VIN Basics Blog

The success of an e-commerce automotive parts platform depends on its ability to accurately convey the parts its customers need to complete their projects, but the automotive industry itself is making this easier said than done. Part returns are unfortunately a significant facet of their operations – the most recent National Retail Federation report showed that auto part returns are the most significant percentage of all returns in retail industries at 19.4%.

The frequency of parts returns is primed to only increase thanks to the worrying trend of parts proliferation; the significant expansions of vehicle trims in recent years, as well as new EVs, have led to enormous increases in the parts needed for effective service and repair. Lang Marketing, which released a study on this topic, has noted that “parts proliferation in the car and light truck aftermarket will soar for the foreseeable future, increasing inventories and the logistical burdens on manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and installers.” The necessity of a much larger parts inventory will naturally mean an increase in needed returns. The time needed to catalog this large volume of returns could disrupt businesses not prepared to handle it, possibly causing damage to your business’ brand and revenue flow. 

The auto maintenance and repair industry has been forced to face transformative changes associated with the aggressive elimination of traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, and the new technology variables inherent in a hybrid and EV-focused future. This article discusses how the use of a complete vehicle data solution can help auto repair businesses combat some of the auto industry’s biggest challenges.

Over the last few years, vulnerabilities such as fuel prices, rapid changes in the economy, consumer demands, freighting resources, and both driver and supply shortages have been highlighted within the heavy-duty trucking industry. With the parts shortage sweeping the nation, it has become important to find vehicle components that fit promptly. Let’s look at the major concerns of the current market for mid- and heavy-duty trucks and how leveraging DataOne’s VIN decoding with ACES Mapping for mid- and heavy-duty vehicles can be the alternative advantage your company needs.

Inflation has been outpacing wages for many years, which has created significant hardship for workers and forced them to extend the life of key necessities such as their personal vehicles. Kelley Blue Book (KBB) has found that the average vehicle life has now been extended to 12 and a half years, in an effort to avoid adding a new car payment to already strained budgets. Timely, cost-effective, and quality vehicle maintenance is necessary to attain this ambitious lifespan, and customers typically have many local options for servicing and repairs. The parts and services industry has become an enormous market ($137 billion in 2022 from dealerships alone) with intense competition, so how can these businesses generate the customer loyalty and positive experiences needed to thrive with repeat business and word-of-mouth recommendations? 

While parts and accessories sales are one of the most profitable revenue streams for your dealership (along with fixed ops), it’s a highly competitive market, especially online. Online part sales are a multi-billion dollar business ($12 billion in 2019, ~$16 billion in 2020), largely dominated by retail giants like Amazon and eBay, along with major aftermarket parts retailers (Auto Zone, O’Reilly, Advanced Auto Parts, etc.)

According to Hedges & Company, in 2019, Amazon sold $8 billion in parts ($5.3 billion 1st party sales), accounting for 2/3 of all online parts sales in the US. And as of the latest study, they were on track to pass $10 billion in 2020. These numbers may be intimidating, but there is still room for your dealership to have a successful online parts business.

“Right to Repair” is a general term for legislation that permits buyers to repair and modify their purchases, from electronic devices, such as smart phones and computers, to motorized vehicles, including cars and tractors.

In the automotive industry, Massachusetts was the first state to pass a law (in 2012) requiring OEMs to provide the necessary documents and information to allow anyone to safely repair their vehicles. As a result of the law, vehicle owners and independent repair facilities have access to the same diagnostic and repair information, through an on-board diagnostics port (OBD2), that automakers typically made available only to certified service centers.

However, there is one exception to the rule: wireless telematics systems.

Identifying the correct vehicle details and part fitment data by VIN is valuable for many repair shops, parts suppliers, and any other business dealing with the maintenance and service of vehicles. However, VIN data and part fitment data are quite different and therefore not commonly sourced and licensed under the same roof.

Typically, a VIN database and parts fitment catalog will need to be licensed separately and associated or mapped to each other, in order to identify parts for a specific vehicle by VIN. In this article, we cover what to expect from each database as well as how your business may go about identifying vehicle parts by VIN in the most efficient manner.

In a previous article, we discussed how businesses can leverage a commercial VIN decoding solution to identify vehicle specs by VIN, as well as which specs are often included. In this article, we are going to dive into which businesses benefit from this functionality. The short answer is just about any industry that has anything to do with vehicles, their maintenance, financing, insurance, or transportation. Here’s a deeper dive into some of the most popular use cases for vehicle specs identification by VIN:

This post has been republished with updates since its original publish date in July 2013

Quick access to complete and accurate vehicle specifications is necessary for many businesses in the automotive and allied industries. Firstly, I want to clarify that “vehicle specifications” can fit into more than one category. Some businesses may be looking to identify “construction” vehicle specs such as weights, dimensions, capacities, etc., while other businesses may be looking for “operation” and/or “performance” vehicle specs, including engine and transmission, standard and optional equipment, fuel economy, exterior, and interior colors, etc.

Regardless of which vehicle specs your business is looking to identify, scanning through OEM websites, vehicle manuals, or even your own internal management system/DMS often involves more effort than time allows. This is where VIN decoding comes in handy. Identifying vehicle specs by VIN number with the use of a VIN decoding solution is ideal for businesses working with several vehicle makes and models.

Today’s automotive landscape is much different than 20 years ago, with the average life of a vehicle at a record high of 11.8 years. Automotive manufacturers across the board are building high-quality, longer-lasting vehicles, provided the owner keeps up with maintenance.