HPI Check - On The Move via SMS!

Phil W

Phil W

Phil W

Soldato
Joined
19 Oct 2002
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Location
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Not sure if anyones aware of this service, thought it good to post it up as lots of people ask for "Cheap" or "Free" HPI Check services.

Ok, so its not a written report so its only really good for you if your standing on the forecourt looking at the car and want to know its history before you enquire further (although any good dealership should include a HPI check anyway!)

Its a mobile service you text 88600 from your mobile,

Type CHECK XX07XXX

So thats CHECK "space" registration of car you want to check,

It costs £1.50, ONE POUND FIFTY + STANDARD NETWORK RATE, and you recieve three texts, thats 50p a text and it contains details of owners mileage last recorded at MOT, damage, colour changes, date of reg, out standing finance, or written of category etc.
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:)
 
Woah, looks quite impressive. But i don't know if i'd trust it as much as if i told the salesman to hold the car for me for an hour whilst i went home and did it on my computer.

Do all HPi checks come from the same database?
 
Gaygle said:
Woah, looks quite impressive. But i don't know if i'd trust it as much as if i told the salesman to hold the car for me for an hour whilst i went home and did it on my computer.

Do all HPi checks come from the same database?
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yes

theres one national insurance database that any car written off has to be recorded in. This will include the write off category etc..

i wreckon the mileage at last recorded MOT recorded will come from the national MOT database too.

merlin said:
How is this so cheap?
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presumably being a text message its just a buying decision aid, not a genuine assertion that the vehicle hasnt been written off or whatever.

Obv if you do buy the car, you'd be best off getting the full check as well. But if the £1.50 check reveals its written off, you know to walk away sharpish and have saved yourself £10 (its about that isnt it?) for a full check.
 
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I was under the impression that cheap 'HPI' checks didn't include outstanding finance information as this is expensive to obtain compared to the other stuff.
 
kaiowas said:
I was under the impression that cheap 'HPI' checks didn't include outstanding finance information as this is expensive to obtain compared to the other stuff.
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probably one of the reasons its only £1.50

but as i posted already. This isnt designed as an alternative to the proper HPI report.

You see a car you like, you do a quick SMS HPI check it comes out as having been written off, or more mileage at last MOT than its got on the dial. You walk away and have gained yourself valuable information but lost nothing

you do a quick HPI check which comes clean, and you decide to go further. At the point you'd consider actually forking out the cash, you can do a proper one and check for outstanding finance etc..
 
My old car:

pccapture1cl9.png

pccapture2gt3.png


The stolen info is incorrect; it was broken into!
 
HONDA ACCORD VTEC SE
VIN*****25 2.0 Apr00
3 owners
no colour changes
not stolen
not scrapped

No record of W****** being subject to a total loss claim

:)
 
Gaygle said:
Do all HPi checks come from the same database?
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All genuine HPI checks do, which comprises HPI, RAC, Ebay, Caravan Club, CarStatusCheck, WhatCar, MCN and possibly a few others they may have added. Depending on the product, some of these check more registers than others.

There are rival products out there from the likes of Experian which use very similar datasets (typically data supplied by the ABI etc), but it isn't the same database per se.

Mileage (and discrepancies) is one area where you are likely to find a difference as HPI run the National Mileage Register which is a more 'proactive' system for gaining mileage data (eg contacting former keepers following vehicle disposal). The cost of this is one reason why the 'premium' checks are priced much higher than cut down versions like the RAC one.
 
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