FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a VIN?

A VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a serial number that is unique and used in the car industry to classify vehicles individually.

What are the characteristics of a VIN number?

A VIN meets one of two standards set internationally:

- International Standards Organisation (currently ISO 3779 2009)

- US Standard FMVSS 115

There is a meaning for each character in each position that relaties to the model, make, vehicle details and year of manufacture;

17 characters is the length that a VIN must conform to;

The following characters is what a VIN must consist of: 0-9, A-Z (upper-case) prohibiting letters Q, I and O. This stops confusion with other numerals that are visually similar;

Each manufacturer of high volume is assigned a WMI, this makes up the three first characters of the VIN;

Low volumne manufacturers are assigned a character in the third position of the WMI as a 9, and characters 12-14 show the low volume ID.

What is a VINNER History Report?

A VINNER History Report is comprised of the data provided from the PPSR register and the NEVDIS database. A VINNER History Report gives you all the information you need on whether the vehicle you wish to purchase has any financial interests, has been previously written off or stolen, or had any evidence of odometer tampering or flood damage. Similar reports in the past used to be called a REVS Check.

What payment methods do you accept?

We use Stripe for payments and accept all major credit cards and wallets, for more information see Payments

What is the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR)?

The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is a national government database that since the beginning of 2012 has replaced the state based registers that previously existed.

What is NEVDIS ?

NEVDIS is an acroymn for (National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System) and is the goverment body in charge of running a database that captures registrations of every vehicle’s VIN across Australia. One of the main tasks for NEVDIS is to submit new vehicle VINs as they are imported or manufactured into Australia, this ensures that the registration can be successfully completed by the appropriate Territory or State.

When a vehicle is imported, there is a VIN that is listed on the Vehicle Import Approval which is provided to NEVDIS Administration Unit (NAU) and they decode, validate, and then upload it so that registrations can be successfully completed.

NEVDIS only records VINs for vehicles that are built on or after 1 January 1989.

Why should I get a VINNER REVS Check History Report?

A VINNER REVS Check History Report is a comprehensive report of a used car's history, if you are purchasing a second hand vehicle it'll provide you piece of mind that the car, motorbike, trailer, truck or caravan you are purchasing has not been previously stolen or written off and repaired, or has no security interests against it.

My vehicle was made prior to 1989 and only has a chassis number, can I search for that ?

Absolutely, we can provide these via our Chassis Search page.

What are the heavy vehicle written off codes?

New South Wales has introduced new written off codes for registered heavy vehicles. These codes are now included in NEVDIS details. This additional information will help users understand the location of damage on a NSW heavy vehicle (like trucks, prime movers or buses).

The new damage locations which may be displayed in the written off section of the NEVDIS details are:

42 - Battery Pack
43 - Tow Point
44 - Auxiliary Equipment
45 - Hydraulic or other Lifting Equipment
46 - Rollover Protective Structure

Can I pay with Crypto such as Bitcoin, Etherum, Metamask etc ?

Yes. Now you can use your favorite cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum to pay for VINNER PPSR Reports, it's secure, private, and super easy with Coinbase Commerce

What cryptocurrencies do you accept?

We can accept hundreds of currencies, including assets like ETH, MATIC, USDC, USDT, DAI, and more. Customers can also pay with any asset held on Coinbase.com, including Bitcoin, Doge, and Litecoin. Please note that payments in Bitcoin, Doge, Litecoin, and Bitcoin cash can't be processed from a self-custodial wallet or third-party exchange

Do I need a Coinbase account to pay with crypto?

No you can pay using self-custodial wallets on Base, Polygon, and Ethereum networks, or with any cryptocurrency held in your Coinbase account. Note that you are not required to have a Coinbase account to make a payment.

How long do crypto payments take to process?

Within a few seconds, you can leverage low-cost transactions on networks like Base & Polygon

How is my credit card payment secure ?

We utilise the Stripe payment network, and we never store any of your credit card details on our servers, they are sent directly from your browser to Stripe for processing.

Can I get a receipt ?

Certainly, please check the Stripe portal for details of your transaction and a tax receipt.

If I'm not happy with my report can I get a refund ?

Unfortunately not. VINNER provides information to you from the PPSR who source some data from the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System (NEVDIS) maintained by Austroads, if you have concerns about the data contained within your report, please contact the PPSR directly via the contact information contained in the report.

What happens if I enter the wrong VIN number by mistake - can I get another report for free ?

If you've entered a VIN and made a mistake and need to start again, just enter the new VIN in the search bar and submit again. If you have fully completed a transaction then unfortunately not, so please ensure the data you enter matches your required VIN number and what is displayed on the screen.

Is VINNER 100% Australian ?

Absolutely. As Australian's we take pride in owning and running an Australian small business, and actively try to support other Australian businesses where possible

How long does my report take to get to me ?

On average you should have your report emailed to you within about 1-2 minutes, however if the PPSR system is heavily loaded then the PDF generation can take a bit longer, sometimes up to 5-7 minutes. If you haven't received your report after 15 minutes, please check your email clients spam folder to ensure our email is getting through. Please note that the PPSR has a maintenance window on Wednesday evening between 9:00pm - 11:59pm (Canberra time), if you request a report during this period it will be sent after the maintenance has completed.

What happens if my report does not get to me ?

If you haven't received your report after 15 minutes, please check your email clients spam folder to ensure our email is getting through. If you still haven't received it after 30 minutes, please contact us providing the email address you used, the VIN you searched on and the approximate time and we'll investigate the issue. Please note that the PPSR has a maintenance window on Wednesday evening between 9:00pm - 11:59pm (Canberra time), if you request a report during this period it will be sent after the maintenance has completed.

How many reports can I purchase in one transaction ?

At this stage we only support one serial per transaction, however we looking at implementing this functionality in future, please contact us with your requirements.

Is a VIN check just for cars or could I check motorbikes, caravans, trailers or trucks or other motor vehicles ?

Yes you can, we support any type of motor vehicle has that has a VIN or Chassis Number. For more examples and details check the Docs page

Can I get a tax receipt?

Certainly, please check the Stripe portal for details of your transaction and a tax receipt.

Do you do boat (HIN) searches?

Absolutely, we can provide these via our Watercraft Search page

Do you do Official Number searches for vessels?

Absolutely, we can provide these via our Watercraft Search page

How do I open my VINNER PPSR PDF report ?

The VINNER PPSR certificate is a Portable Document Format (PDF) file, which is a file format used to represent documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating system. We suggest to use Adobe Reader for your operating system, it can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website.

Can I pay by another form like a cheque or money order/direct debit ?

No, however we do accept credit and debit card (Visa, MasterCard and American Express) payment and digital wallets. If you don't have a credit card no problem, you can use your debit card or digital wallet which are safe, quick and easy and your details are secure with Stripe, we don't see anything other than your email address.

Where do I find the VIN number to do the report - what does it look like ?

The VIN number can be found in different places depending on the model of car. Try checking your registration or insurance details to see if it's listed on those, it's a 17-character VIN, which does not include the letters I (i), O (o), or Q (q) (to avoid confusion with numerals 1 and 0). The other places you can check are -

On the front of the engine, usually in a location that should be easy to spot when checking under the hood.

Near the front part of the chassis under the bonnet, sometimes near the window washer fluid bottle.

In a wheel well, possible one of the rear ones

Inside the vehicle in a doorjam, usually the drivers. When opening the door, around the rim of where the door would close.

On the doorpost on the drivers side. If you open the door and look near where the door lock is located.

Under the spare tire in the boot

In the section between the bonnet and the windscreen.

Do I need the full VIN number to do the report ?

Yes, our website will only accept a full 17 digit VIN number for VIN searches. Chassis or Watercraft, and Aircraft searches do not have this restriction.

Can I trust your company to deliver ?

Absolutely, we are a financially secure company utilising safe and secure cloud technologies, our credit card processor is Stripe, one of the largest in the world. If you have any queries or concerns about our service prior to using or afterwards, just get in contact and we are happy to address any questions or concerns you may have.