Ever need to order parts for a car, but for some reason you just can’t possibly remember the stinkin’ year model? Perhaps your favorite Uncle Fred (disclaimer: I do not have an uncle named Fred. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental) is asking about his “1979 Buick” when you know good and well it’s about 3 decades newer than that. How do you find out what year a car REALLY is? 

If the car has an owner’s manual with it, that will usually tell you what year it is, but unfortunately, not every car still has one with it. You can check the door placard for a build date which works most of the time, but that won’t always be accurate. Typically, if the build date is 7/08 or after it would be considered a 2009 model year like the example below, but I have seen a car built in 4/06 and it was a 2007 model year. 

Enter the VIN. 

The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) reveals a treasure trove of information about a vehicle when decoded. Visit a VIN decoding website to see just what kind of information can be found in a VIN. 

Check out this VIN to year chart. If you pick out the 10th digit of the VIN, it will correspond to one of these characters. 

Hope this helps! 

Check back next week for a brake job tutorial.