How To Run A VIN History

How to Run a VIN on a Vehicle
So, how do you run a VIN on a vehicle? How do you perform a VIN check on a car you’re looking to buy, maybe one you purchased, and you’re trying to get a title for?

Misconceptions About Online VIN Checks
Now, one of the misconceptions is that you can do this online. You’ll see things like Carfax or VIN Check or all these VIN lookups online that you can pay $10 or $15 and get a VIN report. The problem with that is it’s going to be about 40% accurate, and if you’re looking to get 100% guarantee to make sure that there are no liens on a vehicle, that it’s not stolen, that it’s not a parts-only vehicle, that there’s no title limitations like export only or salvage or other types of records, there’s only one method to get it 100%. And in most cases, it doesn’t cost any money; it just takes some time.

The Inconvenience of Accurate Information
The sad part is it’s not going to be as convenient as just pushing a button on your computer and waiting for it to pop up on your screen. But the reason that convenience is there is because they don’t look for everything. In fact, if you look at the disclaimers on Carfax and other websites, it’ll tell you this isn’t 100% accurate and may be missing things. For example, CARFAX is not allowed by law to access all the lien information in all 50 states. Lien information is protected under federal law and legally cannot even be released to third parties unless it’s done in person.

The Three-Step Process to Run a Valid VIN Check
So, how do you run a valid VIN check? Well, let’s take a look at the three-step process that anybody can do. You don’t have to be licensed, you don’t have to have any kind of certification, you don’t have to have any kind of authority or logins—anybody can do this for free. Some states might charge you five bucks to get some of the records.

Step One: Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
You have to do three checks of information. Number one is you have to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles in person in the state where you’re located. So if you’re in, let’s say, Florida, you go to the DMV, any local office. Some states call their office a different thing; some states call it Secretary of State, like here in Illinois, and some states call it Department of Transportation, like in Pennsylvania. And you’re going to request a VIN history. Now, they’re going to make you sign a form. You can see on the screen an example of that form—it’s an information request form.

Legal Requirements and Inconveniences
Why do you have to go in person? Why do you have to sign a form? Well, here’s why: There is a federal law called the DPPA, and you can look it up, USC 2725. That makes it a statute prohibiting the disclosure of personal information without permission of the person or acceptable uses, and you have to be an authorized recipient. Well, to be an authorized recipient, they have to know who you are—you have to be there in person in front of them. They’re going to make you sign this form, and you’re going to have to certify that you’re not going to use it for any prohibited uses like stalking, identity theft, fraud—you’re using it to verify information, and that’s one of the permissible uses that allow you to get this detail.

What You’ll Learn at the DMV
Now, I know it sounds inconvenient—you have to go to DMV; nobody likes to go there—but if you want 100% accurate information, it’s the only way to get it. Now, here’s the thing: They’re only going to be able to tell you about liens and prior owners. They’re not going to be able to tell you about salvage or even about stolen vehicles because stolen vehicles’ information is kept in a separate record system with law enforcement under the NCIC (National Crime Information Computer).

Step Two: Local Law Enforcement
Here’s the thing: Some states at the DMV will log into the National Crime Information Center and get stolen car information occasionally. They may not do it every single day; they may do it once a month, once a quarter, or twice a year. So, you run the risk if you just rely on the DMV under this information request that you might not get stolen information.

The Risk of Relying on the DMV Alone
We get over a thousand phone calls a day in our office. Very often, we get calls from people who say, “Hey, I ran a VIN check; I even went to the DMV. I found out later my car was stolen because the DMV doesn’t have stolen information.” How do you get stolen car information? Well, what you do is now you leave the DMV, and you go to a local law enforcement office—Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, State Patrol, anybody with a badge and a gun. Same thing—you have to go in person with your photo ID and tell them the VIN number. They will look it up.

The Importance of Going In Person to Law Enforcement
The reason you have to go in person to the police department is that if the car does come back stolen, they want to know who you are so they can find out where the car is. They don’t do it by phone because if you call them up and say, “Hey, is this car stolen, VIN number 1234,” if it is stolen, they say, “Yeah, it’s stolen,” you can just hang up, and now they don’t know who you are or where the car is. They don’t want that—you have to go in person. They may also make you sign a form.

Get It in Writing
Now, here’s an important thing: If you go to the DMV or the Police Department, whatever they tell you, get it in writing—get a printout. Because you don’t want to go back later and they say, “Oh no, there is something on this car,” and you can’t say, “Well, Joe Schmo told me two months ago that it was clear.” You want to get it in writing because sometimes they may have wrong information verbally.

Step Three: National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS)
The last thing you need to do is check with the NMVTIS (National Motor Vehicle Title Information System). This system has information about flood cars, salvage cars, parts-only cars, and export-only cars.

Why NMVTIS Is Important
Now, you might think, “Well, gee, can’t I get that from the DMV?” Not always. The DMV doesn’t always have the information. Again, we get thousands of calls a day. Many, many times people say, “I got a title from the DMV; they gave it to me—everything was good, right?” And then I found out later it was a junk VIN number—the VIN number had a salvage on it. Sometimes the DMV doesn’t always check in advance when they issue a title. People want a rush title—they want it on the spot—and the DMV gives it to you. And then later, if they find out there’s something wrong with it, they revoke it.

Why You Should Check All Three Sources
So, you want to check the NMVTIS. If you go to their website, you can find out if they have a local branch you can go to. Sometimes they’ll give you a login where you can get it through their database. You want to check all three. If you don’t check all three, you run the risk of buying a car with a bad history or even not getting a title for a vehicle because of something or needing some requirement like an inspection. You want to know this information before you move forward.

The Danger of Taking the Easy Way Out
Don’t try to take the easy way out. If you run a Carfax or a VIN check or any of these websites, you’re going to spend $10 or $15. It might seem like it’s easier than having to go someplace in person, get in a car, and drive down to the DMV, but you might save an hour’s worth of time, but you might get bad info. These Carfax-type reports are very misleading—very misleading about what they have—and you don’t want to be risking thousands of dollars on a vehicle on something that maybe you saved a little bit of time but found out later that the vehicle has a problem that wasn’t disclosed online.

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