Date:         Wed, 28 Dec 94 10:56:53 CST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>
Subject:      reading VIN & stuff

On Wed, 28 Dec 94 06:12:29 CST J. Meade said:
>My VIN is WV2ZB0257FH051307.  In looking at some tech bulletins, they
>refer to VINs liek 25 FM 050 887 Dec 84 and 25 FH 037 898 Nov 94.  My
>camper was picked up on site in Germany in late January, 85, so I suppose
>it was built sometime in the fall of '84 - around the VINs shown.
>So - how do I read my VIN to know whether mine is earlier or later ...
>I assume skip everything up to the 25, then skip the 7.  Is that right?
>And how do I get a date out of that?  Thanks.

the date you'll have to get from the sticker on the door post. but the VIN works this 
way:

VIN Interpretation: for model years 1981-1991.
                    (model year 1980 is the same as 1968-1979)

                                                 WV2YB0259DH000000
Manufacturing Country ---------------------------x||||| ||||     |
  W - Germany                                     ||||| ||||     |
Manufacturer -------------------------------------x|||| ||||     |
  V - Volkswagen                                   |||| ||||     |
Vehicle Type --------------------------------------x||| ||||     |
  1 - Pickup Truck                                  ||| ||||     |
  2 - MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle)                   ||| ||||     |
Vehicle Series -------------------------------------x|| ||||     |
  U - 1980-91 Single-Cab Pickup (Pritschewagen)      || ||||     |
  V - 1980-91 Double-Cab Pickup (Dopplekabine)       || ||||     |
  W - 1980-91 Panel Van (no windows in sides)        || ||||     |
  X - 1980-91 Kombi                                  || ||||     |
  Y - 1980-91 Bus (Vanagon)                          || ||||     |
  Z - 1980-91 Camper                                 || ||||     |
Engine Series ---------------------------------------x| ||||     |
  A - 4-Cylinder Gasoline (Air-Cooled)                | ||||     |
  B - 4-Cylinder Gasoline (Water-Cooled)              | ||||     |
  G - 4-Cylinder Diesel (Water-cooled)                | ||||     |
Restraint System -------------------------------------x ||||     |
  9 - Passive (seat belts)                              ||||     |
Model --------------------------------------------------x|||     |
  24 - Transporter (Pickups)                             |||     |
  25 - Vanagon (vans)                                    |||     |
VIN check digit (Manufacturer's Internal Code) ----------x||     |
Vehicle model year ---------------------------------------x|     |
  B - 1981    E - 1984    H - 1987    L - 1990             |     |
  C - 1982    F - 1985    J - 1988    M - 1991             |     |
  D - 1983    G - 1986    K - 1989                         |     |
Assembly plant --------------------------------------------x     |
  E - Emden                                                      |
  G - Graz (Austria. normally for Syncro models)                 |
  H - Hannover (most buses assembled here)                       |
Sequential production number -------------------------------xxxxxx

so the only things you are really interested in is the seq. prod. number, the last six  
digits ... that's the break-point of the fiche and tech bulletins 

.. the 25 F part just means any transporter of 1985(F).  even the date part is 
superfluous info (cause if you get the seq. prod. number, it was only made on one 
date).

now, if you are REALLY interested in the date your car was made, you might write to 
these folks:

Want to know the birthday of your beloved Volkswagen?
Need to know the original factory color?
Want to check the original engine serial number?
Like to know when your VW was delivered?
Write to the following addresses with those questions:
Pre-1955:
    VW Brezelffenstervereinigung e.V.
    Ernst Peter Hagen
    Amselweg 4, D-
    3073 Liebenau
    GERMANY

and for all other VWs:
    Kundendienst / Customer Assistance
    VOLKSWAGEN AG
    D-38436 Wolfsburg
    GERMANY

but be warned: they don't seem to keep as much info on the later models as you might 
think ... when i had my 91 bus, i wrote and they didn't even know what color it was. :(

joel
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