Vehicle history report
A vehicle history report in the US contains important information about a used vehicle’s past. These reports generally show title records from each state DMV, along with salvage and insurance total loss records and accident records (1, 2, 7). This information is vital for consumers when choosing which used vehicle to purchase, as it can indicate issues with the vehicle’s safety and value. Additional information in a vehicle history report are ownership changes, and vehicle details decoded from the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) such as year, make, model, and odometer history.
Vehicle history reports are typically available online from several sources, including instaVIN.com, autocheck.com and carfax.com. Vehicle history reports are available for automobiles including light trucks and SUVs, motorcycles, recreational vehicles (RVs) and pre-1981 classic cars (1, 2, 7).
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[edit] Vehicle history reports
Before purchasing a used vehicle, potential buyers often consider the purchase of vehicle history and title reports and salvage check reports to understand a vehicle’s background history. Users are generally interested in whether a vehicle that is being considered for purchase has been in a severe accident, had its odometer rolled back or has lemon history. Sellers of vehicles also check the history of their vehicle prior to listing for sale so they are prepared to answer questions to the condition of the vehicle or history events. Dealers often buy these reports that provide a detailed background on the used vehicle to show their customers. Dealers also run reports prior to acquiring vehicles at auction or from trade-ins to help insure they pay a fair market value. Vehicle prices may be adjusted due to history events on any particular vehicle.
A vehicle history report provides information and often detailed records associated with a vehicle’s unique serial number or VIN.
Items that can be included in a vehicle history and title report [1]
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Title information | Shows if the vehicle has been reported to have been issued a negative title “brand” like salvage or junk that often come with severe accidents |
| Number of titles | Shows the reported ownership history and the possible ownership changes |
| States of title | Provides the states that the vehicle has been reported titled or registered in previously |
| Salvage or junk information from titles or other sources | Shows if the vehicle has been reported as a salvage vehicle by a state or has been reported at auction or junk yard |
| DMV-reported odometer problems | Shows when the vehicle has been reported to having had its odometer rolled back or broken |
| Lemon history | Shows if the vehicle has a been reported as a lemon |
| Insurance total loss information | Shows if the vehicle has been reported as a total loss by an insurance company |
| Auction history | Lets the buyer know if it has been reported at an auto auction |
| Accident history | Shows if the vehicle has been in a reported accident or has sustained damage |
| Air bag deployment | Shows whether or not the vehicle’s airbag has been reported as deployed |
| Mileage readings | Lists the odometer readings that have been reported for the vehicle |
| Service records | Shows any reported service information |
| State emission inspection results | Shows the results of a state inspection or emission results as reported by the state |
| Warranty or service contract availability | Shows whether or not the vehicle has been covered by warranty or service contract |
A Salvage and VIN Check Report is an abbreviated version of a Vehicle History and Title Report, which helps consumers understand the severity reported damage associated with a vehicle. It identifies the reported title brands such as salvage or junk, or whether the vehicle has been reported a total loss by an insurance company. These reports can be obtained for passenger cars and light trucks, as well as motorcycles, RVs, heavy trucks and classic cars.
Vehicle History and Title Report data is gathered from multiple sources including State Departments of Motor Vehicles, automotive auctions, fire and police departments, salvage auctions, rental agencies, automotive recyclers, insurance companies, state inspection stations, manufacturers, and car dealerships.[2]
In order to obtain a Vehicle History and Title Report, a potential buyer can go online to a reporting service provider and purchase a full report. Some services also offer a lower cost option for a Salvage and VIN Check Report, which has just the major damage history. Salvage and VIN Check reports can be accessed online through companies such as instaVIN. Free reports online are offered from time to time by major history reporting companies however; they are often limited in the scope and detail of information. Used car dealers often provide a report upon request for a specific vehicle as part of the selling process. Consumers can check the validity and date of these reports by running their own report and comparing the results. Old reports may not contain the latest history as the reports are time sensitive. Typically, a consumer is most interested in whether or not the vehicle has been in a severe accident or has been branded as salvage, junk or totaled.
Currently these reporting services provide accident history within their full reports: instaVIN, AutoCheck and Carfax.
[edit] Vehicle History Report Services
[edit] NMVTIS
NMVTIS or National Motor Vehicle Title Information System is a program of Department of Justice intended to keep and protect consumers from fraud and unsafe vehicles. AAMVA operates the system now. Federal Law has mandated businesses and agencies such as Insurance Carriers, State Motor Vehicle Tilting Agencies, Auto Recyclers and Junk/Salvage Yards to regularly report to NMVTIS.
NMVTIS has a wide database of over 9,000 numbers of Insurance carriers, auto recyclers and junk and salvage yards reporting to them and 38.9 million records of salvage or total loss, making up 87% of DMV data represents the system.
Consumers can take advantage of having a Vehicle History Report from this reliable system where they can view data such as Title Problem Checks, Odometer Checks, History of Accidents and Junk or Salvage Records.
NMVTIS is now partnered with 6 approved data providers:
1. www.vinaudit.com 2. www.checkthatvin.com 3. www.rigdig.com 4. www.add123.com 5. mvscusa.com 6. www.instavin.com
[edit] instaVIN
instaVIN provides vehicle history information to its customers so they can make more informed purchasing decisions. The history information includes state DMV title information, including state title "brands" like "salvage" and "junk" that indicate prior major damage. instaVIN reports include comprehensive current Junk/Salvage/Total Loss records, letting the user know if the vehicle has been declared a "total loss" by an insurance company, or if it has been at a junk yard or in a salvage auction. All of these events indicate serious past problems with the vehicle.
Other information available in instaVIN reports include VIN decoding, accident information, lien (loan) data, theft information from the US, Canada and Mexico, dealership inventory information, export information and odometer information. instaVIN reports are available for passenger cars and light trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles (RVs), heavy commercial trucks and buses and pre-1981 vintage/classic cars. Numerous consumers, car dealers, auto auctions, auto lenders and repossession companies rely on instaVIN to provide accurate and reliable vehicle history reports.
The state DMV title information and total loss/salvage/junk data is delivered through its partnership with NMVTIS (National Motor Vehicle Title Information System), which is administered by AAMVA and the US Department of Justice. Currently, 40 states representing 88% of the vehicles in state DMV data is represented in the system. As of January 2012, every state (including DC) are either currently reporting information into NMVTIS or are in development to do so. NMVTIS reports a total of 61 different DMV title brands, many of which can indicate problems with the vehicle that can affect the vehicle’s safety and value.[3][4]
In addition, California has recently created a new law (CA AB1215) mandating that every car dealer in California use a NMVTIS-based vehicle history report prior to making a used vehicle available for sale to determine if the car is required to have a red sticker indicating reported past major damage/salvage/junk history. No other private vehicle history service satisfies the law, which goes into effect July 1, 2012.
instaVIN is one of several history services that have Title and Brand data from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). Others include Checkthatvin.com, VinAlert.com, and add123.com.
[edit] CARFAX
CARFAX is a commercial web-based service that supplies vehicle history reports to individuals and businesses on used cars and light trucks for the American and Canadian marketplaces.
The company offers four free vehicle research services—Lemon Check, Record Check, Recall Check, and Problem Car. While these services are helpful, they do not contain all of the information provided in a full CARFAX vehicle history report. CARFAX Vehicle History Reports are available on all used cars and light trucks model year 1981 or later. Using a unique 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN), a CARFAXReport is instantly generated from their database of over seven billion records.[5]
[edit] AutoCheck
AutoCheck is a vehicle history reporting service used to assist in the used car shopping process. The company’s signature car scoring device is the AutoCheck Score, a number used to evaluate and compare vehicle histories and lower the risk of buying a vehicle with undetected problems.[6][7]
[edit] CycleVIN
Cycle VIN is a vehicle history report service that focuses exclusively on the Motorcycle industry. This service provides Motorcycle History Reports based on the 17-digit VIN located on all motor vehicles manufactured after 1981 in the USA.[8] The report contains information on the history of each motorcycle, and is comprehensive in nature. Each report includes information such as state of original title, any new states with title history, junk and salvage information, title brands, stolen/theft reports, and total loss records. This information is sourced from state DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle) offices, insurance companies, salvage yards, and auto recyclers.
[9]==References==
- ^ http://www.instavin.com/sampleReport.php
- ^ http://www.CARFAX.com/about/data_sources.cfx
- ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMVTIS NMVTIS
- ^ http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/pdf/Anti_Car_Theft_Act.pdf
- ^ CARFAX.com
- ^ http://www.autocheck.com/?siteID=0&WT.mc_id=0
- ^ http://www.autocheck.com/consumers/content/autocheck-score.do
- ^ http://www.cyclevin.com/about_us.php
- ^ http://vehiclehistory.gov/nmvtis_vehiclehistory.html
