News in 2018

The NMVTIS database has now been active since March of 2009 and literally millions of salvage vehicles have been reported to the database. As the only database of its kind with salvage vehicle and state information available, the NMVTIS database reportedly includes 96% of all the US vehicles. The database does not contain personal information like registered owners, addresses or lien holders. However many states and businesses update the information daily and mileage is recorded by dealers, DMVs, and other authoritative bodies, making it one of the more up-to-date databases available for vehicle information.

A vehicle is an individual’s second most valuable personal asset. Vehicles are moved or manipulated so that potential sellers can get the most money for them from unknowing buyers. Vehicles that get flooded or damaged in one state can be snatched up at greatly reduced prices then cleaned up or quickly repaired and moved to another state and resold to unknowing buyers who pay a fair value assuming the vehicle is in “good condition.” In past years, it could take several months or even a year before information on significant events or changes to a vehicle would be available in databases, but now responsible businesses and DMVs update information daily in NMVTIS and that information is available to prospective buyers.

In the last year there have been several major weather incidents that have caused flooding all around the country. There were the hurricanes in Texas and Florida, the flash flooding in Colorado and California, the Midwest, and some in the northeast. In the instance where the vehicle was covered by insurance, the insurance companies are required to report flood damage to NMVTIS. However, when the vehicle owner only has liability coverage, the owner is responsible for the damage done and they usually sell the vehicle to whomever they can. Many of these vehicles get bought by wholesalers, dealers, and others that can “clean the vehicle up” and move it to another state, away from the flooding, where they offer the vehicle for sale in hopes of turning a quick profit before the buyer starts to have issues..

For those businesses that buy vehicles for resale or parts, the NMVTIS reports are even more important. For a very low cost, the buyer can run the report and see how many owners the vehicle has had, any brands or salvage reports, mileage along the way, and other information that tells them whether the vehicle should be a “good” vehicle or not. Here’s a good example: let’s say you’re in Iowa and a vehicle is up for auction that was previously titled in Texas or Florida prior to September 2017 and is now titled elsewhere after September 2017. I would highly recommend a visual inspection and running an NMVTIS report, as that vehicle could be a “hurricane flood” car that someone is trying to sell. From what I have heard at shows, very few people are interested in flood vehicles.

This report can be given to a prospective buyer too. The NMVTIS report will tell dealers if they will have issues titling the vehicle, similar to the kind of challenges dealers are experiencing in Ohio. Ohio has established a policy that says if a vehicle has ever had a salvage report in NMVTIS, Ohio will issue a salvage title, even if the dealer has a “clear” title. Other states are considering similar practices. It’s also a law for used car dealers in California to run an NMVTIS report for every used vehicle they sell.

The large salvage pools are very responsive to the NMVTIS rules and they regularly report, in most instances daily. One con that we’ve seen in the market occurs when a vehicle with a high dollar motor, transmission, computer or other valuable part is purchased initially from a salvage auction. The vehicle is purchased for the high dollar part. That part is pulled and used to repair a vehicle that needs it. Then the “bad” part from the repaired vehicle is placed back into the purchased vehicle and it is sent back to a different salvage auction. This is a concern for diesel truck buyers where a motor can be worth $5000 or more. An unknowing buyer can pay too much for a vehicle assuming it has a usable motor only to learn the motor in the vehicle is worth only “core” value.

The NMVTIS title check reports are an inexpensive way to quickly screen potential buys to have a better chance of catching a “fishy” flooded vehicle. The reports show the last state of title, title movements with dates, last recorded mileage, and any brands the vehicle may have. For businesses, there is a stolen check available on some reports. This helps when buying cars from individuals too. If the seller has an older title or a title from a state that is not familiar, NMVTIS can provide verification that it is from the right state.

There are several providers of NMVTIS reports which can be found at VehicleHistory.bja.ojp.gov. Auto Data Direct, Inc. is one of the providers. For recycling businesses that already have full- service accounts with ADD, they can run NMVTIS reports and receive a stolen check plus the other information provided in the NMVTIS reports for only $1.50/report and if they run the report and need to report the vehicle to NMVTIS, the NMVTIS upload report is free. For consumers, they can get the reports at TitleCheck.us.

If you have any questions about NMVTIS title check reports, email ADD at info@add123.com or call one of their friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives at 855-300-3455 . Se habla español.