Car spec check by VIN — factory options & paint code

What's on the build sheet

The build sheet is the manufacturer's own record of how one car left the production line. It's tied to the VIN, so it describes that exact car rather than the model in general. A real example:

• Paint: the factory colour name and, on most recent cars, its paint code.
• Interior: upholstery and colour.
• Drivetrain: gearbox and drive type.
• Wheels: the wheels and tyres fitted at the factory.
• Every equipment code with its description, from driver assistance to heated seats — usually well over a hundred entries.

Paint code by VIN

The build sheet names the paint the car was delivered in. On cars from the last several years the paint code is almost always there too; on older ones the manufacturer often kept only the colour name. We show what was recorded and never invent a code.

On the car itself the code is usually on a sticker or plate in the driver's door frame or under the bonnet — and on Volkswagen Group models (Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda, SEAT, Cupra) also on the vehicle data sticker in the boot, by the spare wheel well, and in the service book. Check the two against each other before ordering paint: a respray in a different colour won't show on the build sheet.

Standard equipment or factory options?

Standard equipment comes on every car of that trim level; factory options are what was ordered on top — a panoramic roof, a driver-assistance pack, bigger wheels, premium audio. The build sheet lists every code the car was built with, so both together. It doesn't mark which items were paid extras and it carries no prices. For "does this car really have pack X?" it's exactly what you need; for what the car cost new, you need the manufacturer's price list.

Which makes the build sheet covers

• Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda, SEAT and Cupra: equipment is stored as three-character PR codes — the same codes as on the vehicle data sticker — shown with their descriptions.
• BMW and MINI: option codes with their descriptions.
• Mercedes-Benz: equipment codes with their descriptions.
• Toyota, Lexus, Ford, Opel, Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Kia, Hyundai, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar, Dacia and Polestar: also covered.

Not available for Renault, Nissan, Mazda and Porsche, or for Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Honda, Suzuki and Mitsubishi — those manufacturers return nothing or only a fragment of the build, so we don't offer it, and you'll see that before you pay. The data is most complete for cars built from around 2012; for Volkswagen Group and Mercedes-Benz cars it's often there for older years too.

Where to find the VIN

• On the Vehicle Registration Certificate.
• At the base of the windscreen, readable from outside.
• On the manufacturer's plate in the door frame or under the bonnet.
• Stamped into the bodywork, usually in the engine bay.

A VIN always has 17 characters and never contains the letters I, O or Q, so they can't be mistaken for 1 and 0.

A free VIN decoder or a build sheet for €4.99?

A free VIN decoder only unpacks what's in the number itself: the manufacturer, the country and plant of manufacture, the model year and, for some makes, the model range. The equipment isn't in the VIN — it's in the manufacturer's production records, and we pay to read those too. For free, a main dealer can often print the equipment list for you. We deliver it in minutes, with no appointment, for every covered make — and you only pay if the data exists.

What a build sheet is useful for

• Buying used: checking the car really left the factory with the equipment in the advert, not something that just looks like it.
• Selling: putting the full specification in your advert. What isn't listed, nobody pays for.
• Paint and touch-ups: the right code for a touch-up pen or the body shop.
• Parts: many parts depend on the equipment fitted — on Volkswagen Group cars, for example, the brake discs follow the brake system's PR code.

What the build sheet doesn't show

It describes the car as it left the factory: not accessories added later, resprays or replaced parts, and it isn't a service history. What has been done since the car was delivered is in the service history check by VIN (€12.99). For when each item is due on that engine, see the service schedule checker.