What’s a VIN? A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the 17-character identifier for your car, truck, or motorcycle. It looks like this: 1VXBR12EXCP901213, and encodes the vehicle’s manufacturer, features, and serial number. No two vehicles have the same VIN, so it serves as your car’s fingerprint– this allows for all reports of accidents, title problems, insurance incidents, and more to be tracked through each vehicle’s VIN.
Through VinAudit.com, you can look up records associated with your VIN instantly:
Where can I find my VIN? You can find your vehicle’s VIN in the title document, the vehicle registration, and on the insurance policy. The VIN could also be located at the following locations on the car itself:
On the driver’s side dashboard (viewable through the windshield)
On the driver’s side door (on a sticker in the door jamb)
Why would I order a VIN report? A VIN report lets you learn about your vehicle’s history. It includes checks for whether the car has been stolen, experienced accidents, recorded as salvaged, as well as many othertitle problem checks. Ordering a VIN report before purchasing a vehicle allows you to catch potential problems and purchase with confidence.
Our curriculum is reviewed every month to incorporate updates in the law. We are licensed retail car dealers, licensed auto brokers & licensed BPA registration agents. We walk the walk to talk the talk and we answer dealer questions every day, 7 days a week. We specifically address the California Vehicle Code and Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations in our training.
We assist the applicant to understand the legal framework available. We emphasize the legal ramifications of running a dealership in California. Becoming a licensed used car dealer in California is one of the most HIGHLY REGULATED industries. Prospective dealers need to fully understand what they are getting themselves into by getting licensed.
We build our dealer applicants the strongest business foundation possible.
Our instructors come from many aspects of the car dealer industry. Our founders were experienced law enforcement training management all retired S.F.P.D. When a licensed dealer violates laws and regulations they will likely face a civil lawsuit from a car dealer attorney representing the consumer.
We are experts at the dealer licensing business and we have years of assisting used car dealers in all of these scenarios.
Every DMV Dealer Education Provider is legally required to cover certain topics.
The truth is not so readily apparent. WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME.
Most providers give students a brief understanding of each topic.
TriStar Motors gives students a comprehensive overview of each topic.
We explain how to accomplish all of the tasks required of a licensed used car dealer.
The background knowledge and information we provide in this course is unmatched by our competition.
Our fees are not comparable to other providers because we are not offering the same product and service.
It’s like comparing apples to oranges, or buying a clean title car for a salvage title price.
If you are solely looking for a course certificate for the lowest price possible please use our competition.
Our company stands 22 years strong in quality dealer education and probably would not be a good fit for you.
You definitely get what you pay for in the car dealer education world.
The California Consumer Privacy Act, which goes into effect in 2020, sets up new challenges for businesses operating in the state. While technology companies may be the most affected, almost every business today relies on customer data to some degree, and auto and truck dealerships are no exception.
Does the CCPA apply to my dealership?
Most dealerships do not gain more than 50% of their revenue from selling consumer data, nor do they sell the records of more than 100,000 consumers. These are two of the three ways of determining if the CCPA applies to your business. But many dealership groups will be caught by the third: more than $25 million in annual gross revenue. If your dealership is above this threshold or close to it, you should expect to be subject to the CCPA.
The presence of the CCPA provides an opportunity to assess and improve your current data security practices. To help get you started, here’s a handy roadmap with some key steps to complying with the new law:
Take an inventory of all the ways your dealership collects customer information. This may include online forms, paper forms, and information obtained over the phone. Make sure to capture every one of these. Your IT service provider can help with this process.
Take an inventory of any information your dealership discloses to third parties. Dealerships sometimes develop strategic partnerships that involve the transfer of customer data to other businesses. Be sure to record all of these relationships, how they’re managed, and what specific data is being shared.
Develop policies for dealing with all data collected after January 1, 2020. To stay in compliance with the law, you must have ways of removing this data from your system upon customer request as well as an easy way to track what you store. Keep in mind that financial information may be excluded from the CCPA and covered under other applicable federal laws like Gramm-Leach-Bliley. It may be necessary to separate these pieces of information from each other (if they’re not already sequestered).
Work with your IT service provider to organize and secure past data. All of the consumer information that you currently have saved may be relevant to future CCPA compliance requirements, and it’s important to be able to easily sort and categorize it. Work with your IT service provider to ensure that you’ll be able to comply with the law.
Have a series of meetings to inform employees about relevant changes. All customer-facing employees should be given some training about complying with the law. This should cover properly entering data into the computer system and what must be explained to the customer when this happens. By making sure all relevant employees know what to do, you can help avoid costly mistakes.
Update your website to include opt-out instructions. One of the key components of the CCPA is that you must make it easy for customers to opt out of third-party data sharing. At least two methods must be made available. Telephone and web are the most common options. Work with employees and your IT team to make sure phone reps can fulfill these requests. Be sure to also include a form on your website, alongside updated text about data collection policies and CCPA rights.
Stay updated about the CCPA in order to learn about any additional best practices. The actual rollout of the law will likely reveal some hiccups in the process, and these will be covered by the press and industry journals. Dealer IT professionals are another great resource. By staying up to date, you can learn from the experiences of other businesses facing similar regulatory burdens and avoid costly lawsuits and fines.
While the passage of the CCPA presents some challenges, it also represents an opportunity to improve your data management policies and IT systems. Complying with the CCPA isn’t just about following the law, but also about building consumer trust.
Is your dealership ready for the CCPA? Contact Us.
All California vehicle dealer applicants must take a mandatory six-hour course training as mandated by the Department of Motor Vehicles before obtaining a vehicle dealer license. We conduct the courses throughout California. The fee for our new dealer course is:
$250 – scheduled classes AND $350 – for our private classes.
TriStar dealer training is an excellent alternative to most new dealer programs, as we are retired training officers, licensed DMV dealers/brokers/registration agents/verification agents and never in the business of selling you dealer products.
The goal of each session is to provide comprehensive training in an easy to read and follow format.
As our dealer licence student you will be shown the required materials in our handbook, with an in-depth explanation of each required topic.
We offer training beyond expectation as currently licensed retail dealers/brokers.
Anytime, if you have questions or need help you may call us toll free at: 800-901-5950.
Signing up for the DMV approved pre-licensing class:
Registration and Class Completion – The course mandate covers a variety of topics and our program has full approval of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Most of the 50 or so competitors purport to be experts in the auto industry. Most competitors charge low fees which range anywhere between $75 – $200. Most of the providers are insurance brokers trying to cross sell you surety bonds. Some own their own registration service hoping to gain your business upon being licensed. Some are former attorneys who have never actually SOLD a car as a retail used car dealer. Some are retired DMV Inspectors trying to peddle you special access to the licensing process. Most have jumped into the car dealer education business in the hopes of earning fast money.
Our curriculum is reviewed every month to incorporate updates in the law. We are licensed retail car dealers, licensed auto brokers & licensed BPA registration agents. We walk the walk to talk the talk and we answer dealer questions every day, 7 days a week. We specifically address the California Vehicle Code and Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations in our training.
We assist the applicant to understand the legal framework available. We emphasize the legal ramifications of running a dealership in California. Becoming a licensed used car dealer in California is one of the most HIGHLY REGULATED industries. Prospective dealers need to fully understand what they are getting themselves into by getting licensed.
We build our dealer applicants the strongest business foundation possible.
Our instructors come from many aspects of the car dealer industry. Our founders were experienced law enforcement training management all retired S.F.P.D. When a licensed dealer violates laws and regulations they will likely face a civil lawsuit from a car dealer attorney representing the consumer. The dealer will likely face charges for violations of the California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act ( CLRA ) The dealer could also face charges by local, state and federal authorities on a consumer protection violation. The dealer could also face inquiry, an administrative investigation and revocation hearing by the California DMV.
We are experts at the dealer licensing business and we have years of assisting used car dealers in all of these scenarios.
Every DMV Dealer Education Provider is legally required to cover certain topics.
Every instructor who offers the course must follow guidelines as outlined by DMV. Because of this mandate prospective dealer applicants looking to get licensed assume we are all the same. The truth is not so readily apparent. WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME.
Most providers give students a brief understanding of each topic.
TriStar Motors gives students a comprehensive overview of each topic.
We explain how to accomplish all of the tasks required of a licensed used car dealer.
The background knowledge and information we provide in this course is unmatched by our competition.
Our fees are not comparable to other providers because we are not offering the same product and service.
It’s like comparing apples to oranges, or buying a clean title car for a salvage title price.
If you are solely looking for a course certificate for the lowest price possible please use our competition.
Our company stands 20 years strong in quality dealer education and probably would not be a good fit for you.
You definitely get what you pay for in the car dealer education world.
Curbstone task force breaks up fraudulent dealer scheme in East Valley
ADOT, Department of Revenue partnership takes down large operation
February 26, 2020
PHOENIX – Working to protect people around the country from fraud involving used cars, state investigators have broken up a major criminal operation based in the East Valley that illegally produced tens of thousands of titles for vehicles being sold in 42 states.
With seven arrests made on Wednesday, Feb. 19, this is by far the largest operation broken up since Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation in 2018 creating the Arizona Curbstone Enforcement Joint Task Force, which combines the resources of ADOT’s Office of Inspector General, Arizona Department of Revenue and Arizona Independent Automobile Dealers Association. This task force combats vehicle sales made in violation of state laws governing dealer licensing, a practice known as curbstoning.
“Our partnership with the Department of Revenue was invaluable by bringing their investigators in to assist,” said Lt. James Warriner with ADOT’s Office of Inspector General, part of the agency’s Enforcement and Compliance Division. “Together, our agencies are delivering a one-two punch to stop curbstoning and illegal vehicle sales in Arizona.”
The case involves a scheme in which individuals allegedly subscribed to one of several websites identified by investigators to obtain wholesale and retail dealer license credentials from the suspects, rather than the state, for a monthly fee, usually in the hundreds of dollars. These credentials allowed about 1,500 individuals to attend and bid on vehicles at wholesale auctions in their states.
The operation also altered vehicle titles from these subscribers for about $100 per title to make it appear as though the individuals bought the vehicles from one of the suspects’ 31 operations with dealer licenses. More than 31,000 titles were processed this way over the past couple of years, and many of the vehicles involved were never in Arizona.
The operation has generated around $7 million fraudulently over the past couple of years.
ADOT detectives and Department of Revenue investigators, joined by special agents with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, served search warrants at six locations last week, including homes in Chandler and Gilbert and at a storefront in Mesa, arresting the suspects and searching for further evidence. Each suspect is facing multiple charges, including the felonies of fraudulent schemes and artifices, money laundering and tax evasion.
Curbstoning involves selling vehicles in a way that violates the parameters set by a dealer’s license. That could mean selling more than six vehicles in a consecutive 12-month period for an unlicensed dealer, or selling vehicles away from the designated area of sale for a licensed dealer.
In this case, licensed dealers are accused of illegally consigning their licenses out to other individuals in other states, allowing those individuals to bypass paying taxes, registration fees and laws regarding vehicle dealers.
Curbstoned vehicles typically involve other violations such as title fraud, odometer fraud and covered-up flood damage. Consumers in the market for used vehicles should do their homework before handing over any money.
When dealing with cases of curbstoning, ADOT detectives will share case information with Department of Revenue investigators and even bring them along to check out curbstoning sites.
In addition to fraud by licensed and unlicensed dealers, detectives with ADOT’s Office of Inspector General investigate identity theft, fraud involving vehicle title and registration, and support investigations by state, local and federal law enforcement.
What’s a VIN? A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the 17-character identifier for your car, truck, or motorcycle. It looks like this: 1VXBR12EXCP901213, and encodes the vehicle’s manufacturer, features, and serial number. No two vehicles have the same VIN, so it serves as your car’s fingerprint– this allows for all reports of accidents, title problems, insurance incidents, and more to be tracked through each vehicle’s VIN.
Through VinAudit.com, you can look up records associated with your VIN instantly:
Where can I find my VIN? You can find your vehicle’s VIN in the title document, the vehicle registration, and on the insurance policy. The VIN could also be located at the following locations on the car itself:
On the driver’s side dashboard (viewable through the windshield)
On the driver’s side door (on a sticker in the door jamb)
Why would I order a VIN report? A VIN report lets you learn about your vehicle’s history. It includes checks for whether the car has been stolen, experienced accidents, recorded as salvaged, as well as many othertitle problem checks. Ordering a VIN report before purchasing a vehicle allows you to catch potential problems and purchase with confidence.
What’s a VIN? A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the 17-character identifier for your car, truck, or motorcycle. It looks like this: 1VXBR12EXCP901213, and encodes the vehicle’s manufacturer, features, and serial number. No two vehicles have the same VIN, so it serves as your car’s fingerprint– this allows for all reports of accidents, title problems, insurance incidents, and more to be tracked through each vehicle’s VIN.
Through VinAudit.com, you can look up records associated with your VIN instantly:
Where can I find my VIN? You can find your vehicle’s VIN in the title document, the vehicle registration, and on the insurance policy. The VIN could also be located at the following locations on the car itself:
On the driver’s side dashboard (viewable through the windshield)
On the driver’s side door (on a sticker in the door jamb)
Why would I order a VIN report? A VIN report lets you learn about your vehicle’s history. It includes checks for whether the car has been stolen, experienced accidents, recorded as salvaged, as well as many othertitle problem checks. Ordering a VIN report before purchasing a vehicle allows you to catch potential problems and purchase with confidence.
