Check a car’s history by VIN code and verify the mileage of a used car

All information about the car in a single report

What are we most afraid of when we want to buy a used car (https://nordlizings.lv/auto-lizinga-pieteikums/ ) ? Of course, buying a car with false mileage, a stolen vehicle or a car that has already been involved in an accident!

Dishonest sellers—or, more precisely, scammers—never miss an opportunity to sell you a car that will soon require an expensive major repair. As soon as you purchase a car that looks attractive at first glance, a series of minor and major repairs will soon confront you. Even worse, you may discover that the vehicle you bought is registered as stolen!

How can you avoid such an unpleasant situation and prevent the loss of your savings? To check all the main parameters of a car, the CSDD unified register was developed. It includes every car registered in the territory of the Republic of Latvia. Vehicles are registered in a fairly simple way—using the VIN code, which identifies any car unambiguously and provides you with its detailed history. 

Where can you order a car check by VIN code?

Before deciding to buy a car, you will have three ways to check the history of your prospective car by VIN code:

1.    First, detailed information about the car and its history can be obtained free of charge on the CSDD website. However, paid services and supplements have also appeared on this website, providing information about the car’s actual mileage, its technical condition during different periods, the results of technical inspections, and so on. These services can only conditionally be considered paid services, since a single report costs just a few euros, while you receive the necessary information in a convenient format, for example, by SMS.  

2.       Car reports in the autoDNA database. Here you can search for almost any vehicle registered in the territory of the Republic of Latvia or recently imported from the United States or Europe. To receive a detailed report about a car, you only need to enter its VIN number in the appropriate field on the website. Detailed information about the mileage, accidents, equipment and possible modifications will then appear on the screen. The autoDNA VIN report will also check whether the car has been reported stolen. Naturally, such paid reports cover more information than free CSDD reports, so by paying a small commission, you will learn everything about the car.

3.    Credit and leasing companieswith their own vehicle fleets, such as Nord Auto Leasing, also provide any information about the car you are interested in by offering a report from the unified database. These companies know everything about their cars, so their vehicles have a higher level of legal transparency. By choosing a car from a leasing company’s selection, you can be sure that you will receive a vehicle in good technical condition that is not wanted by the authorities. Preparing such reports is a standard service provided by leasing companies, for which you may not have to pay.

Why must you check a car’s history?

Everyone knows what a VIN code is and how precisely it identifies each car. That is why this number has become the main tool for finding out the following information:

·         Changes in odometer readings. Knowing a particular car’s VIN code, you can find odometer readings from different periods—at each technical inspection. To catch the seller in a lie, or, conversely, to confirm their claims, you must compare the reading currently shown on the odometer with the readings from previous years shown in the report.

·         Accidents and road traffic collisions. This is information that will negatively affect a car’s reputation, so the seller may try to conceal such incidents from you in order not to lose money. But checking a car’s history by VIN code will not let you be deceived—the autoDNA report will provide the dates of all accidents and even a photograph of the damaged car.

·         Theft. This is the worst possible outcome of buying a used car. With an autoDNA VIN report, this will not happen to you—if the car is registered as stolen, the database will notify you immediately.

·         Modifications. autoDNA will provide you with complete information about all the equipment originally installed by the manufacturer. If, at the time of purchase, many parts and components have been replaced with non-original equivalents, you are entitled to a good discount.

How can you find the VIN code of the car you like?

First, it should be noted that a seller who has nothing to hide from you will gladly provide the vehicle’s VIN code themselves; these numbers can very often be seen in online advertisements. Second, if you are genuinely interested in the car, the seller must provide you with the complete VIN code of their car upon your first request. If the owner is unwilling to disclose this information, you should be prepared for unpleasant surprises.

You can check the VIN code yourself in the vehicle registration certificate. This number can also be seen on the car itself, more precisely, on some of its parts—for example, on the chassis plate attached inside the car body; beside the right front seat; on the windscreen; on the front pillar; in the engine compartment, on the right-hand side of the frame, to the right of the steering wheel; and so on. Each car model has its own VIN code locations, so you should find out in advance exactly where this number can be found in the car.