How a Pre-owned Ford F-150 VIN Number Can Reveal Important Facts for Collision Shop Estimators
According to statistics, the F-series pickups remain the best-seller vehicles in the USA for forty-seven years. As you may see, every Saturday morning’s Highway 985 listing contains the name of the used Ford F-150 truck. This vehicle appears to be a top option for buyers of every demographic since it’s easy to find one on private-party listings. The range of prices offered by sellers of trucks varies significantly from $14,000 for a heavily worn-out 2015 XL to a $44,000 2022 Powerboost Lariat. That said, a thorough audit conducted using a seventeen-digit VIN may help future owners save or spend thousands of dollars on a pre-purchased car.
Collision shop estimators see things that regular test drives miss. They know the way the frame straightening, replacement of panels and bumpers, repairs in the engine control modules look like and they detect signs of these processes long after they take place at a body shop. The seventeen-digit VIN of the vehicle gives estimators an ability to trace all previous problems of a car before the transfer of title takes place.
The Hidden Meaning Behind Three Initial F-150 VIN Numbers
Positions one, two, and three in every vehicle’s VIN number contain information on the producer and country of production. In case the initial part of the seventeen-digit VIN equals to “1FT”, it means that the car was produced in the USA; “2FT” is for vehicles assembled in Canada. The next eight positions show the restraint system, body, engine, gross vehicle weight rating, and check digit. The tenth position represents the model year code; “F” stands for 2015, “L” stands for 2020, “P” – for 2023, “R” – for 2024, “S” – for 2025. The eleventh VIN number’s position gives an insight on the manufacturing plant; “C” is for Dearborn, Michigan; “K” – for Kansas City, Missouri. The last six positions contain the production sequence numbers.
Thus, while analyzing the VIN number of a particular 2015-2020 thirteenth-generation aluminum-body Ford F-150, the estimator needs to pay attention to position number eight. For example, it will distinguish a 2.7L EcoBoost model from the 3.5L EcoBoost, from the 5.0L Coyote V8 and from the 3.0L Power Stroke diesel. If we discuss the fourteenth generation models made since 2021, then this position can also help identify 3.5L PowerBoost hybrids with an additional 47-mile electric assist. One single position of a VIN number determines maintenance schedules, possible recalls, and resale opportunities.
What an Estimator Looks for That Escapes Buyers
While conducting a pre-purchase check, most people focus on the exterior condition of the car. The expert will examine the structural components of a vehicle. The presence of ridge marks in the A-pillar weld points to the fact that the 2018-2024 F-150 has already undergone a major accident. A trained estimator also reads bolt-on bumper bracket installation patterns and the frame-measurement record produced by an AccuLine or Car-O-Liner system. It’s necessary to keep in mind that aluminum body of these cars demands specific rivet-bonding procedures. Thus, the estimator may spot a paint mark left by non-certified shops.
It’s quite difficult to notice similar marks after a flooding event. The salt water that penetrates the wiring harness behind the C-pillar and inside the body control module creates numerous problems with infotainment, ABS sensor functioning, and tailgate step actuator. Thus, if the seller says that their car “needs nothing,” there is always an opportunity to reveal some issues at a later date. Welding heat marks left in the process of frame straightening under the chassis rail can easily escape the buyer but an estimator will recognize them when the truck is lifted. Otherwise, this kind of evidence hides inches under the rocker panels.
Checking a Ford F-150’s Title Brand History Using a Commercial Decoder
The two-step check of a used F-series truck includes visiting a federal NMVTIS database and ordering a commercial decoder with a complete history report of a vehicle. As far as the federal search goes, the buyer may visit NICB VINCheck and make sure that the car is not stolen and has not gone through any serious accidents. A professional decoder, however, will reveal much more facts about the truck’s history. It provides service records fingerprints, the whole odometer trail, recall completion status, insurance claims, and any salvage or rebuilt brands in case they exist.
For a Hall County buyer evaluating an F-150 from Atlanta auction listings or East Tennessee private sales, running a Ford F-150 VIN history report traces the title-brand record of each vehicle listed. The report may inform a buyer about whether this particular F-150 has a Georgia clean title after a Tennessee salvage brand. Also, it may show that a certain truck was retitled in Florida just two weeks after the flood event in Carolina.
Supplementing an Audit Report With Additional Steps to Take
If the results of the NMVTIS check do not provide enough information, it’s still possible to conduct a supplementary check. First, a buyer can use the current Carfax or AutoCheck services. Besides, it’s reasonable to connect the OBDII scanner to a car to see all stored fault codes, possible accidents recorded in the restraint modules, and even a flood event. The third step is a visual inspection of the entire vehicle starting with bumper bracket bolt patterns and finishing with the condition of undercoating and frame rails, fender liners, etc.
As a rule, any independent collision shop located in Gainesville, Oakwood, or Flowery Branch will check the body of any candidate truck at a flat rate. Such examination will take no more than ten minutes. It will reveal the absence of significant damages that would cost a buyer many times more a year after he or she purchased the truck.