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MORE DATA AND BETTER REPORTS
Each VINData History Report tells a story about the vehicle. These stories can differ widely. The stories are based on the data that we have in our reports from sources that we and the industry trust and is reported to us from those sources.
First, there are “facts” about your vehicle that don’t change. Things like vehicle specifications, vehicle descriptions, initial warranty, and safety ratings are provided when they are provided to us by our sources.
Then, you have information that affects the vehicle’s legal status, like titles, title brands, insurance loss, odometer readings and end-of-life events. Some of these events, like salvage or rebuilt brands can indicate some kind of major damage event.
Other legal status events include whether or not the vehicle has been stolen and recovered (or not), and whether or not there’s an open lien.
Another piece of information is the vehicle’s value. How much is it worth if it’s sold to a dealer, or if you buy it from a dealer.
Lastly, you have events like where the vehicle has been titled and other location indicators, whether the vehicle has any open recalls, if it’s been towed or impounded, if a dealer has made the vehicle for sale, or if it’s been for sale on eBay Motors. If it’s a commercial truck, we show if the vehicle has been inspected by highway inspectors and the result of those inspections.
We also show odometer information over time as our odometer readings come from a number of sources.
One thing to keep in mind – when the report does not have many events reported to and by VINData History, that means that the chances are very low that there has been a serious damage incident resulting in a total loss event, title brand or similar event.
As always, we recommend a vehicle inspection by a qualified mechanic before you purchase.
Details
- Vehicle Signal
- Report Summary
- Vehicle Specs
- Junk / Salvage / Loss
- Title Information
- Title Brands
- Vehicle Value
- Odometer Information
- Recalls
- Warranty Information
- Other Information
Vehicle Signal
At the top of each VINData History Report for all vehicle types – we tell you right away the key information you need to know about what has been reported to us. At the very top – the sideways traffic “signal” uses a common, easily understandable stoplight format that shows a red, yellow or green light that works the way that you think it would. Each red and yellow event is marked so you can easily identify them in the report.
Red = Warning – at least one event has been reported to us by our sources that indicates a major issue that can significantly affect the safety and value of the vehicle. Some of these events such as title brands are permanent. Others of these like high risk recall events are temporary.
Yellow = Caution – at least one event has been reported to us by our sources that you should be aware of. Open liens, lower risk recalls and recovered theft events are examples. A Yellow indicator also means that there aren’t any Red events reported to us from our sources.
Green = Good News – there aren’t any Red or Yellow events reported to us by our sources that we need to warn or caution you about. Just remember that the lack of bad events reported to us is good news! As always, we recommend a vehicle inspection by a qualified mechanic before you purchase. The report section looks like this:
Vehicle Summary
Just below the Vehicle Signal section, we provide a complete Report Summary for this VINData History Report. It helps every user – from first-time consumer users to experienced industry users – quickly and easily get the summarized report in one glance without having to click or scroll. There is a box or tile that summarizes each section’s information or provides details about an important event from that section that you should know about right away. The boxes are clickable, as is the navigation menu on the left.
We provide a color-coded stripe indicator, highlighted information about the most important or most recent record, how many overall records there are, and the source of the highlighted record, as some sections have multiple sources.
As always, we recommend a vehicle inspection by a qualified mechanic before you purchase.
Section Details
Color-Coded Header
The Header stripe located at the top of each Summary Box can be red (warning), yellow (caution) or green (good news), depending on the information in the box.
This visual cue lets you know if you need to read further right away. In this example, you probably want to read the information in the box.
Section Header and Highlighted Event
These indicate the report section summarized – in this case, Title Information. The highlighted event can be either the most recent event, or in the case of a vehicle with one or more branded titles, information about the most recent title brand.
This information includes the event date, the event detail, and state where the event was reported issued. If there aren’t any negative events, or any events at all, we’ll let you know that too.
Record Count and Source
The record count is just as it sounds – it tells you how many total records are in that particular section of the report. Again, we highlight the one that is the most important or the most recent.
The source could be a small logo or text explaining where the information comes from – in this case NMVTIS (National Motor Vehicle Title Information System – from the US Department of Justice).
VINData History Reports use data from trusted industry sources.
Vehicle Specs
The Vehicle Specs section show information decoded from the VIN. Every vehicle of all types manufactured in/after 1981 is issued a 17-digit/character VIN, or vehicle identification number. All 17 digits mean something, but it’s the first 11 that we use to “decode” the VIN. The last 6 digits are a serial number assigned by the manufacturer.
VINData History Reports use various decoders that provide key details about the specifications of the vehicle you see below. We have proprietary sources that give us the main VIN decode for passenger cars and light trucks. We also use NADAGuides/J.D. Power and Black Book VIN decoders for specialty vehicles like motorcycles, Powersports, recreational vehicles (RVs/campers) medium and heavy-duty commercial trucks. We even have a classic car VIN decoder for many U.S. made classic cars manufactured between 1956 and 1975.
The example below shows some of the fields that are available in many of the decodes we use. Not all vehicles show this depth of decoding; some have less. We supply all the information that is provided to us. As always, we recommend a vehicle inspection by a qualified mechanic before you purchase.
Section Details
Year:
The calendar year in which the vehicle was manufactured
Make:
The manufacturer or trade name of this vehicle
Model:
The particular design or version of this vehicle
Trim:
The style or sub-model within the current model
Body Type:
The class of vehicle
Vehicle Type:
The type of this vehicle’s overall design
Doors:
Number of passenger doors
Transmission Type:
Number of gears and sytem for shiftting gears
Plant:
The location where the vehicle was made
Engine Configuration:
The size and type of the vehicle’s combustion engine
Engine Displacement:
Volume of the engine, also expressed as CC
Engine Aspiration:
Type of engine aspiration
Fuel Capacity:
The overall amount of fuel that the vehicle’s container can hold
Fuel Type:
Type of gasoline the vehicle takes
Length:
The overall measurement of the longest side of the vehicle, from bumper to bumper
Height:
The overall measurement, from top to bottom, of the vehicle
Curb Weight:
The weight of your vehicle while it is resting on the curb and not in use
Gross Weight:
The weight of your vehicle including the added weight of passengers and cargo
Wheelbase:
The distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels
Junk / Slavage / Loss
This section discloses events related to events like junk, salvage and insurance total loss that have been reported to VINData History. Included are state DMV titles that show junk, salvage or similar brands, insurance total loss events and salvage auctions or junk yard disclosures. Events related to an auto dismantler, auto recycler or crush facility indicate that the vehicle has sustained major damage. A vehicle that has been received by a salvage auction or junk yard usually indicates major prior damage, however these entities also remarket undamaged vehicles.
As always, we recommend an inspection by a qualified mechanic.
Section Details
Date:
The date the reporting entity acquired the vehicle
Reporting Entity:
The agency or company that reported this event
Reporting Entity Type:
Junk Yard, Insurance Company etc.
Event/Disposition:
The sale status of the vehicle at the given date
Intended for Export:
Whether this vehicle was intended for export
Source:
Usually NMVTIS – National Motor Vehicle Title Information System
Title Information
This section identifies this vehicle’s current and historic DMV titles reported as issued by date, indicating the state and reported mileage. Title brands that have been reported to VINData History are shown in the “Title Brands Reported” section below. Each title record represents a new title holder, duplicate title, lien release or other title event. Odometer readings are generally recorded when a new title is issued. This information reflects the title information on file with NMVTIS. For more information, please contact the state of title. We recommend an inspection by a qualified mechanic.
NOTE: VINData History Reports never display previous or current owner’s names and addresses due to the DPPA – the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, the federal law that prevents DMV sourced owner’s name and addresses in history reports. Some states have enacted similar laws at the state level, further strengthening DPPA restrictions. Additionally, VINData History has policies in place regarding the non-disclosure of this information from any source.
Section Details
Title Issued Date:
The date this vehicle’s title was issued
State:
The state in which the title was reported issued by the DMV
Type:
Current or historical event
Event:
Includes events like title issued
Reported Odometer:
The mileage as reported on the title by the DMV
Source:
Usually NMVTIS – National Motor Vehicle Title Information System
Title Brands
VINData History reports can show one or more of the following DMV state title brands. When there are NMVTIS title brands, they are reported in the Title Brands Reported section. To see the descriptions, hover over or click on the brands below. The red, yellow and green indicators show how the brand would be reflected if it was reported for this vehicle. We recommend an inspection by a qualified mechanic.
Vehicle Value
All vehicles have some type of value. VINData History Reports report vehicle values from major providers like NADAGuides/J.D. Power, Black Book and others. We have valuations for passenger cars and light trucks, motorcycles and Powersport vehicles, medium and heavy trucks and certain classic vehicles.
The values, depending on the vehicle type, cover trade-in, private party, and retail situations. We also provide more refined values depending on the condition of the vehicle. Not every vehicle will have every value or condition. For those in the wholesale side of the business, we provide wholesale values.
As always, we recommend a vehicle inspection by a qualified mechanic before you purchase.
Section Details
Value Types
Trade-in Value:
What a dealer would pay you for the vehicle
Private Party Value:
What a vehicle would be valued by private sellers and buyer
Retail Value:
What you might expect to pay if you are buying from a dealer
Condition Types
Clean:
These are the best vehicles – everything in top working condition and low mileage compared to other vehicles of the same age
Average:
Normal wear and tear inside and outside and average mileage
Rough:
Vehicles with more than normal wear and tear, and higher mileage
Odometer Information
Once a vehicle rolls off the dealer lot, it gains mileage every time it’s driven. When a vehicle gets a new owner, the state DMV records the mileage on the odometer at the time the new title is issued. VINData History reports those odometer readings, along with readings from other sources. We organize the odometer readings by event date.
There might be times that the mileage readings “go backwards” in time. This could be as a result of a clerical error, or it could indicate an odometer rollback.
As always, we recommend a vehicle inspection by a qualified mechanic before you purchase.
Section Details
Date:
The date this vehicle’s odomter reading was recorded
Type:
The type of record, such as title
Reported Odometer:
The number of miles recorded at time of reading.
Source:
The agency which reported this odometer reading
Recalls
Almost no vehicle hasn’t been recalled for some kind of issue by the manufacturer or NHTSA. Many times these are small problems that can be fixed with a quick trip to the dealership when the owner gets around to it. Other recalls are more serious – and still others far more serious – that require the vehicle to be repaired immediately. VINData History Reports show open manufacturer and NHTSA recalls of all types and show whether the issue is severe enough that the vehicle shouldn’t be driven or sold as well as the risk and overall severity.
ALL open recalls are repaired for free. Take it to a new car dealership for your vehicle’s manufacturer.
As always, we recommend a vehicle inspection by a qualified mechanic before you purchase.
Section Details
Recall Date:
Date the recall was issued
NHTSA ID:
The NHTSA ID (when issued by NHTSA)
Manufacturer ID:
The manufacturer ID (when issued by manufacturer)
Recall Type:
Type of recall campaign – NHTSA, voluntary or warranty
Name:
Recall name
Expiration Date:
Expiration date for the recall
Effective Date:
The date this recall campaign becomes active
Recall Description:
Description of the recall
Risk Description:
What a dealer would pay you for the vehicle
Type of Risk:
What kind of risk – like collision risk or fire risk
Risk Rank/Severity:
From extreme to zero risk – we alert you to warning or cautionary events
Vehicle Saleability:
Should the vehicle be sold with this open recall – we alert you if it shouldn’t be sold
Vehicle Driveability:
Should the vehicle be driven with this open recall – we alert you if it shouldn’t be driven
Remedy Availability:
Is there a remedy available – if there isn’t one reported, it means that the manufacturer hasn’t published an approved repair
Remedy:
The remedy description for the recall
Parts Availability:
Whether or not parts are available. When there aren’t any parts reported available, it could be that your vehicle can’t yet be repaired
Date Parts Availability:
The date that parts have been reported as available
Profit Rank:
What profitability the recall has for a dealer
Overall Profitability:
What the profitability is for the recall repair
Labor Difficulty:
What is the difficulty of the repair for labor
Labor Min/Max:
How long should the repair take
Reimbursement:
How much the dealer should expect to be reimbursed
Warranty Info
Every vehicle has a warranty when it is manufactured. Many manufacturers allow the vehicle to remain under some aspects of the warranty after the vehicle has changed hands. This information shows the warranty aspects that are reported by sources that collect the information from the manufacturer. You will need to determine whether this vehicle is currently under warranty or not, based on age, mileage and other factors.
As always, we recommend a vehicle inspection by a qualified mechanic before you purchase.
Other Info
While VINData History Reports most important data is the NMVTIS title information and insurance total loss, salvage and junk records, the reports feature many other data types from many sources. Information reported in this section include open liens (loans), active and recovered theft records, towing and impound records, and vehicle for sale records that contain information about the vehicle at the time it is being sold.
As always, we recommend a vehicle inspection by a qualified mechanic before you purchase.
Section Details
Date:
Event date
Event:
Event description
Location:
Where the vehicle was located at the time of the event
Details:
More details about the event, including odometer reading when reported
Company Info
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