The importance identification of a vehicle is by its vehicle identification number or a chassis number as it is called in some places.  A vehicle identification number is a unique code given to each individual vehicle. A vehicle identification number check is very important when considering the history of a vehicle.  A vehicle identification number check may also be referred to as a vehicle history report, which is the report that can be accessed for an individual vehicle. Just as one gets a house or premises inspected by a building inspector before buying it, it is prudent to have the car inspected by a mechanic and also to do the homework about its ownership and accident history through a vehicle identification number check.

What are some of the issues that may concern a buyer of a used vehicle? One of the things that may be of interest is to know whether the car was ever part of a major accident which may have led to frame damage or structural damage to the vehicle.  You may want to find out that if the car was damaged, how it was repaired and what parts were used.  Generally this kind of information is hard to find but if you dig deep enough, you will find the answers you are looking for.  Another thing that may be considered is whether the car was subject to any flood damage.  You may also want to check if the odometer of the car was tampered with. Conventional wisdom states that if a car has had its odometer tampered with, it is better to walk away. Another piece of information that can be critical to any such consideration is the number of times the air bags were deployed.

Deployment of air bags is indicative of major accident damage. How many times was the car painted and why was it painted. Usually an untouched car would have its original paint intact. Even more pertinent is the information as to whether the car failed the emissions test or was declared a lemon at any point. A buyer may also want to know if the car was used either as a cab or as a rental because if it was, this would mean, usually but not always, greater damage.  Similarly if the car was used by a law enforcement department such as the police department, this information may play its part in the buyer’s decision.  All of this information will help a buyer make an informed decision. Even if a buyer still decides to buy the car, he or she may be able to get a better deal armed with this information.

There is an elementary serial scheme to a vehicle identification number check or a chassis number check which is as follows:

• It is a 17 digit unique number with alphabets, barring the use of I, O and Q as these alphabets are liable to confused with 1 and 0.
• There is a check digit calculation which is compulsory in the US. The way the system works is that in order to validate a vehicle identification number through the vehicle identification number check digit, either the buyer removes the check digit or multiplies it with zero. Ultimately the original value is compared with the value that is calculated as a result. If these values don’t match, you have a problem.  It is always good to ask an expert to help you with a check digit calculation for the vehicle identification number check.

Stolen cars sometimes have their chassis numbers checked but these can be verified through the vehicle identification number check. A proper check on a chassis number will indubitably expose any chinks in the vehicle history and will help you determine whether the car you are buying is genuine or not.