Happy new year to all of you who take the time to read this blog, I wish a 2022 better than 2021 and worse than 2023 for each one of you!

I love putting together these stories about the Abrites tools. Often times I write about popular tools, the ones most of you know about, you see every day but there is one I love having in my back pocket every time I have to work on a car. It is called the VIN READER, its purpose is to read all the Vehicle Identification Numbers of all possible modules installed in the vehicles we work with every day. Then it cross checks each of the VINs it finds in a car against the largest stolen vehicle databases in the world. What it does afterwards is to allow you make an educated risk evaluation for you and your work. It is also there to assist law enforcement while conducting investigations on vehicles.

How it works?

The VIN Reader is a small, unobtrusive tool you can keep anywhere – in your pocket, bag, tool chest, etc. It uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone or tablet where the Abrites VIN reader app is installed. The VIN reader connects directly to your mobile device and once you select one of the many brands available:

Volvo, Toyota/Lexus, Suzuki, Subaru, BMW, Rolls-Royce, Mini, Renault, Dacia, Porsche, Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, Vauxhall, Nissan, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, Mercedes, Smart, Maybach, Hyundai, Honda, Ford, Mazda, Dodge, Alfa Romeo (full list in the app)

it performs a VIN scan to provide you with a list of all the VIN numbers of all the modules in the car.

After the VIN Reader reads the VIN numbers from each possible module within the vehicle (not all modules contain VIN numbers), it then lists them right there on your mobile device screen. At the same time as the VIN numbers are being run through the best stolen vehicle databases in the world to check if each of the modules currently installed in the vehicle has come from a possibly stolen vehicle.

The modules are on the left hand side and the vehicle identification number corresponding to it is on the right. Of course, in order to draw your attention the VINs we find a possible discrepancy with will be in red. Once the scan of the VINs in the vehicle is complete, the app will allow you to generate a printed report which you can keep on your mobile device or share in any communication app you have installed on your mobile device.

Who is the Abrites VIN Reader for?

There are two main categories of people who will benefit from this tool:

I. Law enforcement professionals/insurance investigators.
Law enforcers can benefit immensely from having a VIN Reader in their “arsenal” of tools. Within minutes, any suspected vehicle can be checked and the results can be communicated immediately, so decisions can be made immediately. The strongest side of the VIN Reader is that any possible discrepancy can be checked and analysed faster than with any alternative matter tool.
- Does the VIN of the car match the modules installed?
- Does any of the VIN numbers within the modules of the car come from a stolen vehicle?
The answer to both these questions will be known within 2 minutes of scanning the vehicle using the Abrites VIN Reader. Not just that, once you are ready with the analysis of the vehicle, you will be able to alert your colleagues and send a report right away.

II. Any professional working with automobiles.
The fact that you can perform the same check to any car which comes to you for discrepancies in its origin can save you a lot of trouble. You can choose to alert authorities about anything wrong with a vehicle or simply choose not to work on it. If you are a locksmith or a diagnostician going through a brief check with your VIN Reader, it can be highly valuable because you can decide how to proceed for yourself.

But this is far from all the VIN reader can be used for, as the old infomercials used to say. There are new models and brands being added constantly, the technology is there and we are already working on a complete diagnostic solution based on it. This, however, is a story for another time and I will tell you all about it when we get there. For now I am happy I had the chance to tell you more about the Abrites VIN Reader – one of the less popular tools we have which can be very beneficial to all customers. Until next week – take care.

Alek