How do I check the used car history by VIN?

If you intend to buy a used car, what you need to know is the history of the car that is being sold at a car lot, at an authorized car dealer or a private owner.

You certainly don't want to buy a car that has had mileage returned, has been in an accident, or has been stolen. These are the biggest problems in the used car market. To avoid this, you need the right information about the vehicle and its history.

VinCheckExpert Reports provide useful information about the vehicle such as mileage, damage, vehicle history, photos, valuation, which will allow you to buy a reliable car. By checking the history of the vehicle, the VinCheckExpert Report allows you to make a smart decision based on facts and real information.

What is included in a VinCheckExpert Free vehicle history report?

The VINCheckExpert Free Vehicle History Report is a comprehensive report that offers detailed information on a used car collated from different databases.

This report shows you the basic info about car:

Make

Vehicle make refers to the car brand. This column contains the name of the vehicle: Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Fiat, Citroen etc.

Model

This column shows the specific car model. A4, 1 (E81), E-CLASS, 508, Grande Punto, C3.

Engine

This field defines the model more closely with a description of the engine. 1.9 TDI, 116d, E-220 CDI, 2.0 BlueHDi, 1.4, 1.6 HDI.

Production year

Year of manufacture of the car. For example in 2015.

Body style

The body of the vehicle may be different. This field shows whether it is a Hatchback, Station Wagon, Roadster, Convertible, SUV, Saloon.

Drive type

The drive of the vehicle is shown here. Front Wheels, Rear Wheels, All Wheels.

Fuel type

Can be Diesel, Petrol, Hybrid, Electris, CNG, LPG, Hydrogen.

Capacity

Engine capacity, the working volume of the engine is determined in cubic centimeters and is marked with cc. eg 1950 cc.

Horse power

Engine power is expressed in horsepower, abbreviated (Hp). eg 150 Hp.

Kilowatts

Also, engine power is expressed in kilowatts (kW). A converter is often used to convert one unit of measure into another. 1 Hp(I) = 0.745699872 kW or 1 kW = 1.3596216173 Hp. Thus, the engine of 150 Hp is equal to 110 kW.

In addition to the basic data, VinCheckExpert Reports give you very valuable information about used vehicles that are charged.

11 things you need to know when buying a used car

Real mileage

Here you will be able to see data on the mileage reading and the date of the record. The majority of vehicles that have been maintained in authorized car service centers have accurate mileage records. This data prevents the manipulation of the mileage and the odometer fraud.

Rollback mileage

Mileage fraud is the most common old trick used by sellers in the used car market. Clocking mileage on newer vehicles that have an electronic instrument panel has become easier than on older vehicles that have a digital dashboard.

Digital odometers can be rolled back with just a few clicks on the computer. Rollback of old odometers is possible if the dashboard has been disassembled, which requires the knowledge and expertise of fraudsters. Mileage records based on blockchain technology make it impossible to return mileage and odometer fraud.

However, sellers often restore the mileage of used vehicles for vehicles coming from Western Europe or the USA to Eastern Europe in order to increase their price and value. This fraud is very common and even 60-80% of imported vehicles have clocked mileage.

The vehicle history reports allows you to check whether the used car has rollback or real mileage.

Estimated mileage

Some vehicles do not have a mileage record in their databases. For such vehicles, our algorithm calculates the average and median mileage based on parameters such as: brand, model, year of manufacture, body type, engine, fuel.

Estimated mileage is very important! If the vehicle mileage you see on the dashboard is lower than the estimated mileage, this should be a red flag for you to check the vehicle further. If the seller documents the correct mileage in a valid manner and offers you a written warranty on the mileage, this is a good sign that you should consider buying.

Theft Check

Many countries have publicly available databases (police, insurance companies, state registries) to check if a car is stolen. If there is no record of theft, "No" will be written in the report. If the car is stolen and is wanted in a certain country, this information will be entered.

Accident and damages

Statistics show that every third used car had some minor or major damage and/or accident. Buying a used car that has been in an accident can be risky. That's why a vehicle history check is important.

If the car had an accident or some damage, the report usually states the date, nature of the damage, the parts that were damaged, and the value may also be stated. If the value of the damage is several thousand euros, it is a problematic car that should be avoided for purchase. If there are no accident and damage records in the databases, this field will be marked with "No", which means that there are no records. Please note that the actual condition of the vehicle may differ from the report.

Service history

Regular maintenance and servicing of the vehicle includes the replacement filters of oil, air, fuel and climate. Authorized service technicians keep a record of all car services and record the current mileage. However, most old vehicles do not have an electronic service book, instead the service history is entered manually in a paper book.

If the car has a digital record of the service history, it will be verified in the report. If "No" is stated in this line, it means that the car does not have a digital service book, which does not mean that it has not been regularly maintained and serviced.

On the other hand, please note that many imported vehicles may have a service book without regular maintenance. Used car sellers can buy on black market a service book for any car from 20 to 50 euros.

In addition to regular maintenance and filter replacement, regular car maintenance includes replacing spark plugs, balancing and wheel rotation. In the service history, special attention should be paid to whether the toothed belt has been replaced.

The timing belt is usually changed every 100,000 to 120,000 kilometers. This service is expensive, but a broken timing belt leads to failure of other parts, more failure and damage. Often there is a serious failure of the engine, so it needs to be replaced, which increases the cost of repairs.

Having a service history is proof that the car has been well maintained and that the owners have taken care of their vehicle. If the owner has all service receipts, data entered in the service book, this is good proof that the car has been carefully maintained. This is a good sign and certainly a plus for buying such a vehicle.

However, some owners regularly maintain their vehicle, but simply do not keep regular records and keep receipts. It is then much more difficult to determine the actual condition of the vehicle. On the other hand, there are vehicles that do not have a regular service history and buying such a vehicle is very risky. Buying such a vehicle, as a rule, is accompanied by problems, sudden breakdowns, which are usually expensive.

Previous owners

The number of previous owners is very important in assessing the condition of a used vehicle. If the car has had a frequent change of owner, the possibility of manipulation with the mileage is higher, as well as the probability of damage to the vehicle. A smaller number of owners gives greater security in the purchase.

If the previous owner is only one and he is a natural person, or it is a leasing company, you can be sure that everything is ok with the car, if other data from the vehicle's history show the same. But if the report shows that a car has been owned by many owners, or the owner is a legal entity, a fleet operator, or a car rental company, you should inspect the car by a mechanic or in authorized service before buying.

Recalls and Defects

Certain car models may have manufacturing defects. These defects appear during the time of exploitation of the vehicle. When they appear, manufacturers recall the model and return it to the factory for inspection and reparation. If recalls, flaws or defects appear, you can see them in our reports as well as the number of occurrences.

Market value

The value of a used vehicle is not easy to determine, as it is influenced by numerous factors. Thanks to a very smart algorithm, VinCheckExpert has scanned millions of cars and found that 83% of the value of a car is from its history, 15.3% is from options and accessories, and 1.7% is from the actual condition of the car.

Market value shows the average market price of a car based on the vehicle's history. Also in our report, you can see the price below and above the market price, i.e. the value range of the car.

Previous pictures

In our report you can get previous pictures of the vehicle. Most often, these pictures are from auctions, car sales or car dealerships. These pictures show the actual condition of the vehicle and damage if there was any.

The data we collect from certification houses such as SGS, Dekra, Macadam give you 100% relevant data about the vehicle before the sale.

Fluid capacity

At the end of our report you can see fluid capacity, parts, specification and data of the used vehicle.

VinCheckExpert history reports are based only on information supplied to us, but VinCheckExpert does not have the complete history of every vehicle.

How do I get a vehicle history report?

On the website www.vincheckexpert.com in the VIN number search field, you only need to enter the 17-character VIN number and click search.

You will see the make and model that the VIN number refers to, as well as the data that we search in more than 500 databases such as: mileage, accident, legality, number of owners, defects, service history, value, pictures, etc. In the next step, enter the email and click on the "Create report" button.

It is necessary to pay for the service in order to receive the report to the e-mail address you provided in the inquiry. Based on the data from the report, you can easily make a decision. VinCheckExpert reports can help you to make an informed decision when you plan to buy a used car.

How to create a used vehicle history report by chassis number (VIN)?

All you need to do is enter the 17-digit VIN number in the "Enter VIN" field and click the Search button. After a few seconds, VIN Decoder will provide a free VIN check and some basic information. This info should be enough to check whether the VIN is valid or not.

To create a complete report about the vehicle, such as mileage records, odometer fraud, estimate mileage, accidents and damages, theft check, market value, and previous images, you should download a VinCheckExpert vehicle history report.

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