VIN number check in South Africa for all car brands before purchase
Buying a brand-new vehicle can be expensive. For this reason, most people opt to purchase second-hand or used cars. This does not mean that second-hand vehicles are not in good shape to serve their purpose. At the same time, one should not live in the comfort of an automobile being the best by judging on the first impression that they get when they see it. This reason brings forth the discussion on the VIN number check in South Africa.
Source: UGC
Getting a vehicle is a significant investment, hence the need to ensure that you go for a deal that gives you value for your money. For you to achieve this, it is vital to conduct all forms of checks on the automobile to avoid getting disappointed in the future. How about getting more information on why conducting a VIN number check in South Africa is necessary?
What is a VIN number?
VIN is the acronym for Vehicle Identification Number. This is a unique code that manufacturers assign a vehicle whenever they manufacture one. The code acts as the automobile's fingerprint; hence, at no point, should two or more cars share this code.
Why is it necessary to conduct a VIN number check?
Generating a VIN number is necessary as it is a factor that when incorporated with the automobile's history report, reveals the automobile's analysis of problems. With the results of the check, one can decide whether or not they will purchase the car and whether it is worth the automobile's cost.
How can I check a VIN number?
Every automobile manufactured after 1981 has a seventeen-digit alphanumeric code. The letters I, Q and O are never used to avoid them being confused with numbers. Each one of the numbers and letters in the code signifies a distinctive characteristic of the vehicle. For this reason, the question of how to check the code comes up.
How do you conduct a free VIN number check in South Africa? This unique number is situated on different parts of the vehicle, depending on the manufacturer. The code is found on either of these parts:
- The front part of the engine, right below the bonnet
- The inside part of the driver's door side jamb
- The interior of the driver's side dash
- For most old cars, the code is found in the front end of the frames
What do the characters on the VIN mean?
The first character of the code represents the country in which the automobile was manufactured. Each country has a specific code that it represents. To find out more about the codes, you could do so by clicking here. The second character is the manufacturer, while the third is the division. The fourth to eighth characters represent the attributes of the vehicle. The ninth character is the checksum while the tenth character is the year that the vehicle was manufactured. The eleventh character is the assembly plant while the twelfth to the seventeenth characters represent the serial number.
How to check the year model of car in South Africa
Source: UGC
This is one of the problems that most people struggle with even though it is so simple to decode. If you have established the VIN number of your vehicle, the year model is represented by the tenth character in the VIN. Each of the characters represents a particular year.
Vehicle history report South Africa
Obtaining the vehicle history report is one of the most crucial steps as the report helps you evaluate the cost of the vehicle. It also enables you to get other information like the owner and the possibility of it being a stolen vehicle. You could obtain the history through the First Check website.
Vehicle accident history check in South Africa
After obtaining the VIN and being sure of the model and the age of the automobile, you can proceed to conduct further checks to ensure that you are satisfied with your purchase. Conducting an accident history check is another measure that you need to keep in mind. These are some of the ways of determining the accident history of the automobile:
- Using reliable indicators. These indicators could include unusual noises while conducting the test drive.
- You could rely on the support documentation if there is any available. This documentation could entail the service history of the automobile.
- Seeking the opinion of a pro. In most cases, as a layman, you might miss out on some of the green flags during the first drive test. Seeking the help of a pro might come in handy.
- Checking out for any cracks or mismatches however trivial they could be
- Looking out for uneven gaps in the doors, the bonnet, or the boot. These could also pause as a sign of the vehicle being involved in accidents.
- Observing the differences in the colour of the vehicle. More often than not, the colour of a resprayed vehicle does not match its original colour.
Vehicle number plate check South Africa
The cases of vehicles being hijacked in South Africa have recently been on the rise. This makes it necessary for a buyer to conduct the vehicle number plate check. This vehicle check helps you evaluate the legibility of the seller. You could opt to perform this check using online apps like Carfax, which will require you to pay a fee for the service.
How to verify car ownership
Source: UGC
To avoid the ripple effect of purchasing a stolen car, it is vital for you to conduct the aforementioned checks by obtaining the following details:
- The vehicle's VIN
- The model, make and year of manufacture
- The registration number
- The mileage
- The colour
- The engine number
With these details available, you could proceed to use any of these measures:
Ways of verifying the owner of the car
By clicking here, the AutoTrader website will require you to provide the required details. It will then reflect whether or not the vehicle is among those that have been listed as stolen by SAPS. This check will cost you R99.
If you are not willing to part with any cash, you could visit the Metro Police or the SAPS offices with the required details. They will conduct the search for you and give you a summary of the details regarding the vehicle and its owner. Either of these two processes could also be used if you wish to know how to check if a car is stolen in South Africa.
Cases of car theft have been rampant in South Africa lately. This is one of the reasons why one should be patient and thorough, especially when purchasing a second-hand vehicle. Even though the VIN number check in South Africa is important, conducting the other checks equally matters. It could save you from the ripple effect of falling into the trap of purchasing a stolen automobile.
Source: Briefly News
