Having been around for the nearly 16 years now, the site has covered the following:
- Paint codes Ultimate CB7 Paint code guide
- Tranmission codes F-Series/H-Series Transmission Codes and Ratios Master List
But no one has really broken down the VIN codes, and well with new enthusiasts, comes the same question :
'Is my car really JDM if it has a JHM in the VIN number even though it was sold in the US?'
In short: NO
You see Honda split the manufacturing of the CB7 chassis between 7 factories with a majority of the US models originating out of two: Japan and North America but for now, we are just going to focus on the two that we commonly see here.
A. Honda of America at Marysville, OH (Majority of the US and Canadian cars were built here, all coupes were manufactured here including the RHD versions for exports to Japan and beyond and production of the wagon began in late 1990 for the '91 MY with that model mostly being sold here. Wagon models in Europe and other parts of the world are very rare)
C.Honda of Japan at the Sayama Factory in Saitama, Japan (Most SEs and some EXs were built here)
Now you might be asking 'Well what are those letters next to those lines that you wrote?'
Those are called factory codes:
On most CBs that are sold here in the US within that VIN tag you usually see an A or a C towards the end of that serial number.
A is designated for the Ohio factory while C is designated for the Sayama Factory.
The breakdown:
So for example, let's break down the 17 digit VIN in 8 sections. They will be highlighted for better understanding of it:
The first section which consists of 3 characters denote which factory built (highlighted in red)
JHM|CB7|5|4|*|L|C|00001
JHM:
Honda Motor Co. LTD Japan
Honda Passenger Car
1HG
Honda of America Mfg, Inc USA
Honda Passenger car
The 2nd section indicate the chassis type (highlighted in yellow )
CB7 is most sedans and coupes
CB9 is all wagons
Side note: CB3 which you will see in some other parts of the world were mostly designated for European and Asian specific markets..now it's used as a search term on sites like eBay for used Japanes and sometimes European parts
The 3rd section (highlighted in lime green) is the door and transmission type and in this Honda uses the following:
1: 2 - door 5 - speed manual
2: 2 - door 4 - speed automatic
5: 4 - door 5 - speed manual
6: 4 - door 4 - speed automatic
7: 5 - door 5 - speed Manual (1991 to 1993)
8: 5 - door 4 - speed Automatic (1991 to 1993)
The 4th section is the vehicle grade or trim level (highlighted in orange )
**At the time of write-up the SEs were not noted in the FSMs I had for the 1990 and 1992 FSMs**
For the US models:
4: DX
5: LX
6: EX
8: SE
For the Canadian models:
4: LX
5: EX-R (4 door)
EX-R w/o a/c (2 door)
6: EX-R (4 door)
EX-R with A/C (2 door)
The 5th section: * is the check digit or in this case a validation number for the VIN (highlighted in cyan )
The 6th section denotes the model year (high lighted in sky blue)
L is 1990
M is 1991
N is 1992
P is 1993
The 7th section is the factory code,refer back to the top for the breakdown (high lighted in palerurqouise
And then finally the 8th section which consists of 6 digits, is the serial number in which in this case is the number of the car coming down the assembly line ( highlighted in Magenta )
Hopefully this aids you into a better understandinf of the origins of your car.
- Paint codes Ultimate CB7 Paint code guide
- Tranmission codes F-Series/H-Series Transmission Codes and Ratios Master List
But no one has really broken down the VIN codes, and well with new enthusiasts, comes the same question :
'Is my car really JDM if it has a JHM in the VIN number even though it was sold in the US?'
In short: NO
You see Honda split the manufacturing of the CB7 chassis between 7 factories with a majority of the US models originating out of two: Japan and North America but for now, we are just going to focus on the two that we commonly see here.
A. Honda of America at Marysville, OH (Majority of the US and Canadian cars were built here, all coupes were manufactured here including the RHD versions for exports to Japan and beyond and production of the wagon began in late 1990 for the '91 MY with that model mostly being sold here. Wagon models in Europe and other parts of the world are very rare)
C.Honda of Japan at the Sayama Factory in Saitama, Japan (Most SEs and some EXs were built here)
Now you might be asking 'Well what are those letters next to those lines that you wrote?'
Those are called factory codes:
On most CBs that are sold here in the US within that VIN tag you usually see an A or a C towards the end of that serial number.
A is designated for the Ohio factory while C is designated for the Sayama Factory.
The breakdown:
So for example, let's break down the 17 digit VIN in 8 sections. They will be highlighted for better understanding of it:
The first section which consists of 3 characters denote which factory built (highlighted in red)
JHM|CB7|5|4|*|L|C|00001
JHM:
Honda Motor Co. LTD Japan
Honda Passenger Car
1HG
Honda of America Mfg, Inc USA
Honda Passenger car
The 2nd section indicate the chassis type (highlighted in yellow )
CB7 is most sedans and coupes
CB9 is all wagons
Side note: CB3 which you will see in some other parts of the world were mostly designated for European and Asian specific markets..now it's used as a search term on sites like eBay for used Japanes and sometimes European parts
The 3rd section (highlighted in lime green) is the door and transmission type and in this Honda uses the following:
1: 2 - door 5 - speed manual
2: 2 - door 4 - speed automatic
5: 4 - door 5 - speed manual
6: 4 - door 4 - speed automatic
7: 5 - door 5 - speed Manual (1991 to 1993)
8: 5 - door 4 - speed Automatic (1991 to 1993)
The 4th section is the vehicle grade or trim level (highlighted in orange )
**At the time of write-up the SEs were not noted in the FSMs I had for the 1990 and 1992 FSMs**
For the US models:
4: DX
5: LX
6: EX
8: SE
For the Canadian models:
4: LX
5: EX-R (4 door)
EX-R w/o a/c (2 door)
6: EX-R (4 door)
EX-R with A/C (2 door)
The 5th section: * is the check digit or in this case a validation number for the VIN (highlighted in cyan )
The 6th section denotes the model year (high lighted in sky blue)
L is 1990
M is 1991
N is 1992
P is 1993
The 7th section is the factory code,refer back to the top for the breakdown (high lighted in palerurqouise
And then finally the 8th section which consists of 6 digits, is the serial number in which in this case is the number of the car coming down the assembly line ( highlighted in Magenta )
Hopefully this aids you into a better understandinf of the origins of your car.
Comment