skywarn wrote:
how do they know if the 8th place is a 5 (which means CRD) but they only ask for the last 8 places for the VIN?
I just sent mine off...

Because within Chrysler (and all manufacturers, I think) the last 8 characters will uniquely identify the vehicle within a period of time.
For a 2005 KJ vehicle:
5W123456
5 = Model Year (2005) - It changes to A when the numbers are up.
W = Plant Code W=Toledo North Assembly Plant
123456 = 'Serial Number' counted in the order they are ordered, not actually built
Sure it isn't completely unique since the model year repeats evey 30 years or so. The 17 digit VIN wasn't defined by the feds all that long ago, back in the 70s as I recall...any collectors know when it started? However 30 years from now they'll be able to tell if you're talking about your 2005 CRD or your 2035 Jeep Bio-Diesel Plug-in Hybrid Interplanetary Hover Craft.
