Drive and RestoreFiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia VIN and paint codes: where to find them and how to read them
Two codes on your car save more time and money than any other information when you order parts or paint: the VIN and the paint code. Here is where to find them on a Fiat, Alfa Romeo or Lancia, and what they tell you.
The VIN
The VIN (vehicle identification number) is the car’s unique 17-character identity on modern cars. Older classics often have a shorter chassis number in a manufacturer-specific format instead.
The first three characters: who built it
The first three characters are the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI). For the Italian brands of the Fiat group:
| WMI | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| ZFA | Fiat (passenger cars) |
| ZFC | Fiat commercial vehicles |
| ZAR | Alfa Romeo |
| ZLA | Lancia |
| ZFF | Ferrari |
| ZAM | Maserati |
The leading Z places the car in Italy. Some models built outside Italy carry a different code, such as Alfa Romeos built in Mexico or Poland.
The check digit
The ninth character is a check digit, calculated from the other sixteen. A remainder of ten is written as X. You cannot invent a VIN at random and have it pass. If a VIN fails the check, it was either mistyped or it isn’t genuine, which is worth knowing when you inspect a car you are about to buy.
The rest
The remaining characters encode model, version, plant, year and the car’s serial number. The exact meaning varies by manufacturer and period, so don’t rely on generic online decoders for details such as trim or engine on older Italian cars.
Why the VIN matters for parts
The parts catalogue can filter by VIN: enter it, and only the parts that fit your specific car are shown. Our ePER guide explains how. Running changes during production mean two cars of the same model and year can need different parts, and the VIN and chassis number are how you tell them apart.
The paint code
Where to find it
On many Fiat-group cars of the last few decades the paint code is on a sticker on the left side of the tailgate or boot lid, visible when it is fully open, on the edge that meets the rubber seal. Fiat’s own owner’s handbooks describe it as being on the tailgate post. The sticker usually shows the paint manufacturer, the colour name, the factory colour code and a code for touch-up or respray paint.
Other places to check, depending on model and age:
- around the boot: sides, floor, spare-wheel well;
- under the bonnet, on the inner wing or the radiator panel;
- the door jambs.
When the sticker is missing
Replacement tailgates often have no sticker, and paper stickers fade or fall off. A dealer can usually find the code from the VIN or registration. Paint suppliers can also match a colour name to a code and a mixing formula.
Colour names vs codes
Fiat-group colours often have evocative names, but order by code, not by name. Names are not precise enough to mix paint from, and two similar-looking reds can be quite different on a panel next to original paint.
A tip for classic cars
For older classics, the paint code and the colour of the interior trim also matter when you buy coloured parts such as interior panels, seat fabric or plastic trim. In the parts catalogue these appear as colour codes next to the part number, and the same part can have a different number for each colour.
Sources
- Carcheckervin: Italian VIN and WMI codes
- FiatForum: where to find the paint code
- PaintScratch: Fiat colour code locations and Alfa Romeo colour code locations