Data sources and methodology
Where each value on a VIN page comes from and how AutoBimer treats it.
Sources
| Source | Used for | Nature of the data |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA vPIC (vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov) | Decoded specifications: make, model, model year, body, engine, drive, plant | Manufacturer-registered VIN patterns. Describes the model, not one specific car. |
| Auction data provider | Auction listings: lot or stock number, date, location, odometer, damage, title document, sale result, photo links | Third-party index of publicly published Copart and IAAI listings, provided "as indexed". |
| AutoBimer | Insights, timeline, quality score | Calculated from the two sources above. Nothing is added that the sources do not contain. |
Each VIN page shows the date its data was last retrieved. Vehicles are re-checked periodically; open listings more often.
How records are normalised
- Every listing is stored separately and keyed by auction and lot number. When a lot is offered several times, each sale attempt is kept with its date, result and price.
- Photos are attached only to the listing they came from.
- A price is labelled "Sold price" only when the source confirms the sale. Otherwise it is a final bid, current bid or buy-now price, and labelled as such.
- Odometer readings keep their unit and status. The provider reports miles unless a listing states kilometres.
- If the VIN decoder and an auction listing disagree on make, model or year, both values are shown and neither is used as the page's headline value.
- The original provider response is archived, so any normalisation error can be corrected later without guessing.
Vehicle insights
The insights section compares records with each other: how many listings exist, whether odometer readings increase in date order, whether reported damage or title documents changed, and which details are missing. It reports what the records show. It does not judge whether a vehicle is safe, whether an odometer was altered or how serious damage was.
Page quality and search engines
Every VIN page gets a quality score from 0 to 100 based on: VIN validity (5), make, model and year (20), decoded specifications (10), photos (15), number and completeness of auction records (20), odometer, damage and sale details (10), source attribution (5), record comparisons (10) and consistency between sources (5).
A page is offered to search engines only if it has at least one auction record, an unambiguous make, model and year, a valid VIN and a score of at least 60. Other pages remain available to visitors but carry a "noindex" instruction. Being listed in our sitemap does not mean a search engine has indexed a page; that decision is theirs.
Photos
Photos are taken by the auction or the seller. AutoBimer displays them through the links supplied by the data provider and does not claim ownership. Rights holders can request removal through the contact page.
Personal data
AutoBimer does not publish owner names, addresses or other personal data. A VIN identifies a vehicle, not a person. If a listing photo shows personal information, report it from the VIN page and it will be removed.
Corrections and removal
Use "Report incorrect data" at the bottom of any VIN page, or the contact form. Corrections are made at the record level and recorded in the page's change history.