What to know about your VW VIN Code

V EHICLE  I DENTIFICATION  N UMBER

Your VIN code is an easy way to identify the precise VW you have, how old it is and what type of engine is in it.  It’s also a great way to confirm your ordering the right parts.  You can think of it as a birth certificate for your Volkswagen.

Where can I find the VIN code on my Volkswagen?

Your VIN code can be found in several place on your VW.  Easiest places to find your vin are

1. Drivers side bottom corner of the windshield
2. Drivers side doorwell sticker or drivers side door
3. Etched glass on windows

A VIN code is 17 characters long.  It is an alphanumerical code (a mix of letters and numbers).

Each number or letter communicates important information about different aspects of your car i.e. what type of engine it has, where it was made, which series or model it is.

1 ^st character:   Country it was manufactured:

1= USA  3= Mexico  9 = Brazil

2 ^nd character:   Manufacturer  

A= Audi  B= VW of Brazil  V= Volkswagen 

For Volkswagen it’s usually “V”, however on occasion you may need the first 3 digit World manufacturer Identifier number for it to make sense.

3 ^rd character: Vehicle type

1= pickup/truck   2= MPV (multipurple Vehicle)   U= Passenger Car (audi) W = Passenger Car (VW)

Some of the most common World Manufacturing Identifiers are

WVW  - Volkswagen Cars

WVG  - Volkswagen SUVs (Gelande)

WV1  -  Volkswagen Commercials

WV2  -  Volkswagen Bus, Van

WV3  -  Volkswagen Trucks

VWV  -  Volkswagen Spain

AAV  -   Volkswagen South Africa

1VW  -  Volkswagen USA (cars)

1V1  -    Volkswagen USA (commercials)

3VW  -   Volkswagen Mexico

8AW  -   Volkswagen Argentina

9BW  -   Volkswagen BrazilWAU  - 

AudiTRU  - Audi Hungary

93V  -  Audi Brazil

4 ^th   character: Body Style

5 ^th character: Engine

6 ^th character:  Restraint system

7 ^th - 8 ^th character: Model

16= Jetta, 1C= New Beetle, 1G Golf/Jetta, 1H Golf/Jetta, 31=Passat, 3A=Passat

11  -  Beetle (Brazilian, Mexican, Nigerian)

13  -  Scirocco 3

14  -  Caddy Mk 1 (European Golf 1 pickup)

15  -  Cabriolet (1980 Beetle, Golf 1)

16  -  Jetta 1 and 2 (early)16  -  Beetle (2012-on)

17  -  Golf 1

18  -  Iltis

19  -  Golf 2 (early)

1C  -  New Beetle (US market)

1E  -  Golf 3 Cabriolet

1F  -  Eos

1G  -  Golf and Jetta 2 (late)

1H  -  Golf and Vento 3

1J  -  Golf and Bora 4

1K  -  Golf and Jetta 5, 6

1T  -  Touran

1Y  -  New Beetle Cabriolet

24  -  T3 Transporter Single/Double Cab Pickup

25  -  T3 Transporter Van, Kombi, Bus, Caravelle

28  -  LT Transporter 1

2D  -  LT Transporter 2

2E  -  Crafter

2H  -  Amarok

2K  -  Caddy, Caddy Maxi 3

30  -  Fox (US model ex-Brazil)

31  -  Passat 2

32  -  Santana sedan

33  -  Passat 2 Variant

3A  -  Passat 3, 4

3B  -  Passat 5

3C  -  Passat 6, Passat CC

3D  -  Phaeton

50  -  Corrado (early)

53  -  Scirocco 1 and 2

5K  -  Golf and Jetta 6

5M  -  Golf Plus

5N  -  Tiguan

5Z  -  Fox (Europe)

60  -  Corrado (late)

6K  -  Polo Classic, Variant 3

6N  -  Polo 3

6R  -  Polo 5

6X  -  Lupo

70  -  T4 Transporter Vans and Pickups

74  -  Taro

7H  -  T5 Transporter

7L  -  Touareg 1

7M  -  Sharan

7P  -  Touareg 2

86  -  Polo and Derby 1 and 2

87  -  Polo Coupe

9C  -  New Beetle

9K  -  Caddy 2 Van (ex-SEAT Ibiza)

9N  -  Polo 4

9U  -  Caddy 2 Pickup (ex-Skoda Felicia)

AA  -  Up

9 ^th character: Check Digit, Manufacturer’s internal code.  This number verifies the pervious numbers within the VIN.   (It’s really for the manufactures use).

10 ^th character:   Vehicle Model Year

11 ^th character:  VW has factories throughout the world  The 11 ^th digit specifies which factory

A  -  Ingolstadt,Germany

B  -  Brussels, Belgium

C  -  Chattanooga, USA

D  -  Bratislava, Slovakia

E  -  Emden, Germany

F  -  Ipiranga / Resende, Brazil

G  -  Graz, Austria

H  -  Hanover, Germany

K  -  Osnabrück, Germany

L  -  Lagos, Nigeria

M  -  Puebla, Mexico

N  -  Neckarsulm, Germany

P  -  Mosel, Germany

R  -  Martorell, Spain

S  -  Salzgitter, Germany

T  -  Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (up to 1994)

T  -  Taubaté, Brazil

U  -  Uitenhage, South Africa

V  -  Westmoreland, USA (up to 1994)

V  -  Palmela, Portugal (from 1994)

W  -  Wolfsburg, Germany

X  -  Poznan, Poland

Y  -  Pamplona, Spain

1    -  Győr, Hungary

2    -  Anting, China

3  -  Changchun, China

4  -  Curitiba, Brazil

6  -  Düsseldorf, Germany (Mercedes-Benz)

7  -  Ludwigsfelde, Germany (Mercedes-Benz)

8  -  Dresden, Germany

8  -  General Pacheco, Argentina

12 ^th -17 ^th Character:   Unique identifying characters for each individual vehicle