# Free VIN check **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [May 19, 2023, 1:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715 "2023-05-19T13:59:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 1:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/1 "2023-05-19T13:59:50Z")
While it is perhaps not quite as detailed as Carfax claims to be, this free site does show accident history, price history, current market value, and more when you enter the VIN. I tested it with the VIN of my new-ish car, and it does appear to be accurate. Of course, they also have a more detailed report that is available upon payment. Take a look at [iSeeCars.com](http://iSeeCars.com), especially if you are shopping for a used car. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/2 "2023-05-19T15:59:03Z")
Or curious about the car you now own! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/3 "2023-05-19T16:08:02Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > curious about the car you now own! 🤔 Hmmmm… If their corporate curiosity results in emails from iSeeCars, I will be sure to block them from further contact. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 9:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/4 "2023-05-19T21:34:49Z")
> [@VDCdriver](#): > > If their corporate curiosity results in emails from iSeeCars, I will be sure to block them from further contact. I recently activated one of those gov’t Covid-rebate debit cards. Required phoning an 800 telephone number. The 4 months prior to this, maybe got one or two telemarketing phone calls per week. Immediately after activating the debit card, starting almost the next day, now getting 2-3 telemarketing phone calls per day. No such thing as a free lunch I guess … lol … ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 9:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/5 "2023-05-19T21:43:35Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > I recently activated one of those gov’t Covid-rebate debit cards Huh? Are you _sure_ that this was actually a government-sponsored program? I have never heard of such a thing–except _perhaps_ for those in poverty–and somehow, I doubt that you are in that category. Perhaps this is something unique to California? I am skeptical that this was a government-based program, based on the result of your activation of it. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/6 "2023-05-19T21:48:15Z")
I’ve received Covid-rebates by debit card from both the feds and Calif. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/7 "2023-05-19T21:49:49Z")
Okay, then I guess that my retirement income level was too high to qualify me for that type of largess. Please note that I am not complaining. ---
**Author:** ![weekend-warrior](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/weekend-warrior/32/26122_2.png) [@weekend-warrior](https://community.cartalk.com/u/weekend-warrior)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/8 "2023-05-19T21:51:24Z")
It might be a scam. there is a lot going around. speaking of scams, I heard this on the radio. I don’t go on Facebook but I will pass it along. there is a scam on Facebook that says something to the affect that says…“Do you know who died in a car accident? I think you know them.” Do not open it. if you do it will steal your passwords. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/9 "2023-05-19T23:33:39Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > I recently activated one of those gov’t Covid-rebate debit cards. That was the rebate for the Chrysler New Yorker you bought in 1981. The Covid prepaid debit cards were issued 2-3 years ago. Is the state of California still handing out money? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 2:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/10 "2023-05-20T02:47:27Z")
I don’t know how many free ones you get but they essentially want you to subscribe to the service like Carfax. I did one. Everything was fairly accurate but just the basics. Evidently the new headlight and bumper cover wasn’t reported which was ok anyway. Just a nice summary is all and a full list of features if you want like leather covered shift knob. Never thought of it. ---
**Author:** ![bscar2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bscar2/32/2468_2.png) [@bscar2](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bscar2)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/11 "2023-05-20T17:23:40Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > I recently activated one of those gov’t Covid-rebate debit cards. Required phoning an 800 telephone number. The 4 months prior to this, maybe got one or two telemarketing phone calls per week. Immediately after activating the debit card, starting almost the next day, now getting 2-3 telemarketing phone calls per day. No such thing as a free lunch I guess … lol … I was curious about health insurance awhile back and what my policy at work would cost me personally out of pocket if I didn’t have employee status. I made the mistake of putting my actual contact info in and was getting the same people contacting me 5 times a day(from different numbers) wanting to sell me insurance. Even a year later I’m getting text messages randomly from some insurance agent or another. Now, when I fill out anything that I think will lead to excess calls/emails I put in my now defunct [excite.com](http://excite.com) email address and the local phone number for time and temperature(still around after 30 years). This way those places will send me spam that will get a failure to send and the telemarketers will get the local time and temperature for my town when they try and call me. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/12 "2023-05-20T17:39:55Z")
Huh. Discount debit cards? Must have missed that one. ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/13 "2023-05-20T18:10:20Z")
The point is that data (information about you) is valuable. Google is the biggest ad agency in the US. The more info they can scrape from your internet activity the more money they can make selling artisan crafted advertising placement. If someone wants to sell to 45-61 year old men who live in houses they own, who drive pickup trucks, like to fish, wear Carhart pants and sometimes discuss tennis, who live in zip codes with higher than average incomes and went to some college, Google can take care of it all. They also know where you grocery shop, how long you spend in the store, how often you go there and the route you take. It’s even possible for them to know how long you look at an ad, what part of the screen you look at, and whether your eyes dilate when you see something in the ad. All that stuff is very valuable. And, since you use the internet, it’s very difficult to escape. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 9:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/14 "2023-05-20T21:02:05Z")
> [@bing](#): > > Discount debit cards? If you’re asking about my post above, I’m referring to gov’t-issued Covid Economic-Impact-Payment Debit Cards. Both the feds and the state of California have issued them. Whether these payments are by check, automatic deposit into your bank account, or by debit card, no idea how that’s decided. I expect the debit card companies make a bundle on the fees associated with these cards, plus selling the associated personal info, and elected politicians obtain campaign funding from the same, so, well, you get the idea … I expect Google will tell you more. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/15 "2023-05-20T21:09:18Z")
When a friend of mine got one of these from “the feds”, I told him to be careful of a scam. But, it turned out to be legitimate, and I guess that he really did need the money. He had ignored all of my investment advice over the years, and his retirement income was… not so good… so he really needed it, and it did come in handy. I had forgotten about those cards because he received his so long ago. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/16 "2023-05-20T21:18:19Z")
Speaking of Google watching what we are doing… 🤣 🤦‍♂️ ![Screenshot (12)](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/7/5/756465badf140737169b48b8586b08217dba655e.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 9:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/17 "2023-05-20T21:22:04Z")
No recollection on free money. I did get a $3000 check from the irs to reimburse me for the check I sent them but didn’t cash and stopped payment on it. I was advised I had only ten days to Return it which I did certified. Glad I did too because I later got a bill for it that they said I didn’t return. Another certified letter and copy of the canceled check. So I’m very wary of the government sending me money. I told the agent though they needed it more than I did. What, I can’t joke with the irs? ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 9:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/18 "2023-05-20T21:30:05Z")
> [@bing](#): > > No recollection on free money. Covid money from feds, first was $1200, later another $600, then later again, another $1400. From Calif, $350. This loot was touted by politicos to be responsible for preventing a major Covid-related economic recession. How much good it actually did, hard to say. But it seems like it had to help local businesses somewhat. I purchased brake parts for my truck using the Covid loot. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 9:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/19 "2023-05-20T21:44:39Z")
So you bought brake parts with your own money that they returned to you and put it on their credit card? They don’t have any of their own money. It either comes from everyone else or they borrow it that the next generation will need to pay. Econ 101. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715/20 "2023-05-20T21:47:56Z")
Were I in charge I wouldn’t have provided any of that loot, nor would I have provided any of the Covid-largess given to small businesses and corporations. But I wasn’t in charge. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/free-vin-check/190715.md?page=2)