MotoDealerHQ

VIN decoding and identifier checks

Turn on the free NHTSA VIN decoder to pre-fill year, make and model, and understand the VIN, HIN and serial checks on every vehicle.

Last updated For inventory managers Documentation for MotoDealerHQ 1.0.0-beta.1 “Assen”

Typing year, make, model and trim for every unit is slow and error-prone. MotoDealerHQ can decode a 17-character VIN with the free U.S. NHTSA vPIC service and fill those fields for you. Separately, every VIN, HIN or serial number you save is checked and normalized, so duplicates and typos are caught early.

Before you start #

Turn on the VIN decoder #

  1. Open Settings › Integrations.
  2. Find VIN decoder (NHTSA vPIC).
  3. Choose NHTSA vPIC (public) as the provider and save.

From then on, the Fill from VIN button appears under the VIN field on the vehicle form for anyone who can add or edit vehicles.

Decode a VIN #

  1. Open Inventory › Vehicles and select Add vehicle (or open an existing vehicle).
  2. Type the full 17-character VIN in the VIN field.
  3. Select Fill from VIN.
  4. Read the message under the button. It tells you which fields were filled, which fields kept your own values, and any note from the decoder.
  5. Check the values, complete the rest of the form and save.

What the decoder fills:

FieldFilled when
Year, Make, Model, TrimThe field is empty and NHTSA returns a value
Engine, TransmissionThe field is empty and NHTSA returns a value
Vehicle typeOnly when it also filled the make, and NHTSA's type maps to one of yours (motorcycle, trailer, UTV, automobile or other)

The decoder never overwrites a value you already typed. Nothing is saved until you save the form.

Identity checks on every vehicle #

Whether or not the decoder is on, every identifier you save is checked:

  • It is stored in one standard form: capital letters, with spaces, dashes and dots removed.
  • It is recognized as a VIN (17 characters), a HIN (boats and personal watercraft) or a serial (anything else, such as older frames, many powersports units and trailers).
  • A North American VIN from 1981 or later is checked against its check digit. A failure is a warning, not a block, because older and many non-US units use other formats.
  • The same identifier can't belong to two active vehicles in your dealership. See Duplicates and merging.

You can see the result in the Identity and catalog data panel on the vehicle page.

The Identity and catalog data panel showing the VIN with its check status, the Fill blank fields from selector and the Fill blanks button (open full size)
The Identity and catalog data panel on a vehicle page. Numbers match the list below.
  1. Identifier check. The normalized VIN, HIN or serial, with its status (for example valid, invalid check digit or not applicable) and any warning.
  2. Fill blank fields from your OEM catalog by model code, or from NHTSA vPIC by VIN when the decoder is on.
  3. Fill blanks fills empty fields only and records which source filled which field.

VINs that fail the check digit are also listed on the Data quality page, so you can fix typos.

Tips #

  • Decode first, then type the stock number, price and description.
  • If the decoder says the VIN isn't valid, look for the letters I, O and Q. They are never used in VINs, so they are usually a misread 1 or 0.
  • Use your own OEM catalog for model codes, options and MSRP, which NHTSA doesn't provide.

Permissions #

Limitations #

Screenshots show the fictional demo dealership. Something unclear or out of date? Tell your MotoDealerHQ contact or email support@motodealerhq.com.

v1.0.0-beta.1 “Assen”