All About Your Suzuki | Suzuki Cars UK

Find your Suzuki's VIN

A car’s vehicle identification number (better known as a VIN) is an identifying code that is unique to every car that is built by a manufacturer. Your Suzuki will have one, which acts as a kind of car fingerprint, because no other car ever built will have the same VIN.

A VIN is composed of 17 characters – both numbers and capital letters – that identify particular characteristics of the car. So, for example, the first part of the VIN specifies the car’s country of origin and the manufacturer: in the case of modern Suzuki cars, this will often be JSA (Japan, Suzuki Automobiles) or TSM (Magyar Suzuki Hungary). The rest of the numbers and letters are the car’s individual identifier.

The VIN is important because it can be used to track any manufacturer recalls, when registering the vehicle, for warranty claims, in the event of theft and for insurance coverage. It will be contained on important documents such as your V5C logbook.

Car manufacturers and the vehicle registration agencies such as the DVLA have databases of these numbers, so a car can be easily and accurately identified and validated, just by inputting the VIN. It's especially important when buying a selling a used car – so if you bought your Suzuki second-hand, hopefully you will have checked the VIN with one of the companies that offer that service.

When it comes to checking your car's VIN, you will find it in various places such as near the bottom of the front windscreen, on the engine block, on the driver's or passenger's door B-pillar and quite often on the back window.

Understanding Car Acronyms

Your Suzuki should come with many of the latest safety technologies, so this is a simple guide to some of the most important.

ABS – Anti-lock Braking System automatically engages when a car’s wheels start to slip during braking, stops the wheels from locking up and allows the wheels to grip the road..

ACC – Adaptive cruise control is a form of cruise control that uses sensors at the front of a car to keep it at a steady speed and a constant distance from the car in front, so it keeps pace with the traffic.

DCBS – Dual Camera Brake Support works in the same way as DSBS and RBS, but uses two cameras to spot potentially dangerous situations.

DSBS – Dual Sensor Brake Support uses sensors to determine a risk of collision with a forward obstacle and warns the driver. If the driver doesn’t react, the system can brake the car automatically to avoid the collision, or reduce the damage from it.

EBD – Electronic Brakeforce Distribution works with ABS to automatically vary the amount of force applied to each of a vehicle's wheels, based on factors such as road conditions, speed, etc.

ESP – Electronic Stability Program is a form of electronic stability control (ESC) that improves a vehicle's stability, by detecting when a car is starting to skid.

HID – High Intensity Discharge is a type of lighting technology that uses electricity and gas – usually xenon – to produce a brighter, more intense light.

IAWD – the Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system can send the engine’s power to either the front of rear wheels, depending on which has more grip on the road.

RBS – Radar Brake Support is much like DSBS, but uses milliwave radar to detect potential hazards in front of the car.

SHVS – Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki is a mild hybrid system that uses an Integrated Starter Generator to help the engine when the car starts to move and during acceleration, while also generating electricity from regenerative braking.

SRS – Supplemental Restraint System is another way to describe airbags.

TCS – Traction Control System prevents a loss of traction by the wheels that drive the car.

Use Suzuki Genuine Parts

All cars are subject to wear and tear – it’s the natural course of events for any type of machine. And, unfortunately, some cars are involved in accidents. However, it's important to remember to use, for your safety and for the efficiency of the car, the best parts and accessories possible. These are the manufacturer-produced parts, as they are designed and made to fit the car.

Using Suzuki Genuine Parts means that you get the right fit and the right quality to maintain the standard and efficiency of your car. It also keeps your Suzuki 100% Suzuki.

Additionally, it is important to have a Suzuki-trained technician fit your genuine parts: they are the experts and have the correct tools and diagnostics for the job.

Consider not buying your parts and accessories on price alone. A better fit will mean better safety, better performance and less wear and tear. This goes for parts such as windscreen wipers, brake pads and discs, spark plugs, oil filters or any other part of your Suzuki.

You can get your Genuine Parts – and peace of mind – from any Suzuki Service Centre.