If you have ever wondered what your VIN code actually tells a dealer or the DVLA etc, this is how to work it out and to ensure your car is as per the original factory spec.

Information courtesy of BM52 on the Defender forum.

Decoding your Land Rover VIN Number


Identifying Your Vehicle Using the Chassis/Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

The following applies to all vehicles manufactured from 1979 onwards (inclusive) that are not of North American Specification (NAS) ¹.

The most reliable way to identify the vehicle you own is to look at the Chassis/VIN number. This is stamped on a plate found either in the vehicle or in the vehicles engine compartment and is unique to your vehicle. It is possible for you to 'decode' this number to determine a large number of things about the vehicle, including the model and model year.

As can be seen in the diagram above, the chassis number is a 17 digit sequence made up of numbers and letters. In the diagram 'x' represents a letter that changes on different vehicles, while 'n' represents a number. The first 3 letters are always SAL, indicating the vehicle is a made by Land Rover.

Geographical Region

S Europe

Country
A United Kingdom

Manufacturer

L Land Rover


Model Type




The model type code is a two-letter sequence (above, highlighted in red) that is found within the chassis/VIN number. It is the 4th and 5th digits of the chassis/VIN number.

Model Code


LB Series III

LD Defender 90, 110, 130, Defender

LH Range Rover
LJ Discovery

LM Range Rover L322
LN Freelander

LP Range Rover (38A)

LT Discovery Series II

Wheelbase



The wheelbase code is a one-letter sequence (above, highlighted in red) that is found within the chassis/VIN number. It is the 6th digit of the chassis/VIN number.

Wheelbase Code


A Series III 88"

Defender 90" Heavy Duty

Range Rover Classic 100"

Range Rover (38A) 108"
Freelander

B Series III 88" Lightweight

Defender 110" Heavy Duty

Range Rover Classic LSE 108"
Freelander Commercial

C Series III 109"

Defender 130" Heavy Duty

D Series III 109"

G 100" (Discovery)

H Defender 110"

K Defender 130"

M Special Build

R 110" (24 volt)

S 90" (24 volt)

V 90" (L/R)

Body Type


The body type code is a one-letter sequence (above, highlighted in red) that is found within the chassis/VIN number. It is the 7th digit of the chassis/VIN number.

Body Type Code

A Basic
Soft Top
Pickup
Hardtop Van Commercial

Freelander 3 Door Commercial
Discovery 3 or 5 Door

B Series III 88" Station Wagon

Defender 3door Station Wagon

Range Rover Classic 2 door
Discovery 3 door
Freelander 5 Door

F Defender 4 door Crew cab non Hi-capacity

H High Capacity Pick Up with/without crew cab

M Defender 5 door Station Wagon

Range Rover Classic 5 door
Range Rover (38A) 5 door
Discovery 5 door

R Range Rover Monteverdi

Engine Type


The engine type code is a one-letter sequence (above, highlighted in red) that is found within the chassis/VIN number. It is the 8th digit of the chassis/VIN number.

Engine Type Code

A 1.8L, inline 4 cylinder, 'K' Series, High Compression Unleaded

B 2.5L, inline 4 cylinder, turbo-diesel

19J 2.0L, inline 4 cylinder, 'L' Series, turbo-diesel

C 2.5L, inline 4 cylinder, diesel

12J 1.8L, inline 4 cylinder, 'K' Series, Low Compression Unleaded

D 2.5L, inline 4 cylinder, petrol

17H 1.8L, inline 4 cylinder, 'K' Series, Low Compression Leaded

E 3.5L, V8 carb, petrol, High Compression

2.4L, inline 4 cylinder, VM Diesel

2.0L, inline 4 cylinder, BMW M47 (Td4), diesel

F 2.5L, inline 4 cylinder, turbo-diesel (200Tdi/300Tdi) non EGR/cat, 11L or 16L

1.8L, inline 4 cylinder, 'K' Series, High Compression Leaded

G 2.25L, inline 4 cylinder, diesel

2.5L, V6, 'KV6' Series, Unleaded

H 2.25L, inline 4 cylinder, petrol

2.5L, V6, 'KV6' Series, Leaded

J 4.6L, V8 Efi, petrol

2.5L, V6, 'KV6' Series, Ethanol

L 3.5L, V8 Efi, petrol

M 3.9 & 4.0L, V8 Efi, petrol

N 2.5L, inline 4 cylinder, VM Diesel

P 2.6L, inline 6 cylinder, IOE petrol

V 3.5L, V8 carb, petrol, Low Compression

W 2.5L, inline 6 cylinder, BMW Diesel

Y 2.0L, inline 4 cylinder Mpi, petrol

1 4.0L, V8Efi, Low Compression with Cat

2 4.0L, V8Efi, High Compression with Cat

3 4.0L, V8Efi, Low Compression without Cat

6 2.5L, inline 4 cylinder, turbo-diesel (200Tdi/300Tdi) EGR/cat

8 2.5L, inline 5 cylinder, turbo-diesel (Td5) EGR

9 2.5L, inline 5 cylinder, turbo-diesel (Td5) EGR without Cat (Disco II)

2.8L, inline 6 cylinder, M52 BMW petrol

Gearbox Type


The gearbox type code is a one-letter sequence (above, highlighted in red) that is found within the chassis/VIN number. It is the 9th digit of the chassis/VIN number.

Gearbox Type Code


1 Series III 4 speed / Right Hand Drive
LT95 4 speed / Right Hand Drive
JATCO 5 speed Auto / Right Hand Drive

2 Series III 4 speed / Left Hand Drive
LT95 4 speed / Left Hand Drive
JATCO 5 speed Auto / Left Hand Drive

3 Chrysler 747 3 speed Auto / Right Hand Drive
ZF 4 speed Auto / Right Hand Drive

4 Chrysler 747 3 speed Auto / Left Hand Drive
ZF 4 speed Auto / Left Hand Drive

5 RHD 4 speed gearbox + overdrive

6 LHD 4 speed gearbox + overdrive

7 LT77 5 Speed Manual / Right Hand Drive
LT77S 5 Speed Manual / Right Hand Drive
LT85 5 Speed Manual / Right Hand Drive
R380 5 Speed Manual / Right Hand Drive
PG1 5 Speed Manual / Right Hand Drive

8 LT77 5 Speed Manual / Left Hand Drive
LT77S 5 Speed Manual / Left Hand Drive
LT85 5 Speed Manual / Left Hand Drive
R380 5 Speed Manual / Left Hand Drive

PG1 5 Speed Manual / Left Hand Drive

Model Year


The model year code is a one-letter sequence (above, highlighted in red) that is found within the chassis/VIN number. It is the 10th digit of the chassis/VIN number.


The following list illustrates which model year and actual calendar period each code corresponds to:


WORLDWIDE, EXCLUDING NORTH AMERICAN SPEC.¹ MODEL YEARS

Model Year Code


Letter Calendar Period Model Yr.

A 1979-842 N/A
B 1984-862 N/A
C 1985-86 1986
D 1986-87 1987
E 1987-88 1988
F 1988-89 1989
G 1989-90 1990
H 1990-91 1991
J 1991-92 1992
K 1992-93 1993
L 1993-94 1994
M 1994-95 1995
T 1995-96 1996
V 1996-97 1997
W 1997-98 1998
X 1998-99 1999
Y 1999-00 2000
1 2000-01 2001
2 2001-02 2002
3 2002-03 2003
4 2003-04 2004
5 2004-05 2005
6 2005-06 2006
7 2006-07 2007
8 2007-08 2008
9 2008-09 2009


Build Type/Location




The build type code is a one-letter sequence (above, highlighted in red) that is found within the chassis/VIN number. It is the 11th digit of the chassis/VIN number.

Build Type Code


A Solihull, United Kingdom

F Worldwide - CKD knock down kit
V South Africa Discovery 4 HSE
1998 110 TUM HS FFR Hard Top XD WOLF
1982 Series 3 Hard Top

*Gone:L462 D5 HSE LUX, L663 Defender 110 HSE, Discovery 3 HSE, 2014MY Range Rover Sport 5.0 Supercharged AB Dynamic; L405 Exec Vogue SE 4.4, 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography, Defender TDCi XS CSW, Defender TD5 HT, Vogue SE TDV8, Vogue TD6, RRSport SC 4.2V8, Classic 3.9 Vogue Auto, Land Rover Series 3 SWB

looking at this list, my RR has a
Engine Type Code

A 1.8L, inline 4 cylinder, 'K' Series, High Compression Unleaded
i think RR 2005 4.4 petrol
Any spelling mistakes are the fault of spellchecker
Previous MG J2, CITROEN light 15 x 2 gone unfortunately
Present MERC 180e, RANGE ROVER L322, JAGUAR XJS, MERC 280SE, MG F, JAGUAR S-Type 6v 2003, jaguar s-type 8v 2004, Ford Cougar

I am trying to find what engine I have in my RR
I believe its some kind of M62, but there seems to be different models
One site said it is 4398ccm
Six speed
Other sites say it’s a three speed
SALLMAMA35A RR 2005 4.4 petrol
Any spelling mistakes are the fault of spellchecker
Previous MG J2, CITROEN light 15 x 2 gone unfortunately
Present MERC 180e, RANGE ROVER L322, JAGUAR XJS, MERC 280SE, MG F, JAGUAR S-Type 6v 2003, jaguar s-type 8v 2004, Ford Cougar

Your 2005MY L322 is fitted with the utterly fabulous 5-speed ZF 5HP24 transmission.

The table is not entirely correct.

My 4.6 litre V8 petrol P38A had the code SALLPAMD3MAnnnnnn (I can still reel that VIN off from memory )

Note that in that decoder, the D indicates either a:
2.5L, inline 4 cylinder, petrol or
17H 1.8L, inline 4 cylinder, 'K' Series, Low Compression Leaded

Maybe that was the coding for Australia. I'll check a few other P38A VINs. Ron B. VK2OTC
2003 L322 V8 Auto
2007 Yamaha XJR1300
Previous: 1983, 1986 RRC; 1995, 1996 P38A; 1995 Disco1; 1984 V8 County 110; Series IIA

For L322 :

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

p38arover wrote:

The table is not entirely correct

<snip>

Maybe that was the coding for Australia. I'll check a few other P38A VINs.