Window stickers, build sheets and data cards: finding a car’s original spec
The US window sticker
In the United States, federal law has required a window sticker on new cars since 1959. Senator Mike Monroney sponsored the Automobile Information Disclosure Act of 1958, and the label carries his name. It lists the price, the standard and optional equipment and the fuel economy ratings.
Carmakers write the sticker for a buyer. It names packages and options in sales terms, so you learn that a car has a sport package and still do not know which brake discs came with it.
General Motors RPO codes and the parts label
General Motors records a car’s factory options as three-character RPO codes and prints them on the Service Parts Identification label. You find it in the glove box on trucks, and on the spare tyre cover or the trunk floor on many cars.
RPO codes suit parts work, since each code stands for a specific option or component. If the label is gone, decode the VIN in the GM catalog to recover the factory build.
The Volkswagen data sticker
Volkswagen Group cars carry a data sticker with the VIN, the engine and gearbox codes and a block of three-character PR codes for the factory equipment. HELLA places it in the service booklet or in the boot.
With PR codes you reach a level the US window sticker does not, down to coated front brake discs, PR code 1ZE. Our guide to VW PR codes shows how to read them.
The Mercedes data card
Mercedes-Benz keeps a data card for each car, with the equipment recorded as SA codes, and holds it in its after-sales records. Enter the FIN, the Mercedes name for the VIN, in the Mercedes catalog and you reach the build behind it. Our guide to the Mercedes data card and SA codes covers it in detail.
The EU label covers fuel and CO2
EU rules require a label at the point of sale for new passenger cars, and that label covers fuel economy and CO2 emissions. It says nothing about equipment, so for a European car’s factory spec you go to the maker’s own record: the data sticker, the data card or a catalog decode of the VIN.
Option lists from free VIN sites
Free sites that promise a full option list from a VIN often work from the model and year and fill in a typical specification. The list can look complete and still describe a different car from the one on your ramp.
Check any option list against the car itself or the maker’s own catalog before you order a part on the strength of it. A factory code from the label or the catalog is evidence, and a typical specification is a guess.
The fastest route to the right part
A sticker or a card helps if you have one. Without one, decode the VIN in the manufacturer’s catalog and you get the factory build with genuine part numbers attached. Start with the free VIN decoder to confirm the maker and the model year, then open the catalog.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a window sticker for any car by VIN?
The window sticker is a US requirement for new cars, so it exists for cars sold new in the United States. The EU label at the point of sale covers fuel economy and CO2, so for a European car you use the maker’s data sticker, data card or catalog instead.
What is a GM SPID label?
The Service Parts Identification label, which lists the car’s RPO option codes. On trucks it sits in the glove box, and on many cars on the spare tyre cover or the trunk floor.
Is a build sheet the same as a window sticker?
No. A window sticker describes the car for a buyer, with prices and packages. A build sheet or parts label lists the factory codes, and those codes are what you need to identify parts.
Where are the factory options listed on a Volkswagen?
On the vehicle data sticker in the service booklet or the boot, as PR codes. If the sticker is missing, decode the VIN in ETKA to recover them.