How long is a VIN number supposed to be in QLD?
If you’re wondering how long is a VIN number in Queensland, in most cases it is supposed to be 17 characters long, made up of numbers and letters. While what if your VIN isn’t 17 characters? Well, prior to 1981, some VINs were only 11 characters, not enough date for vehicles in that age range unfortunately. But if you know the car was made after that time period, your VIN should be 17 characters long. It would be necessary if you are able to do a VIN Check in QLD.
How to read a VIN number in QLD?
The combo of characters means something, but it can be a bit complicated.
VIN characters 1-3
The first three characters of your VIN are the “World Manufacturer Identifier” and show:
- Where your car was manufactured
- The manufacturer and the vehicle type, based on a key
So let’s say your VIN starts with “1FG” — that would mean that your car is a Ford manufactured in the United States. You can view this handy CheckRego.net for the full keyword list.
VIN characters 4-8
The next four characters in your VIN — characters four through eight — are part of the “Vehicle Descriptor Section”.
These characters will give you information about your car’s safety features, body style, engine type, and transmission. This is the type of info that is handy for mechanics, to ensure your car gets the proper service it needs.
VIN character 9
The ninth character is referred to as the “check digit” and is used to detect invalid VINs based on a mathematical formula developed by the Department of Transportation. This character helps maintain and verify VIN accuracy.
VIN characters 10-17
The rest of the characters in your VIN are part of the “Vehicle Identifier Section”.
- The 10th character refers to the model year of your vehicle
- The 11th character refers to the manufacturing plant that made the vehicle
- Characters 12 through 17 include the vehicle’s production number
