Introduction
When you are looking to buy a second-hand Ford vehicle from a friend or family member, it is important to carry out a Ford VIN check with a Ford VIN decoder in order not to buy a stolen or damaged vehicle that will later create problems for you in the future. There are other advantages of carrying out a Ford vin check before signing the dotted lines, including knowing the history of the vehicle, determining whether or not the vehicle has parts that are readily available in your state of residence, as well as knowing the country of origin and year of manufacture of the vehicle.
So, in this article we will take a look at how to decode your Ford VIN to find out the details or history of a Ford vehicle before purchasing it from a dealer.
What Does a Ford VIN Decoder Mean?
A vehicle’s VIN (vehicle identification number) is a 17-digit code that is assigned to all the vehicles that you see on the road by the manufacturers. The essence of assigning a vehicle identification number to every vehicle on the road is for easy identification by the state Security Services in a country. On the other hand, a Ford Vin decoder is a tool that is available online that prospective Ford owners can leverage to keep track of the history of a Ford vehicle before purchasing the vehicle. The VIN number is located in strategic places in a Ford vehicle.
Where Can I Find My Ford Vin?
The Ford manufacturer printed the VIN number on different locations in the vehicle. These locations include:
- On a plate secured to an area on the chassis;
- The transmission housing;
- The left-center pillar.
- On the inside frame or jamb of the driver-side front door;
- The dashboard near the base of the windscreen (driver’s side);
- At the base of the windshield;
- In the doorjamb;
What Can I Do with a Ford VIN?
With a Ford VIN number handy, you can use the number to obtain valuable information about your Ford vehicle, including but not limited to vehicle specifications, vehicle recalls and history, where to find relevant parts and accessories of a Ford vehicle, as well as the year and origin of a Ford vehicle. These are some of the things that you can use a Ford VIN to achieve.
The significance of checking to confirm the state or status of a Ford vehicle before purchasing the vehicle cannot be overemphasized. One, if your car has been stolen, you can contact the police department in your region to help you track the exact location of your Ford vehicle using your Ford VIN number. Secondly, if you intend to purchase a second-hand vehicle from a dealer or even a close friend, you can copy out the VIN number of the vehicle and then use an online tool to check whether the vehicle has been involved in an accident or not.
Additionally, you can use a Ford VIN to check the vehicle’s:
- Market value
- Equipment details
- Fuel efficiency
- Safety rating
- Current warranty
- Recalls and defects
How to Decode a Ford VIN?
The process of decoding a Ford VIN is simple and straightforward. You can either use the process that we will explain below or a VIN decoder.
Once you have your 17-digit code that is assigned to your Ford vehicle, you can start to decode what each character or digit represents in the string. So, if your Ford VIN is let’s say 1FDXF46S12EC58316, it means:
- The first character in the string, which is 1, represents the manufacturing country.
- F represents the Manufacturer (Ford)
- D represents the Vehicle Type (Incomplete Vehicle)
- X represents Restraint Type
- F46 represent the Model (Ford F-Series, F-450, Regular Cab, 2WD)
- S represent Engine Type (6.8 SOHC SEFI V10; Gasoline 275HP)
- 1 represents Security Code
- 2 represents Model Year (2002)
- E represent the Plant location
- C58316 represent the Production Sequence
How to Decode a Ford VIN Number With a VIN Decoder?
Using a Ford VIN decoder is timely and faster than the above method. All you need to do is to visit a Ford Vin decoder like VinPit and then enter your Ford VIN into the space provided. This is how to use VinPit to check the history of a Ford vehicle without compromising any details:
- Visit the VinPit official website.
- Enter your Ford VIN number the way it appears on your vehicle title
- Hit the “search data” button.
- Wait for a few seconds to get your Ford VIN decoder results.
The results will capture every detail that you need about your Ford vehicle before making any buying decision.
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