A Vehicle Identification Number is a unique car number, a kind of vehicle’s DNA that tells pretty much everything about its present and past and even is able to predict its future. For example, if a car has minimal odometer measures and was never stolen or salvaged, - its future is bright in most of the cases. But if the VIN check shows you something opposite – this car doesn’t deserve to be purchased by you. In general, a VIN code shows the place and time of a particular car production and the vehicle’s technical characteristic. To decode a car VIN is to read the history of the car you’re interested in.
VIN Locations
In most of the models, it’s located on the inner side of driver’s or passenger’s door, under the windshield, on the steering corner or near the firewall. Once you see the VIN of the car you're going to buy, you are free to decipher it on any VIN check site.
VIN Description
Is it possible to be an Acura VIN decoder by your own? Partially, yes, especially if you’re a great puzzle lover and have tons of free time.
Acura is a separate brand for premium cars produced by Honda for the US market, so the structure of its VIN in addition to compliance with the standards is completely similar to that of Honda VIN codes. If you are or once were a Honda owner – the Acura VIN code will seem very familiar to you.
The first digit symbolizes the country the car was made in. If this country is the United States, the code is designated in numbers (1 or 4); if Japan – in letters.
After deciphering the first position, take a look at the second one, which is usually a part of the combination of two or three alphanumeric digits. It might be either H4, or TB1, or DC5. If none of them – look at first three digits of your destination car’s VIN code: if it’s 5J8, 2HN, 19U or JH4 – this is definitely Acura.
In order to decipher the rest of the VIN code, match the characters to the charts you find on the Internet, starting with the first one and then further from left to right just to avoid confusion. If you omit at least one digit – you’ll not be able to decode the VIN on your own.
Acura Sample VIN
- 19UUB2F7XJA002959 — 2018 Acura TLX 9-Spd AT w/Advance Package (3.5L V6 SOHC 24V), SEDAN 4-DR
- 5FRYD4H20FB503931 — 2015 Acura MDX SH-AWD 6-Spd AT (3.5L V6 SOHC 24V), SPORT UTILITY 4-DR
- 19UUA9F58CA009793 — 2012 Acura TL 6-Speed AT SH-AWD with Tech Package (3.5L V6 SOHC 24V), SEDAN 4-DR
- JH4CU26639C026949 — 2009 Acura TSX 5-Speed AT with Tech Package (2.4L L4 DOHC 16V), SEDAN 4-DR
- JH4KB16585C010906 — 2005 Acura RL 3.5RL with Navigation System (3.5L V6 SOHC 24V), SEDAN 4-DR
Decoder Description
As you see, it’s not that fun to be a VIN decoder. Acura VIN check on any of the corresponding sites can be done very quickly and in most cases for free. Another benefit of automatic online VIN deciphering is that such sites hardly ever make mistakes: all the information you can get on them had been provided by official organizations and checked for many times.
If your VIN is non-matching, the car you’re going to buy may be a fraud, but not necessarily. If the seller told you the truth about the car theft and accident history, there can be 4 reasons the VIN doesn’t match:
- The original engine had a history of replacement.
- The chassis has a replaced element.
- A cheaper engine was placed into the car instead of the original one.
- Something is stolen: either the engine or the chassis.
Acura was created as a luxury division of Honda in 1986. In 90s, just four years after reaching the US market, Acura captured the field of luxurious sports cars. An acronym NSX means "New Sports eXperimental". If you can’t afford a new Ferrari – Acura will be a perfect decision for you. Not to mention that it costs so much cheaper especially if it’s used.
Acura is now popular all over the world, including China and European countries. The main difference between the Acura models and similar Honda cars is the sporty appearance and the higher level of the serial equipment of the former ones. In addition, Acura represents the most prestigious TL and RL models in the United States that Honda does not offer to Europeans.
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