VIN Number Lookup: Find Car Info Easily

Hi,
"I need to locate the VIN number on my Mercedes W207 (E-Class)."
"I've connected to the CAN bus at 125k baud rate, but I can't seem to detect it."

Best regards,

Francesco.

More information is needed.

What is the car's model year?
What is the scope of your project for this car?

Your car should be compatible with a Mercedes W212.

If you're using the comfort CAN bus, look for the brown or brown-red wires. This is because your car likely has at least three, and possibly even four, different CAN buses.
VIN ID 0x204.
"Of course, it's multiplexed using 3 messages."

gapco wrote:

More information is required. What is the car's model year? What is the scope of your project for this car

?

The year of manufacture is 2011.

"My radio is having an issue. When I turn the ignition key, the display shows 'anti-theft'."
The Mercedes dealer informed me that the radio's functionality is linked to the VIN number and there's an issue with the CDI unit.

Paulius wrote:

Your car should be compatible with a W212 Mercedes. If you're using the comfort CAN bus, look for the brown or brown-red wires. This is because your car likely has at least three, and possibly even four, different CAN buses. VIN ID 0x204. Of course it is multiplexed by 3 messages.

Sure, here is an example:

**Original German text:**

"Die Katze saß auf der Matte und beobachtete die Vögel im Garten."

**English translation:**

"The cat sat on the mat and watched the birds in the garden."

This is a simple sentence that describes a common scene. It uses basic vocabulary and grammar, making it easy to understand.

Here are some other examples of what you might find:

* **Descriptive sentences:** "The old house stood on a hill overlooking the valley."
* **Narrative sentences:** "She walked into the room and saw a man sitting at the table."
* **Exclamatory sentences:** "What a beautiful sunset!"
* **Interrogative sentences:** "Do you know where I can find a good restaurant?"

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

My VIN number is WDD2073021F16xxxx.

Best regards,
Francesco.

CiccioSAT wrote:

Paulius wrote: Your car should be compatible with a W212 Mercedes. If you're using the comfort CAN bus, look for the brown or brown-red wires. This is because your car likely has at least three, and possibly even four, different CAN buses. VIN ID 0x204. Of course it is multiplexed by 3 messages. Sure, here is an example: **Original German text:** "Die Katze saß auf der Matte und beobachtete die Vögel im Garten." **English translation:** "The cat sat on the mat and watched the birds in the garden." This is a simple sentence that describes a common scene. It uses basic vocabulary and grammar, making it easy to understand. Here are some other examples of what you might find: * **Descriptive sentences:** "The old house stood on a hill overlooking the valley." * **Narrative sentences:** "She walked into the room and saw a man sitting at the table." * **Exclamatory sentences:** "What a beautiful sunset!" * **Interrogative sentences:** "Do you know where I can find a good restaurant?" I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. My VIN number is WDD2073021F16xxxx. Best regards, Francesco

Connect your CAN reader and display data in ASCII format (or make log file and convert it to ASCII) and you will see everything. Sure, here are the three messages translated from German to English:

Message 1: "I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that."
Message 2: "Please contact customer support for further assistance."
Message 3: "Thank you for your understanding."
The first byte represents the index (0x00, 0x01, 0x02), and the remaining bytes contain your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) encoded in ASCII.

Paulius wrote:

CiccioSAT wrote: Paulius wrote: Your car should be compatible with a W212 Mercedes. If you're using the comfort CAN bus, look for the brown or brown-red wires. This is because your car likely has at least three, and possibly even four, different CAN buses. VIN ID 0x204. Of course it is multiplexed by 3 messages. Sure, here is an example: **Original German text:** "Die Katze saß auf der Matte und beobachtete die Vögel im Garten." **English translation:** "The cat sat on the mat and watched the birds in the garden." This is a simple sentence that describes a common scene. It uses basic vocabulary and grammar, making it easy to understand. Here are some other examples of what you might find: * **Descriptive sentences:** "The old house stood on a hill overlooking the valley." * **Narrative sentences:** "She walked into the room and saw a man sitting at the table." * **Exclamatory sentences:** "What a beautiful sunset!" * **Interrogative sentences:** "Do you know where I can find a good restaurant?" I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. My VIN number is WDD2073021F16xxxx. Best regards, Francesco Connect your CAN reader and display data in ASCII format (or make log file and convert it to ASCII) and you will see everything. Sure, here are the three messages translated from German to English: Message 1: "I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that." Message 2: "Please contact customer support for further assistance." Message 3: "Thank you for your understanding." The first byte is the index (0x00, 0x01, 0x02), and the remaining bytes represent your VIN in ASCII.

Thank you, you've been very kind!
One more piece of information...

If my VIN number is WDD2073021F16xxxx, and the DLC is 8, then my CAN messages are:

0x204 8 00 57 44 44 32 30 37 33
0x204 8 01 30 32 31 46 31 36 XX
0x204 8 02 XX XX XX ?? ?? ?? ??

XX are the masked bytes, but what are the 4 bytes preceding the VIN?

Best regards,
Francesco.

Quote:

57 44 44 32 30 37 33 30 32 31 46 31 36

is in ascii: WDD2073021F16

Now find that in your VIN. And guess what the first byte in each CAN frame means. The number of CAN frames may be? I don't understand your problem.

Perhaps you are referring to the last 4 bytes in the third message?
"This is because in my message, the values are all 'FF FF FF FF'. Since the VIN is shorter, the system fills the remaining spaces with 'FF'."

Either I don't understand your question correctly...

CAN-Diagnose wrote:

And guess what the first byte in each CAN frame means. The number of CAN frames may be...?

Paulius wrote:

The first byte is the index (0x00, 0x01, 0x02), and the remaining bytes are your VIN in ASCII.

CAN-Diagnose wrote:

Quote: 57 44 44 32 30 37 33 30 32 31 46 31 36 is in ascii: WDD2073021F16 Now find that in your VIN. And guess what the first byte in each CAN frame means. The number of CAN frames may be? I do not understand your problem.

No problem, I have tried to simulate it on my computer. I will attach the analyzer later.

CiccioSAT wrote:

gapco wrote: More information is required. What is the car's model year? What is the scope of your project for this car ? The year of manufacture is 2011. "My radio is having an issue. When I turn the ignition key, the display shows 'anti-theft'." The Mercedes dealer told me that the radio doesn't connect to the VIN number due to a problem with the CDI unit.

Cicciobello,

It's unlikely that the CDI (capacitor discharge ignition) unit triggered the anti-theft system.

Possible reasons for this include:

1. The radio is from a different car and is not the original one.
2. Work was performed on the car's EIS (electronic ignition system), and there was an incorrect reprogramming of the car afterward.
3. The car was accidentally reflashed with firmware intended for a different vehicle.
a different model.
4. A CANbus emulator, intended for features like video-in-motion, was installed in the car. It initially worked correctly but later caused issues.

"Essentially, any radio in that mode can only be repaired by the manufacturer, which is either Mitsubishi or Panasonic, or their authorized service agents who possess the necessary tools."
to do the job.

Changing the VIN number to try and fix the radio is not a good idea because it will cause further problems with the car.

Paulius wrote:

Maybe you are talking about the last 4 bytes in the 3rd message? "This is because in my message, the values are all 'FF FF FF FF'. Since the VIN is shorter, the system fills the remaining spaces with 'FF'." Or I don't understand your question properly.

Yes, I was referring to the last 4 bytes of the 3rd message.

This morning, I tested it on a 2015 Mercedes Sprinter and a Mercedes ML63 AMG.
Mercedes ML63 AMG, and the ID is 0x0B2 (index 01, 02, 03).
Mercedes Sprinter, and the ID is 0x204 (index 00, 01, 02).

Thank you all for the information.

"I will later attempt to determine whether the radio is receiving the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) message."

Has there ever been a situation where the car radio entered "anti-theft" mode even though it was properly coded with the correct Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)?

Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Regard"
Francesco.

gapco wrote:

CiccioSAT wrote: gapco wrote: More information is required. What is the car's model year? What is the scope of your project for this car ? The year of manufacture is 2011. "My radio is having an issue. When I turn the ignition key, the display shows 'anti-theft'." The Mercedes dealer told me that the radio doesn't connect to the VIN number due to a problem with the CDI unit. Cicciobello, It's unlikely that the CDI (capacitor discharge ignition) unit triggered the anti-theft system. Possible reasons for this include: 1. The radio is from a different car and is not the original one. 2. Work was performed on the car's EIS (electronic ignition system), and there was an incorrect reprogramming of the car afterward. 3. The car was accidentally reflashed with firmware intended for a different vehicle. a different model. 4. A CANbus emulator, intended for features like video-in-motion, was installed in the car. It initially worked correctly but later caused issues. "Essentially, any radio in that mode can only be repaired by the manufacturer, which is either Mitsubishi or Panasonic, or their authorized service agents who possess the necessary tools." to do the job. Changing the VIN number to try to fix the radio is not a good idea, as it will cause further problems in the car

.

The radio is 100% original and came with the car when it was purchased.

The tests that I would perform are:
1) Verify that the radio has the correct Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
2) Disconnect the radio from the CAN bus and simulate the CAN bus using a computer.
3) Design an interface that modifies or blocks the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) before it reaches the radio.

Perhaps that would help...

"Of course, the radio stores the original Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)."
Not only Mercedes radios do that.
"If the radio is installed in the original car, everything works. However, if you install the same radio in a different car, you need to know the radio's security code."
I think sending the correct VIN to the radio is a good idea; I would do the same.
But when it comes to cars, things aren't always that simple.
"If you connect an interface to the CAN bus that's also connected to the radio, you'll essentially override the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) message for all ECUs (Electronic Control Units) on that bus. It won't just overwrite the data; it will disrupt the entire communication sequence. This would introduce false data onto the bus, which is extremely problematic."
If you cut the CAN bus that connects to the radio, you will lose many radio functions, including steering wheel button controls, messages displayed on the screen, and power on/off via the ignition key. Therefore, you would need a device like a gateway with two CAN channels.
All messages from the car to the radio should be passed through, with the exception of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The VIN should be transmitted directly by your interface.

Paulius wrote:

Of course, the radio is storing the "original VIN." Not only Mercedes radios do that. "If the radio is installed in the original car, everything works. However, if you install the same radio in a different car, you need to know the radio's security code." I think sending the correct VIN to the radio is a good idea; I would do the same. But when it comes to cars, things aren't always that simple. "If you connect an interface to the CAN bus that's also connected to the radio, you'll essentially override the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) message for all ECUs (Electronic Control Units) on that bus. It won't just overwrite the data; it will disrupt the entire communication sequence. This would introduce false data onto the bus, which is extremely problematic." If you cut the CAN bus that connects to the radio, you will lose many radio functions, including steering wheel button controls, messages displayed on the screen, and power on/off via the ignition key. Therefore, you would need a device like a gateway with two CAN channels. All messages from the car to the radio should be passed through, except for the VIN. The VIN should be sent by your interface.

Exactly! If this were the only solution available, I would create an interface with two CAN buses. The first would be connected to the machine and would pass all messages *except* those related to the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to the second interface.

I tried resetting the radio by holding down the power button for 10 seconds. The radio works normally, but then stops working when a door is opened or the ignition key is turned.
I suppose it is due on waking, or can...