- 08/05/2015
- 1 Min Read
- By: William Yelder
Where Can I Find the Production Date on My Vehicle?
A question that arises when looking up vehicle parts is the location of the production date. Many online parts reference sites and dealerships ask for the production date along with the model and VIN number when certain items such as a DME or anything which year model specific. I personally went through this to verify the authenticity and features of a 1989 ALPINA B10 3.5/1 which I saved at a local salvage yard some time ago. I will share with you how to go about this.
The production date is the recorded date to which your vehicle was manufactured by the parent company. These dates vary and can range across specific model and build year(s). Typically, most cars start a model year production in September of the year before the stated model year. However this is can differ depending on the manufacturer or the car model in question. There are two ways to find and/or locate your vehicles production date.
Manufacturer Federal Conformity Label
The first is the most simple. For vehicles manufactured in or imported into the US, the location of the Production date is usually on the the Manufacturer's Federal Motor Vehicle Conformity Label located on the Center or B pillar within left front door jamb. However when it comes to vehicles designated for other countries or Right hand drive vehicles this label may be located within the right front door jamb.
The picture to the right is an example of the Federal Vehicle Conformity Label on a 1995 BMW E34 5 series. The label has a ton of useful information printed on it. This labeling will have the VIN, Manufacturer, Model, Vehicle Type, Curb weight, and in most cases what factory the car rolled of the assembly line. Some vehicles will have a bar code printed on Conformity label for quick referencing for emissions, Dealership sales and service and Manufacturer purposes.
Vehicle Identification Number
The second way to obtain the production date is utilizing of your Vehicle Identification Number or VIN. This is what most dealerships use to identify your car and it's specific built or packaging. If for some reason your vehicle does not have the labeling on the center pillar you can look it up this way. Most cars have the VIN located in several locations For US market cars, the most visible location is in the far left corner of the dashboard.
With the assistance of the internet, you can input your VIN into a variety of VIN decoders and decipher the production date. These sites work relatively the same as the sheet pictured to the right. By breaking down the VIN, one can find a plethora of information. Some of these sites require only the last 7 digits while others may require the entire VIN.
The exceptions to the use of a VIN decoder this are some special edition vehicles which either have two different VIN, some antique cars, and vehicles from other countries imported into the US with shorter VIN numbers. This would require contacting the manufacturer and further research.
About the author: William Yelder
William is an enthusiast, entrepreneur, BMWCCA member, and admitted adrenaline junky from Freehold, NJ. Preferring the classic lines over modern convenience, he’s continuously improving the performance of his ’95 BMW 5-Series, One bolt at a time.
