How to Be a Successful Mobile Auto Repair Business


Have you ever thought about starting a mobile auto repair business? Or as a vehicle owner, have you thought about how convenient it would be for mechanics to perform vehicle services right at your home?

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Topics: Mobile, Parts & Services


6 Disruptive Tactics for Transforming the Car Buying Process


Today’s vehicle shoppers are much different than vehicle shoppers pre-internet. You’ve probably heard this more than you can recall, yet still, many consumers are not satisfied with the current car shopping process. Your potential customers are looking for an efficient vehicle shopping and purchasing experience similar to the rest of their shopping experiences.

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Topics: Dealers, Vehicle Shopping


7 Features Every Car Insurance Quote Comparison Website Should Include


There are quite a few car insurance quote comparison websites for consumers to quickly identify the most affordable insurance premiums in one place.

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Topics: Insurance


5 Reasons Ride- and Car-Sharing Will Not Destroy Dealerships


Ride- and car-sharing are two services that have really blown up over the last few years. The ability to conveniently and affordably arrange for a ride or book a vehicle right from an application on your smartphone is too good not to catch on.

Many sources believe that ride- and car-sharing are presenting a threat to the auto industry, primarily OEM and dealership sales. Though the industry will change, they certainly are not doomed!

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Topics: Dealers, ride- and car-sharing


Infotainment vs. Telematics Systems: What is the Difference?


Vehicle technology is not only becoming more widespread and more affordable each model year, but increasingly more complex. And with that, it can be difficult for vehicle shoppers --and even vehicle marketers-- to distinguish between the common technologies on offer. This could be attributed to the marketing names given by the OEMs or their nuances in functionality.

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Topics: Automotive Technology, Vehicle Shopping


What's in the Vehicle Identification Number?


VIN Decoding 101: Part 2 - What's in the VIN?

This post has been republished with updates since its original publish date in November 2011

As we discussed in the preceding article, What is a VIN, there are two ISO documents that established the 17 digit VIN standard and the WMI section of the VIN. However, these documents were only recommendations. The VIN standard created by the NHTSA and enforced starting with the model year (MY) 1981, was required of all vehicles manufactured for use in the US and was much more stringent in its requirements.

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Topics: VIN


How to Increase Fleet Management Efficiency with VIN Decoding


In a previous blog article, we highlighted a few ways in which a VIN decoder can add value to fleet management software. So, we thought it'd be helpful to have a fleet management software provider offer further insight on the subject. 

In this guest post, Lori Higdon from Fleetio has taken a deeper dive into how VIN decoding can increase the efficiency of fleet management. Without further ado:

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Topics: VIN, Fleet Management


5 Reasons Why a Basic VIN Decoder Won't Cut It for Your Auto Service Business


Every vehicle service business needs a VIN decoding solution. Whether you are a dealer service department, independent garage, or auto body shop, the ability to identify vehicle details, specs, and compatible parts is necessary for an effective and efficient business. There are several VIN decoders to choose from, however, some are far more basic than others. 

Though it may be tempting to choose the less expensive, or free, VIN decoding option, keep in mind that there may be a reason why it's so inexpensive. In this article, we've highlighted five reasons why a basic VIN decoder simply will not cut it for your auto service business and will leave you needing more.  

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Topics: VIN, Parts & Services, 3rd Party Mapping


4 Things We'll Miss About Scion... RIP


Some of the biggest auto industry news this week I'm sure your familiar with was Toyota's announcement to pull the plug on Scion for the 2017 model year (MY). This is especially surprising to us since they recently released the iA and iM models, which were supported by a great advertising campaign. It turns out that buyers today would prefer Scion's parent brand. 

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Topics: Vehicle


5 Advantages of VIN Lookup Over Year Make Model Search


VIN lookup and Year Make Model (YMM) search are both valuable tools for the auto industry. There's a good chance you are already using these search tools internally for business processes, externally for consumers, or even for both purposes.

Though YMM is a great way to conduct a vehicle search --especially if the VIN is not available-- there is much more room for imprecise vehicle details without VIN lookup. And in some cases, YMM search simply cannot give you or your consumers the information needed.

In this article, we've highlighted five advantages VIN lookup offers over YMM search.   

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Topics: Vehicle, VIN, Vehicle Equipment