Scirocco Production Information

General discussion focusing mainly on the cars and the Scirocco Register - other stuff within reason.
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ThomasD
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Scirocco Production Information

Post by ThomasD »

I meant to post this before and totally forgot about it until recently when Dr. Dub got me looking at it again.

Many of you may already know how to determine your car's production date if you care, but I didn't know it until Eric (StormRunner) showed me. I thought I would post it here in case anyone else was interested.

On the slam panel of the Scirocco is a Production Identification Number (PKN) which contains the date your Scirocco's body shell was made*

*Edit - When I posted this originally, I thought this was the production date of the vehicle. It isn't. It is the date the body shell was made. The "manufacture" date of the vehicle - that is when the entire car is completed - will be several days later. Only VW can supply the exact manufacture date. After looking a several examples of PKN dates and manufacture dates, it seems like the manufacture date is often 5-10 days after the PKN date. Except in GT_II's case who has a manufacture date before the PKN date, which we can't explain :-)

The number is in the format WWD-SSSS

WW is the week of the year
D is the day of the week (Monday =1, Tuesday =2, etc)
SSSS is a factory serial number (and not the number of the car "off the line" that day)

So if you know the model year of your car (which the VIN can confirm), you can look at a calendar, count WW weeks in, and figure out which day your car's body was produced. If you car was manufactured after August 1, you will need to look at the previous year's calendar. For example, if your model year is 1984, but your week number is 44, your car was made in 1983, so you need to count 44 weeks into the 1983 calendar. This is because VW starts producing "next year's" model August of the current year. If your car has a week number before August, look at the calendar for your model year. For example, my Scirocco Production Identification Number starts 153. Since my car is a 1984 model, this translates into Wednesday, April 11th, 1984.

This information is also on the top line of the build sticker normally located in the boot of the car.

The Build Sticker has other interesting information, including a precise designation of your car starting with either 531 for LHD Mk1, 532 for RHD Mk1, 533 for LHD Mk2 or 534 for RHD Mk2. Following that is a three character string based on model trim specification, engine and gearbox. These three character codes are model year specific. For a Mk2 Storm, it is "C34". Below that are the specific engine code, gearbox code, exterior color code, interior code, and options your car was built with (M codes - for example 560 is a steel sliding roof). There are various websites where you can look up codes.

One other neat thing - on the same top line as the Production Identification Number, at the far right is a 2 character code. For cars exported from Germany, this is the port your car was shipped to.

For example, if you have "EG", that is Grimsby. In my case, I have "EN" which I believe is Sheerness. Other codes are "EB" for Belfast, "EL" for Leith and "EP" for Ramsgate

Edit - we were able to determine the number before the port code is the importer code for a geographic area. "210" is for England. These numbers aren't readily available and may have changed over time. A number of values in the 400s (401,420,421,423,426) were used for the US in the 1980s. Today, the US uses 444. 999 is and was used for Canada. Vehicles destined for Germany have a code representing a distribution region within Germany.

Anyhow, nothing that will change your life, but may amuse you for a few moments.

Enjoy,
Tom
Last edited by ThomasD on Fri Apr 02, 2021 12:38 am, edited 6 times in total.


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by RussGLAuto »

Very interesting Tom,

I did winder what the tag on the slam panel indicated. You are correct that the EN code is for Sheerness, this was decoded on the birth certificate I got from VW.

What the certificate could not tell me was one of the M codes. There are three on the boot sticker:

A26 - Unknown
415 - Allow Wheels
527 - Passenger side wing mirror

Any idea what the A26 code could be, as VW don't seem to know either...


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by ThomasD »

Unfortunately I don't know what A26 is. It's just a theory from what I read on a VW Bus page, but I suspect A26 may represent a collection of M options. My car has "A40" which I believe represents a collection of M options associated with Great Britain. A26 is probably similar - also Great Britain but maybe slightly different as your car is a little older - just a guess. But I'm not sure what the exact options are.

The option codes themselves are confusing. Some like 560 for a sliding steel sunroof have been around since the Beetle. When you look at a modern list of options, you won't find it anymore. So you need a list from the period.

Also, it seems numbers in the 700 range correspond with special sales campaigns, special editions, or special packages. And these numbers are reused. For example, 701 is a special sales campaign Mk1 Scirocco, but it is also the Mk2 Slegato and in the Golf world, probably corresponds to something else. These 700 numbers are sometimes written with an "S" - i.e. S701 for the Slegato, S706, S707 and S736 for the Wolfsburg Edition cars, S719 for the Mk2 Storm and so on.

Also, option codes beginning with "R" correspond to factory radio options, for example "R82".

A very good list can be found here:

https://www.clubgti.com/forums/index.ph ... st.283422/

Someone could write a book on this stuff...


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by GTXTRA »

Now this is interesting.

I've just applied for a build certificate for my 81 GTI (registered on 1 August 1981) in advance of the car hating London Mayor rolling out his ULEZ zone to the North and South Circular Roads in London from October 2021.

In theory I will be able to use the the Mk1 as 'a classic' and be exempt from his grasping budget hole fingers from April 2022 - UNLESS I can prove the car was built before April 1981 in which case (I think Mk1 production had halted well before then, possibly August 1980 to allow for Osnabruck to retool for the Mk2) it MIGHT be exempt in time for October 2021... I think. And hope so.

The Mk2's will have to wait awhile as will the 95 Corrado but by then how old will I be?

PLUS watch out for your local cuddly councils slipping in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, Carbon based parking permits and all sorts of other Greta-esque restrictions...


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by ThomasD »

GTXTRA wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 11:55 pm
In theory I will be able to use the the Mk1 as 'a classic' and be exempt from his grasping budget hole fingers from April 2022 - UNLESS I can prove the car was built before April 1981 in which case (I think Mk1 production had halted well before then, possibly August 1980 to allow for Osnabruck to retool for the Mk2) it MIGHT be exempt in time for October 2021... I think. And hope so.
Check your VIN .. according to the ETKA I have, if your Mk1 has a chassis number before 53-B-027 501, then it was built prior to April of 1981. Just looking at the chassis numbers, I think they kept producing Mk1s into March. I'm not sure they built many, if any, in April.

I'm surprised they wouldn't consider something 25 years or older to be a classic and exempt. It seems 25 year old classic cars which are only occasionally driven aren't a significant source of pollution or climate change and perhaps the efforts would be better spent on going after the larger offenders. But then, I'm an engineer, not a politician :-)


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by GT_II »

Very interesting. I had assumed the sticker in the boot was identical to the one in the service record book, but the one in the boot has the additional PKN and shipping codes. The date on mine is 10 June 1992 which doesn't quite match the production date shown on EKTA which is 5 June 1992, so I wonder if the date on the sticker is actually the date the car left the factory rather than date of manufacture. The first line of the sticker is 1638 24-3-1017 210 EG. EG is Grimsby. Does anyone know what the 1638 and 210 relate to?
GTXTRA wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 11:55 pm UNLESS I can prove the car was built before April 1981 in which case ... it MIGHT be exempt in time for October 2021... I think. And hope so.
I think proof of manufacture prior to 1 Jan 1981 qualifies for historic tax class from 1 April 2021. If manufactured on any date in 1981, you would have to wait until 1 April 2022. I guess this is because DVLA only record the year of manufacture, not the exact date. Fingers crossed..

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... hicles.pdf
How we identify a vehicle as historic
A 40 year rolling exemption for historic vehicles has been introduced. You may be able to tax your vehicle in the historic
vehicle tax class from 1 April if it was built before 1 January 40 years ago and is one of the qualifying vehicles listed
below. For example a vehicle registered February 1980 will be eligible to tax as an historic vehicle from 1 April 2021.


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by ThomasD »

GT_II wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 1:52 am Very interesting. I had assumed the sticker in the boot was identical to the one in the service record book, but the one in the boot has the additional PKN and shipping codes. The date on mine is 10 June 1992 which doesn't quite match the production date shown on EKTA which is 5 June 1992, so I wonder if the date on the sticker is actually the date the car left the factory rather than date of manufacture. The first line of the sticker is 1638 24-3-1017 210 EG. EG is Grimsby. Does anyone know what the 1638 and 210 relate to?
Yes, the service book sticker is missing the extra information, and I do not know what those extra fields are (in my case 1639 and 210).

As far as the date goes, all the references I've seen call this the "production date" but is that the day the chassis came together, or is it the day the car passed final inspection? I can't find anything definitive about that. A VW or Karmann employee might be able to clear that up.
GT_II wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 1:52 am I think proof of manufacture prior to 1 Jan 1981 qualifies for historic tax class from 1 April 2021. If manufactured on any date in 1981, you would have to wait until 1 April 2022. I guess this is because DVLA only record the year of manufacture, not the exact date. Fingers crossed..
Chassis numbers up to 53 -B-020 001 would be before 1 Jan 1981 according to the ETKA.


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by Dr. Dub »

Tom could find Lord Lucan, drinking a gallon of Dodo milk, in Atlantis whilst chatting to Amelia Earhart with his amazing research skills. Lots of Scirocco info going back and forth between US and UK lately. Great work Tom. And as for the Slegato.....


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by GTXTRA »

Vw birth certificate arrived, Mk1 built on 15th October 1980.

Tax free from April it is then!


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by GT_II »

Great news still a 1981 model year but exempt from road tax and daily ULEZ charge. Are you based inside or outside the South Circular?

Yep - exactly Matt.

Road Tx and ULEZ exempt from April - I am outside the South Circular where Mayor Khant looks set to extend the ULEZ zone to from October 2021.


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by GT_II »

I read online that VW UK will provide a dating letter to certify the date of manufacture of any historic or imported vehicle made by VW Group, at least those recent enough to have a full 17 digit VIN. You can request a letter by emailing type.approval@vwg.co.uk giving your Reg no, VIN number, name and postal address.

I requested a letter for my GT II over the weekend and received an email copy of the letter this afternoon. This certifies the date of manufacture as 5 June 1992, the date I had found on Partlink24 and ERWIN. I will now look into getting DVLA to change the year of manufacture from 1993 to 1992. This should come in handy when my Scirocco officially turns historic in April 2033!


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by essextom »

very helpful, Thank you


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by RBoreham »

Just given mine a go, will be interesting to see what comes back!


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by RBoreham »

Tried this email address and got an email back saying that they only deal with enquiries post 1997?


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Re: Scirocco Production Information

Post by GT_II »

I wonder if they have got mixed up between dating letters and certificates of conformity, which apparently you can also request from this department. There was certainly no issue with providing a dating letter for my 1992 Scirocco, which came first by email and then by post.

I suppose it might be their policy to only provide a dating letter if you "need" one, eg in my case, I explained that I wanted to apply to DVLA to change the year of manufacture from 1993 to 1992.


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