# 02 - Vehicle identity and part identity / price data

> **Superseded in part, 18 Oct 2026.** A red-team pass checked this note against primary sources and found claims that are wrong or incomplete. Do not use a claim from this note before you check it in the claims check table of: [09-redteam-parts-data.md](view.html?f=notes/09-redteam-parts-data.md), [09-redteam-reference-data.md](view.html?f=notes/09-redteam-reference-data.md).

Research date: 2026-10-17. Scope: what a startup with no licenses can get today.
Method: public web pages, public API docs, robots.txt files. No sign-ups, no logins, no forms.
Note: the web-search budget for this session ran out before the end. Items marked UNVERIFIED need a second pass.

## Summary table

| Data item | Public for a startup? | Latest data point (date) | Source URL | Confidence | What Revv can do today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic VIN decode (year, make, model, body, engine, "Trim" field) | Yes free | vPIC API v4.10. 145 variables. Includes Trim, Trim2, Series, "Base Price ($)". No color, paint, option or package variables (checked 2026-10-17) | https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/ | High | Use vPIC as the free base decoder. Expect Trim to be blank or coarse on many VINs. |
| Window sticker (options, packages, MSRP, color name) by VIN, from OEM | Partly | Ford: official FordDirect PDF endpoint, only for vehicles in production or "a few weeks after delivery". GM, Stellantis, Hyundai, Genesis: free OEM PDFs per a third-party test (2026-06-09). Toyota, Lexus, Kia: no free access as of 2026-06-09 | https://www.ford.com/support/how-tos/owner-resources/vehicle-documents/view-a-window-sticker-in-pts-oasis/ ; https://www.carwhere.com/research/best-window-sticker-lookup-tools | Ford High. Others Med | Manual lookup by a user is fine. Automated bulk pulls from OEM endpoints have no license. Do not build on them without legal review. |
| Paint code by VIN | Partly / Yes paid | Touch-up sellers (AutomotiveTouchup, PaintScratch) look up by year/make/model only. No VIN lookup on their home pages (checked 2026-10-17). Paint makers do VIN lookup only inside shop tools (Axalta VINdicator "Bundled with ColorNet") | https://www.automotivetouchup.com/ ; https://www.paintscratch.com/ ; https://www.axalta.com/metalux_us/en_US/color/national-rule/formula-retrieval/vindicator.html | Med | Ask the shop for the door-jamb paint code (photo + OCR). Use year/make/model color lists as a check. |
| Commercial VIN decode with options and colors | Yes paid | MarketCheck: NeoVIN enhanced decoder $0.08/call, Basic decoder $0.0015/call, free plan 500 calls/month. Paid plans $299/mo (5,000 calls) and $749/mo (unlimited) + data fee | https://www.marketcheck.com/apis/pricing ; https://docs.marketcheck.com/docs/guides/neovin | High (price). Med (fields) | Best public-price option for installed options, packages and color names. Paint code field not confirmed. |
| CarAPI VIN decode | Yes paid | Premium $299/year, 6,000 calls/day. Trims 1990-2027, exterior/interior colors, VIN Decode only on Premium per comparison table | https://carapi.app/pricing | Med (page has a conflict between cards and table) | Cheap spec decode. Not a build-sheet source. |
| VinAudit data APIs | Yes paid | Trial 100 queries free. Self-Service $100/mo + $0.10/query, "For qualifying developers and early-stage startups only". Window Stickers API shows "Coming soon" | https://data.vinaudit.com/pricing ; https://data.vinaudit.com/window-stickers-api | High | Usable for decode and history. Window sticker product not live. |
| DataOne, Vehicle Databases, Carfax for business | Partly (quote only) | DataOne: "Request a Quote", no prices. Vehicle Databases: pricing is an image-only PDF at /pricing.pdf, not extracted. Carfax business: not checked | https://www.dataonesoftware.com/ ; https://vehicledatabases.com/pricing | Low | Ask for quotes if MarketCheck fails on paint code. UNVERIFIED prices. |
| OEM part numbers + MSRP by VIN (dealer e-commerce) | Partly | Dealer and reseller sites show part number + MSRP publicly. Example 2025 Honda HR-V: 74100-3W0-A00 at $61.38, MSRP $86.70 (hondapartsnow.com). Most sites offer VIN fitment | https://www.hondapartsnow.com/oem-2025-honda-hr_v-fender.html | High (data is visible) | A user can look up part numbers and MSRP by hand. Bulk scraping: blocked by Cloudflare on GM/Mopar sites and no license. Not a product foundation. |
| Dealer parts platform APIs (RevolutionParts, SimplePart) | No | RevolutionParts home page: no public API or affiliate program mentioned (checked 2026-10-17). SimplePart (Infomedia): contact sales | https://www.revolutionparts.com/ ; https://www.infomedia.com.au/products/ecommerce/simplepart/ | Med | None without a partnership. |
| PartsTech API | Partly (contract) | API by Order Form. Bans caching of PartsTech Data and bans building a competing pricing database. PartsTech is now "an OEC Company" | https://partstech.com/api-agreement-terms/ | High | Possible only as an integrated ordering partner, not as a price-data source. |
| Licensed OEM price file (MOTOR GEN5) | Yes paid (license) | MOTOR GEN5 Collision & Mechanical OE Parts dev kit, file metadata 2025-08-28. Includes OEM part numbers and MSRP | https://www.motor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MOTOR_Gen5_Collision_Mechanical_OEParts_eCommerce_ContentDevKit.pdf | Med | This is the real licensed route for OEM list prices. Get a quote. |
| GM and Ford collision list prices | No (dynamic) | GM list prices moved to OEC MyPriceLink from 2015-12-01. Ford joined in Q4 2018. No 2025-2026 update found | https://www.fenderbender.com/news/article/55048954/oec-revolutionizes-oe-parts-list-pricing-with-new-technology ; https://www.bodyshopbusiness.com/?p=191808 | Med | Treat GM/Ford list prices as live values from estimating systems. Do not hard-code. |
| Paint formula retrieval (PPG, Axalta, BASF, Sherwin-Williams) | No (shop account) | PPG LINQ behind regional logins. Old free ppgpaintit.com now redirects to ppglinq.com. Axalta ColorNet/VINdicator for system users. BASF SmartCOLOR and SW FormulaExpress are trade tools | https://ppglinq.com/ ; https://www.axalta.com/metalux_us/en_US/color/national-rule/formula-retrieval/vindicator.html | Med | Do not plan on formula data. Revv needs paint code and refinish hours, not formulas. |
| Paint and materials (P&M) cost | Partly | National average P&M $50 per refinish hour. Refinish brand increases 6.1% to 9.4%, weighted average 7.4%, effective Q1 2025 | https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/04/21/inflation-playing-role-in-paint-and-material-costs-up-by-average-7-4-during-q1/ | Med | Use $/refinish hour from the shop profile. Use $50 only as a default. |
| CAPA certified parts | Yes free (web search form) | Public Database Search, no login seen. Fields: make, model, year, manufacturer, part description, AM part number, OEM part number, Partslink number. CAPA ended emailed decertification lists in Dec 2025 | https://www.capacertified.org/PartSearch ; https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2026/01/26/capa-chairman-addresses-question-on-decertification-list-at-cic/ | High | Per-part certification check by OEM or Partslink number. Bulk copying: terms not read. UNVERIFIED. |
| NSF certified collision parts | No (not found) | NSF listings site shows only 2 Automotive programs: Coefficient of Friction and Friction Material (checked 2026-10-17). No collision parts listing found | https://cms.nsf.org/certified-products-systems | Med | Do not depend on NSF data. Program status UNVERIFIED. |
| LKQ / Keystone aftermarket prices | No (partner only) | LKQ drop ship: 90,000+ aftermarket parts, ordering API. Needs NDA and "data usage agreement" and an active auto website | https://lkqcorp.com/lkq-global_about-us/north-america/drop-ship/ | High | Not a public price source. Partnership only. |
| Recycled parts (car-part.com) | Partly | Public search shows price, grade, recycler, distance. robots.txt disallows /cgi-bin (the search path). Cloudflare 403 on automated fetch. "Automotive Intelligence" may not be copied | https://www.car-part.com/robots.txt ; https://www.car-part.com/copy | High | Shop users can search by hand. No public API for third parties. Contact Car-Part sales for a partnership. |
| Hollander Interchange | No (licensed) | Copyright Claims Services Group, Inc. (Solera). Includes material licensed from Ford. Bundled with Powerlink | https://www.car-part.com/copy | High | No route without a Solera license. |
| Collision part price index | Partly (summary only) | PartsTrader Spring 2026: new OEM parts 4.3% inflation after 2025 tariffs. Aftermarket below 1% | https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2026/05/08/partstrader-oem-parts-increase-in-price-as-aftermarket-remain-flat/ | Med | Use for market context only. No part-level data. |
| Public OEM price list or state DOI filing | No (not found) | No public OEM collision price file found. No state DOI filing found | n/a | Low | Do not plan on it. Search was cut short. UNVERIFIED. |

## Q1. VIN decode beyond NHTSA vPIC

**vPIC fields.** The vPIC API is free and has no published rate limit. The page says requests are subject to "an automated traffic rate control mechanism." Batch decode takes "a maximum of 50 VINs per batch." Standalone vPIC databases are downloadable. Source: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/

- I pulled `GetVehicleVariableList` on 2026-10-17. It returns 145 variables.
- Present: `Trim`, `Trim2`, `Series`, `Series2`, `Body Class`, `Drive Type`, `Engine Model`, `Base Price ($)`.
- Absent: exterior color, paint code, option codes, packages, build sheet.
- A test decode of a 2020 Honda Accord pattern returned `Trim: Sport` and blank `Series`. Trim depends on what the OEM reports to NHTSA.

**OEM window stickers.**

- Ford, official: "Use the Ford Direct link for vehicles currently being assembled or up to a few weeks after delivery." URL: `https://www.windowsticker.forddirect.com/windowsticker.pdf?vin=` + VIN. For owned vehicles, Ford sells replacement stickers. Source: https://www.ford.com/support/how-tos/owner-resources/vehicle-documents/view-a-window-sticker-in-pts-oasis/
- CarWhere test, published 2026-06-09: Ford, GM and Stellantis "serve window sticker PDFs from public manufacturer URLs that accept a VIN directly." Also: "Toyota and Lexus retired free public sticker access in 2026." Also: "Kia blocks automated lookups." Also: "No free tool can retrieve Toyota, Lexus, or Kia stickers as of 2026-06-09." Source: https://www.carwhere.com/research/best-window-sticker-lookup-tools
- Honda: CarWhere lists Honda among brands "without public sticker access."
- GM and Stellantis endpoint URLs: not confirmed from an OEM page. A Ram forum post cites `ramtrucks.com/hostd/windowsticker/getWindowStickerPdf.do?vin=`. UNVERIFIED.
- Risk: these endpoints have no license for third-party bulk use. A startup that resells them depends on an OEM that can close them at any time. Toyota closed its endpoint in 2026.

**Paint code by VIN.**

- AutomotiveTouchup FAQ: "Enter the make, model, and year of your car, and we'll help you figure out your color code." No VIN tool. https://www.automotivetouchup.com/
- PaintScratch color finder uses "Vehicle Make, Year, Model, and Color Keywords." FAQ: "Your paint code is usually found in the driver's door jamb, trunk, or under the hood." https://www.paintscratch.com/
- ERA Paints: page returned no content. UNVERIFIED.
- The VIN does not encode the paint code. The code is in OEM build records. Free routes are the door-jamb label, an OEM window sticker (color name), or a dealer.

**Commercial VIN APIs with public prices.**

| Vendor | Public price | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| MarketCheck | Basic VIN Decoder $0.0015/call. NeoVIN enhanced $0.08/call. Free plan 500 calls/month. Basic $299/mo (5,000 calls). Standard $749/mo (unlimited). Both + data fee | NeoVIN: "Factory-installed options," "Equipment packages," MSRP. "Colors and Trim Details": "Specific interior and exterior color combinations." Build specs 2012 to present. Paint code field not found | https://www.marketcheck.com/apis/pricing ; https://docs.marketcheck.com/docs/guides/neovin/data |
| CarAPI | Base $199/yr (1,500/day), Plus $249/yr (3,000/day), Premium $299/yr (6,000/day). Overage $0.001/call if soft limit chosen | Comparison table puts Trims, colors, VIN Decode on Premium only. Plan cards say otherwise. Caching: "Yes, absolutely." | https://carapi.app/pricing |
| VinAudit | Trial 100 queries. Self-Service $100/mo + $0.10/query, "For qualifying developers and early-stage startups only." Enterprise custom | Window Stickers API: "Coming soon," "Request early access" | https://data.vinaudit.com/pricing ; https://data.vinaudit.com/window-stickers-api |
| DataOne | None. "Request a Quote" | Lists "OEM Build Data & Verified Records" | https://www.dataonesoftware.com/ |
| Vehicle Databases | Pricing is an image-only PDF at https://vehicledatabases.com/pricing.pdf. Not extracted | UNVERIFIED | https://vehicledatabases.com/pricing |
| Carfax for business | Not checked | UNVERIFIED | n/a |

## Q2. OEM part numbers and list prices by VIN

**Public MSRP is common on dealer and reseller sites.**

- hondapartsnow.com, "by Genuine Parts Now, Inc." (South El Monte, CA). 2025 HR-V example: 74100-3W0-A00 Fender Assy R-FR, $61.38 (MSRP $86.70). 60260-3W0-A00ZZ W-Panel L-FR Fender, $171.52 (MSRP $248.58). Page text: "For the most accurate results, select vehicle by your VIN." https://www.hondapartsnow.com/oem-2025-honda-hr_v-fender.html
- toyotapartsdeal.com, same operator style: 52119-06909 at $252.52, "MSRP: $362.10" (from search snippet, not opened).
- autoparts.toyota.com (the old parts.toyota.com redirects here): search bar says "Search by Keywords, Part Numbers or Full VIN." Product page text: "MSRP and price exclude taxes, installation, shipping, and dealer charges. Dealer sets actual price." No price showed in the fetched HTML. Price likely loads after dealer selection. UNVERIFIED. The sitemap lists about 24 files of about 13,700 URLs each (lastmod 2026-09-29). robots.txt disallows `/search*`.
- parts.honda.com: DNS failed on 2026-10-17 (domain does not resolve).

**Automated access.**

- gmpartsdirect.com and store.mopar.com share the same robots.txt template. It names ClaudeBot, GPTBot and others with `Crawl-delay: 10` and `Disallow: /search*`, `/ajax/product/*/fits-my-vehicle`. A plain fetch got a Cloudflare "Just a moment..." challenge. The terms page returned 403.
- parts.ford.com and mopar.com robots.txt returned Akamai "Access Denied".
- RevolutionParts terms: "You may not otherwise use, copy, modify, distribute, mirror, republish or transmit any of the content" without "the prior written consent of Company." https://www.revolutionparts.com/terms-of-use
- RevolutionParts home page claims "3,000+ Brands" and "Over 100 million parts listing." No public API or affiliate program. https://www.revolutionparts.com/
- SimplePart (owned by Infomedia): "EPC-grade, VIN-specific data." Packages Base to Pro. Contact sales. No public API found.

**PartsTech.** The API is by Order Form. Developers may not "cache, copy, record, pre-fetch, compile or otherwise store any portion of the PartsTech Data." They may not build a "competitive product, service, platform or" database of pricing. Developers must use PartsTech as their exclusive catalog provider. The page says "PartsTech, an OEC Company." https://partstech.com/api-agreement-terms/

**OEC / MyPriceLink.** GM collision list prices moved to MyPriceLink effective 2015-12-01. Ford adopted it in Q4 2018. These list prices change dynamically and flow into estimating systems. No 2025-2026 update found. UNVERIFIED for current scope.

## Q3. Paint and refinish

- PPG: `ppgpaintit.com` now 301-redirects to `https://ppglinq.com/`. PPG LINQ shows regional logins only. No public color search on the page.
- Axalta VINdicator is "available for users of the Metalux National Rule paint system" and "Bundled with ColorNet." https://www.axalta.com/metalux_us/en_US/color/national-rule/formula-retrieval/vindicator.html
- BASF SmartCOLOR Online (launched November 2014) and Sherwin-Williams FormulaExpress 2.0 (2015) are trade tools. Current access terms UNVERIFIED.
- Conclusion: no free public VIN-to-formula lookup from the 4 paint makers.
- P&M cost: "The national average is $50" per refinish hour. Brand increases ranged 6.1% to 9.4%, weighted average 7.4%, effective Q1 2025. https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/04/21/inflation-playing-role-in-paint-and-material-costs-up-by-average-7-4-during-q1/
- ICBC (British Columbia) paint material rate went from $55.94 to $57.84 effective 2025-03-31 (search snippet). https://partners.icbc.com/assets/2yTE1jPxOgAl5EcT2Ece0G/paint-and-body-material-rate-increase-mar-2025.pdf

## Q4. Aftermarket parts

- CAPA Database Search is public. No login prompt seen. Search fields: Vehicle Make, Model, Year, Manufacturer, Part Description, AM Part Number, OEM Part Number, Partslink Number, EMC Tested Parts, Country Sold, "Only show parts updated after". https://www.capacertified.org/PartSearch
- CAPA stopped weekly and monthly emailed reports at the end of 2025. The last decertification list came out in December 2025. In January 2026 the "decertified" option was gone from Part Search. 57 parts were decertified in 2025. https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2026/01/26/capa-chairman-addresses-question-on-decertification-list-at-cic/
- CAPA terms on automated use: not read. UNVERIFIED.
- NSF: the listings page shows only 2 Automotive programs, both friction related. No collision parts listing found on 2026-10-17. UNVERIFIED whether the NSF collision program still exists.
- LKQ drop ship: "Over 90,000 aftermarket parts" and "Over nine million salvage parts." Ordering API. "we do not charge a set up fee or monthly maintenance fees." Requires "an active automotive website," an NDA and a data usage agreement. https://lkqcorp.com/lkq-global_about-us/north-america/drop-ship/
- Keystone: no current public price list found. UNVERIFIED.
- Consumer retail sites (RockAuto, CarParts.com and others) show aftermarket prices with Partslink numbers. Their terms were not checked. CarParts.com terms prohibit "automated means" (search snippet). UNVERIFIED for RockAuto.
- eBay Browse API is not marked "Limited release" on the Buy APIs overview. Limits and data-use terms not read. UNVERIFIED. https://developer.ebay.com/api-docs/buy/static/buy-overview.html

## Q5. Used and recycled parts

- car-part.com public search shows price, ARA grade, recycler, distance and interchange code (per an unofficial Apify scraper README). That README says "Datacenter IPs typically receive Cloudflare 403 on cgi-bin/search.cgi." https://apify.com/crawloop/car-part-scraper.md
- car-part.com robots.txt: `Disallow: /cgi-bin` and `Disallow: /Services/Hollander`. https://www.car-part.com/robots.txt
- car-part.com copyright page: "You are not permitted to use Car-Part's Automotive Intelligence except as it is integrated" into Car-Part products. Prohibits attempts to "copy, collect, recreate, decompile, reverse engineer, or reformat" the data. https://www.car-part.com/copy
- Web services exist for recyclers only: "Internet access and a management system required." Undated claim: 4,500 recyclers, 100 million part lookups per year. https://util.car-part.com/webservices/
- CrashLink (Car-Part product) shows "the most current List $ price" for OEM part numbers, "Using Motor® data." Subscription through a sales rep. https://products.car-part.com/crashlink/details.html
- Hollander Interchange is copyrighted by Claims Services Group, Inc. It "contains material that is reproduced and distributed under a license from Ford Motor Company." Licensed, not public. https://www.car-part.com/copy

## Q6. Public datasets of collision part prices

- No public OEM collision price file found. No state DOI filing with OEM part prices found. The search budget ran out before a full check. UNVERIFIED.
- Licensed source: MOTOR GEN5 Parts Mechanical & Collision. Snippet: "Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) part pricing and supersession." Dev kit PDF metadata dated 2025-08-28. GM collision prices were set to $0.00 in distributor data after 2015-12-01 because of MyPriceLink. https://www.motor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MOTOR_Gen5_Collision_Mechanical_OEParts_eCommerce_ContentDevKit.pdf
- Index only: PartsTrader Spring 2026 Collision Industry Report. New OEM parts 4.3% inflation after 2025 tariffs. Aftermarket below 1%. About 44% of OEM collision parts are made outside the US. https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2026/05/08/partstrader-oem-parts-increase-in-price-as-aftermarket-remain-flat/

## Open items for a second pass

- Confirm GM, Stellantis and Hyundai window-sticker endpoints from OEM pages.
- Extract the Vehicle Databases pricing PDF.
- Read CAPA, RockAuto, car-part.com "Website Terms" and eBay API license on caching and resale.
- Confirm whether MarketCheck NeoVIN returns an OEM paint code.
- Search state DOI sites for OEM price disclosures.