[Newtown]

Like in other parts of the globe, this system should be making use of the VIN and not the car registration number.

There is no violation of privacy as this gives just the maintenance history without ownership details.

I have been looking at the service history of my cars on the VW Portal for a while now. All done by VIN. Needs a payment of about 10 Euro and you find everything that service advisor can see on their screen at the workshop.

[It's Magic]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

it gives personally identifiable information too (in the form of owner name, but does not show address/phone number)

I think this part is not right. They should hide the owner's name and other personally identifiable information from the report.

Although I haven't personally used them, I have heard that there are apps where you can search for any car using it's registration number, and it provides all the details about the given car. A long time ago, these apps used to provide the owner's name as well, but now they hide owner details. So, I wouldn't be surprised if the service history is also available online.

[sf71hvettel]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Don't you think this data is coming from car manufacturer directly, rather than individual dealers? Because it will be a logistical nightmare to collect data from 5,000 or so car dealers all over India, and update it frequently. Note that this report is generated within 12 hours after payment.

It is precisely because of the 12 hour delay that I believe this is a manual process via dealers. Any dealer can look up the entire service history of a car with the VIN.

If the data was OEM driven- then there shouldn't be a 12 hour delay.

[Funny]

Looks like they don't have data of all the manufacturers or the ones who have left India already
Tried to look up my EcoSport's history and it said Manufacturer's data is not available or something along those lines.

[condor]

Originally Posted by d3mon

But isn't this a blatant breach of privacy for the existing owner? Can I enter your car's registration number, and get all the service records along with your address and contact details?

Like @Smartcat mentioned, and I have seen with CarInfo, the owner's details are not provided. The report from CarInfo had all details of the owner struck-out, and only service advisor/technician info was there.

Yes, you can put in my car number and get the history. But why would you want to spend 200 odd if you/anyone is not interested in the car ?

Originally Posted by d3mon

Car dealers are not authorized to share service records with random third parties like Cars24. I wonder how they've turned this into an actual payable service, and that too for just Rs 230!

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

This is a huge violation of privacy. With whose permission is my car’s information being shared with third parties? It is one thing to get service history from the showroom/service center. Entirely different if data is sold in bulk to outsiders. The service people have all our details including address, phone numbers, credit card details as well as company details. If service history is shared, then everything else is shared as well. It is easy and free money for the dealers, after all.

So what about the dealerships which share our details to marketing agencies for car insurance renewal ?
And if the service centre can give the service history, why not a third party ? And unless this third party has an agreement with the service centre such info cannot come out. Also, when we look at it again - it is not the dealership which is providing this info. I am in BLR, but got the reports for cars in Pune. Looks more like manufactuer tie-up than dealership level.

Originally Posted by Newtown

Like in other parts of the globe, this system should be making use of the VIN and not the car registration number.

If VIN is used, then we will almost never get the info. Since it is with registration number, it is easy to check the history before going to check the car - esp if the car is in a different city.

[Newtown]

Originally Posted by condor

If VIN is used, then we will almost never get the info. Since it is with registration number, it is easy to check the history before going to check the car - esp if the car is in a different city.

Which is exactly what is needed. I should not be able to put in a car registration and find out details. If it's for sale, the VIN should be shared to do the check. Even if one does a Pre-Purchase Inspection, they are bound to see the VIN.

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by condor

So what about the dealerships which share our details to marketing agencies for car insurance renewal ?
And if the service centre can give the service history, why not a third party ? And unless this third party has an agreement with the service centre such info cannot come out. Also, when we look at it again - it is not the dealership which is providing this info. I am in BLR, but got the reports for cars in Pune. Looks more like manufactuer tie-up than dealership level.

Car dealerships leaking information is under the table - would they admit that they are doing it? Never. It's just some low level employees trying to make a quick buck.

This third party is supposed to run a reputable business, and if they are doing this shady business out in the open, it's deplorable.

I can tell you that 2 brands that I have experience with (Honda / BMW) do not share service history without an email confirmation from the current owner to release it. And this makes perfect sense.

It cannot be a manufacturer level tie up - what are they getting out of it? Of course nothing. This is more likely to be just unofficial tie ups with a few dealers. Most likely they will refund the amount if their contacts/jugaad isn't working out for a particular car brand.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by sf71hvettel

It is precisely because of the 12 hour delay that I believe this is a manual process via dealers. Any dealer can look up the entire service history of a car with the VIN. If the data was OEM driven- then there shouldn't be a 12 hour delay.

Member Funny says there is no service history available for Ford vehicles. But the service centers are still open for business. So this is "adding two plus two" kind of evidence that OEMs are sharing the service history, don't you think? There is no Ford vehicles service history data because Ford India has shut shop.

Originally Posted by Funny

Looks like they don't have data of all the manufacturers or the ones who have left India already. Tried to look up my EcoSport's history and it said Manufacturer's data is not available or something along those lines.

[Thyag]

Maybe this is a gimmick to get some users and collect their data, hand it over to their marketing department to work on it

[sf71hvettel]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Member Funny says there is no service history available for Ford vehicles. But the service centers are still open for business. So this is "adding two plus two" kind of evidence that OEMs are sharing the service history, don't you think? There is no Ford vehicles service history data because Ford India has shut shop.

I doubt we'll know either way definitively but it could just be that there isn't enough demand to justify tieing up with a Ford Service Center, or maybe the Ford DMS works differently and requires additional authentication from the dealer end to show the service history.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by condor

I got a service history report from CarInfo. Login is via OTP, and cost me 299/-. Report was accurate and detailed - happened to get the same details through someone in MASS.

Link to carinfo website for accessing service history:
https://www.carinfo.app/service-history

About how service history data is made available:

The Service History of the car is made available in collaboration with OEMs and other Authorized Service Centres. This service is typically fulfilled in 3 working days

Other websites offering vehicle service history online:
https://www.cardekho.com/services/de...istory-101.htm
https://droom.in/history

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Link to carinfo website for accessing service history:
https://www.carinfo.app/service-history

About how service history data is made available:



Attachment 2637785

Notice how it says OEMs (original equipment manufacturer) and not car companies or car manufacturers. So, it is clear that the data is coming from service centers. Terrible state of affairs. Brands really seem to have next to no control over their dealer and service partners.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by d3mon

But isn't this a blatant breach of privacy for the existing owner? Can I enter your car's registration number, and get all the service records along with your address and contact details?

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

This is a huge violation of privacy. With whose permission is my car’s information being shared with third parties?

I wonder if the data is only ours to own. They (OEMs/dealerships/etc) aren't sharing the personal details of the vehicle owner. The engine and chassis number is not shared. They are only monetising the detailed data of the services they have offered for a particular vehicle. As @condor rightly put it, what are you going to get out of my car's service records?

Consider the snapshot of one of the servicing entries below. Except for the vehicle number, if it comes to legality, every bit of data point provided here is data they have captured in their systems; and something they can argue they are only leveraging information they hold in their systems. I'm sure in the billing T&Cs, there's some condition allowing them to record our vehicle servicing/repair details and use it as per their requirements.



One needs to remember - if there's a potential breach of privacy, this "service" (offered by CarFax over there) would have gone into hundreds of thousands of court cases in the US long ago. The fact that it hasn't probably means there isn't a breach; even if we are talking about two different countries.

--------------------------

On the other side, this is a brilliant service when it comes to used car market. More than half the time, the main problem lies in getting the true service history of the vehicle. Odometers are fudged, etc etc. Now one can just plug in the vehicle number and get the full servicing history. Any gaps or discrepancies; one can question the dealer or the owner for clarifications; or simply walk away from the deal.

[anandhsub]

If they are getting these from service centres what stops them from getting records from FNGs as well, at least the professionally run ones?

[Funny]

Originally Posted by anandhsub

If they are getting these from service centres what stops them from getting records from FNGs as well, at least the professionally run ones?

Impractical. Who defines what is a "professionally run FNG"? And who ensures that the said FNG continues to run professionally? Periodic validations will be required meaning there has to be some sort of governing agency which seems very unlikely for this segment of market.