You can identify the exact manufacturing month and year of your vehicle's glass by decoding the black dots and numbers printed near its edge, a standard practice by all manufacturers. The most common system in GCC-spec vehicles uses a number followed or preceded by dots. For example, a marking like "23•••" indicates production in the second half of 2023, where the number (23) is the year, and the three dots after it mean the month is calculated as 13 - 3 = 10 (October). If the dots are before the number, like "•••23", it means first half of 2023, with the month being 7 - 3 = 4 (April). The glass date must be earlier than or equal to the vehicle's production date stamped on the B-pillar. If a 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser's windshield shows "23••", it was replaced after the car was built. Checking this is a standard step in pre-purchase inspections advised by RTA Dubai to verify accident history, and MOI UAE highlights it as a basic check for used car authenticity. This simple check can save you from buying a car with undeclared major repairs, directly impacting its resale value and safety in UAE's demanding conditions like desert heat and dusty roads.
- Primary Identification Method: A number with dots on one side.
- Second Half-Year Calculation (dots after number): Month = 13 minus number of dots.
- First Half-Year Calculation (dots before number): Month = 7 minus number of dots.
- Key Rule: Glass production date ≤ Vehicle production date (on B-pillar).
- UAE Context: A critical check for used cars (e.g., Nissan Patrol, Toyota Prado) to reveal undocumented damage repairs.
