I recently bought a 190c and need help trying to find the vin. On the registration it reads 11 digits but I heard that those years came with 14 digit vins. Where else can I find the vin? And anyone out there know of any vin decoder for 14 digit vins? thanks

Generally speaking, all mb's I've seen are on the passenger door or under the hood up front under the grill (that's where mine is; 71 250)

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Current:
1971 Mercedes Benz 250 (Euro Spec)
1972 Mercedes Benz 250 (US Spec)
Past:
1972 Mercedes Benz 280

Maybe this will help. At least it will give you someplace to start.

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On the fintails, the vin (more like a serial number, actually) can be found stamped on the front right frame rail beneath the air filter. It has a six digit chassis number, a two digit market/transmission number, and a six digit serial number.

There is also a plate on the upper radiator support just to the left (right if looking from back of the car) of the hood latch with the same numbers.

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1981 300TD 310k miles
1970 280sel 172k miles
1966 230 Fintail 162k miles

"Where are we going? And why am I in this hand basket?"

As Carpenterman said, on top of the radiator support next to the hood latch should be a riveted on metal tag with the serial number and gross vehicle weights. This is assuming the radiator support has not been replaced. Some had the tag on the lower part of the A-pillar, when you the open the left door and look where the dome light switch is, but I think that was just on the last year of that body style (1968). The number should be stamped on the frame as well, but I have seen a car where that number did not match the tag number, but I think that might have been a typo in the stamped number as it was only one digit off. The number for your car should be 110.010-##-######, where the middle two numbers will be 10 for a manual transmisson or 12 for an automatic, and the last six are the serial number.

I saw one of these plates the other day. It was located on the radiator support, just to the right of the hood latch if you are standing in front of the car and looking back at it.

A very unimpressive looking thing, just a flat piece of metal with some numbers stamped into it. But the bottom line was the VIN. It did not identify it as such, but that's what it was.

This was on a 1966 230, which is a W110.

It was also painted body color, but this could be where a repair was done and it was just sprayed over. A lot can change in 47 years.

I've seen plates like that on some (raised stamped numbers), but it is not the actual "VIN" plate. I suspect they are the option and order codes for the car. The "VIN" plate is black and silver with printed numbers and a raised stamped serial number, much more professional looking.

You are correct. This looked like an option plate or a paint code plate.

It did have the VIN stamped into it on the bottom line, but it is not 'the' VIN plate and for a good reason: Such a tacked on plate can easily be switched from one car to the next.

Hate to break it to you, but the actual "VIN" plate is attached the same way. I also think it was a bad idea to attach it to the radiator support because if you get into a front end collision, guess what is one of the first parts to get bent up. Maybe that is why the number was also stamped into the frame rail. Of course I also think it is stupid that some newer cars put the VIN & info sticker on the driver's door since that is also a part that is likely to get hit in an accident.

Oh, I know. But the VIN is stamped into the car in other areas, so I have always looked at the 'original' vin as just something to start with.

An interesting VIN story.... When Tim McVeigh blew up the building in Oklahoma City he had tried to remove all the VIN numbers from the truck he rented. He did not know that the VIN was also stamped inside the real axle housing and that the only way to get at it was to cut the housing apart.

There;s a difference between the chassis number and "a vin". Your local DMV wants the paperwork from the last guy that owned it. Back in the 60s and 70s, different DMVs used different standards for VINs and they worked well for the american iron, but not the european stuff.

If you're in NY, the 14 digit mercedes chassis number got shortened by loosing the first digit, since it was always a 1. However, some DMV clerks did a complete hatchet job on the chassis number.

Another classic problem is when the car sat on a dealer's lot for 2 years before it got registered, so the DMV has the wrong year for the car on the paperwork. Both issues can be corrected if you have them and really want them fixed. Of course, every state is different.

There are plenty of places to find the chassis number on the car. Most have been pointed out for you. What's the next question? (there's always a next question).

-CTH

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- cth350@gmail.com
http://www.111lakeside.com/