprints in order to access information on individuals registered in the system quickly and accurately, a VIN database can also access a wealth of information on each vehicle in the system in a quick, organized, and easy manner.

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Topics: Logistics, Automotive Data, Vehicle, VIN

Jan 11 2013

Posted by:
Jake Maki

Using Vehicle Data to Increase Parts and Service Sales

Wikipedia defines a "car dealership" as a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level.  If you asked most people who own or work for dealerships, or even consumers, to define what dealerships do, the majority would start by saying "They sell cars".  It is the selling of new and used vehicles that defines a dealership and is it greatest source of revenue.  Most of the effort put forth by the business is to capture vehicle sales, and with good cause. 

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Topics: Parts & Services

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