Used Car Optional Equipment

[mcampo2501]

I don't think anyone would disagree that the more descriptive you can be with a used car, the more likely it will be to sell. Most inventory software I've used has a generic VIN explosion that lists standard equipment, but this certainly doesn't give a vehicle any exclusivity. Does anyone know about anything out there that can take a VIN and pull the complete list of options that it was sold with? Example... I'm trying to list a 2004 350Z and I can't tell by the VIN if it's a Touring or Enthusiast. In my exploration through the internet I found that the only difference in standard equipment is traction control. I obviously can't see if the car has traction control, so I am left to either not list the model at all, or guess and be wrong. To take this further, even if I knew which model it was, there are still a list of options that it could have and only a handful of them can be seen. As it turned out the old window sticker was stuck in the owners manual, so this problem was solved, but there HAS TO be a better way.

 

[mcampo2501]

BTW. I assume this has been discussed, but I couldn't find an old thread, so you'll have to excuse the new guy...

 

[merritt]

In generic terms the OEM's don't release that info as part of the VIN explosion. The only thing that you'll be able to know is what options were made available for that VIN and you'll need to check them off.

I've heard various explanations as to why they don't release that info and certainly can't speak on their behalf, but what makes sense is that they probably don't want other manufacturers to know exactly how many black *** with premium packages (or whatever) were made and sold.

 

[mcampo2501]

That's unfortunate. I am to understand the store I'm working at got sued a few years back for advertising the wrong shade of black on a BMW and ended up having to pay out. Since we didn't know the name of the color, we just listed the car as "black". The buyer was from Cali and said he couldn't tell from the pictures on line that it was metallic and not flat. I can only imagine the same thing would happen if a Corvette was advertised having selective real time dampening when it didn't. On the other hand, it was a $1700 option and would certainly add value if it was actually there. I just feel like ever time I list one of these cars that might have thousands of dollars worth of mechanical equipment that I can't see, I'm leaving money on the table.

 

[merritt]

Ouch... Listing all the correct items is important. Good news is you are going the extra mile to list them as perfect as you can. A lot of dealerships don't. Shoppers will notice.

 

[CarGuy2011]

I like your thinking and I ltoo like "enriched" options like the manufacturer intended them to be described. I manage the data collection business for ADSCO Companies in Cincinnati and we resell HomeNet Automotive. I have my dealers setup to use Chrome Data options, which is a custom feature that I requested of HomeNet support. If you don't request it, HomeNet will turn the Chrome Data options into generic options when it exports your inventory to AutoTrader.com and others.

Chrome Data is by far is the best. No VIN decoder canor will tell you what came on the car when it was sold new, but with Chrome Data you can drill down on the trim by selecting a trim and reviewing the options based on that trim. If incorrect, select another trim and review those options. It's not hard but it does require you to do some research and I do it everyday.

Here's an example of Chrome Data's option list for my 2007 Honda Pilot EX-L NAV that is exported to AutoTrader.com and your website and will print on your window sticker:

Pwr moonroof w/tilt feature, Roof rails, Projector beam halogen headlamps w/auto-off, Fog lights, Body-color pwr heated mirrors, Rear privacy glass, Variable intermittent windshield wipers, Intermittent rear window wiper/washer, Leather seat trim, Heated front bucket seats-inc: 8-way pwr driver seat adjustable lumbar support, 2nd & 3rd row 60/40 split flat-folding seats, Head restraints at all seating positions, Multifunctional center console w/storage cell phone cradle, Steering wheel-mounted audio controls, Adjustable steering column, Immobilizer theft-deterrent system, Tire pressure monitoring system, Maintenance minder system, Pwr windows w/auto-up/down driver window, Pwr door & tailgate locks, Honda satellite-linked navigation system w/voice recognition off-road tracking rearview camera, HomeLink remote system, Remote keyless entry, Cruise control, Remote fuel filler door release, Security system, Front/rear automatic climate control w/air-filtration system, Rear seat heater ducts, Rear window defroster w/timer, AM/FM/XM stereo w/6-disc in-dash CD changer-inc: (7) speakers subwoofer, Illuminated driver & front passenger visor vanity mirrors, 2nd & 3rd row grab rails w/integrated map lights, 3.5L SOHC MPFI 24-valve VTEC V6 engine, 5-speed automatic transmission w/OD, Fully-automatic Variable Torque Management (VTM-4) 4-wheel drive system, 16" machine-finished alloy wheels, Variable pwr rack & pinion steering, Pwr ventilated front/solid rear disc brakes, Dual-stage dual-threshold driver & front passenger airbags (SRS), Driver & front passenger side-impact airbags w/occupant position detection system (OPDS), Side curtain airbags on all rows w/rollover sensor, 2nd row lower anchors & tether for children (LATCH), 3rd row child seat tether anchors, Childproof rear door locks, Side-impact door beams

See how "enriched" those options are versus Power Windows, Power Driver's Seat, Power Moonroof, Navigation, AM/FM Stereo with CD Player, Heated Seats, Power Locks, 3rd row seating, Body Side Molding, Dual Front Airbags, Curtain Airbags, and so on....

If you like what you see, I'm available to help.

 

[CarGuy2011]

I decoded one of your vehicles using HomeNet's system, Stock # 7963P, 2009 M-B C300 and this is what it decoded and what I added and I removed some of the "fluff" like floormats:

BLACK MB-TEX SEAT TRIM, PREMIUM 1 PKG -inc: garage door opener, auto-dimming rearview mirror w/compass, auto-dimming exterior driver mirror, driver seat memory, pwr steering column w/memory, rain sensor, Sirius satellite radio, heated front seats, 17" 7-dual-spoke aluminum wheels -inc: 17" x 7.5" front 17" x 8.5" rear, Pwr tilt/slide tinted glass sunroof w/1-touch open/close, AMG front air dam w/mesh air intakes side skirts & rear apron, Halogen headlamps w/selectable light-sensing, Front halogen fog lamps, Single rear red fog lamp, Pwr heated mirrors, AM/FM/Weatherband radio w/CD-player -inc: MP3 capability (8) speakers Bluetooth interface for hands-free phone auxiliary audio input jack, 8-way pwr front sport seats -inc: adjustable lumbar support active adjustable head restraints, 3-spoke leather-wrapped sport steering wheel w/multi-function controls, Tilt/telescopic steering column, Instrumentation -inc: fuel & coolant temp gauge clock Touch Shift & mode selection display tachometer, 5" central controller display w/retractable cover, Multi-function display in instrument cluster -inc: trip computer exterior temp gauge oil level check digital speedometer audio status reminder & malfunction messages driver-programmable settings, Mercedes-Benz Maintenance System display, Pwr windows w/1-touch up/down, SmartKey infrared remote -inc: trunk open windows & sunroof open/close panic alarm fuel filler door selective unlock programmable auto-lock, Cruise control, Anti-theft alarm system, Engine immobilizer, Automatic dual-zone climate control -inc: dust & pollen filters tunnel mode w/1-touch closing of all windows sun sensor, Rear window defroster w/auto-shutoff, Front/rear cupholders, Auxiliary pwr outlet, Aluminum trim, Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors, Night security illumination, Aluminum shift knob, 7-Speed automatic transmission -inc: Touch Shift, 3.0L DOHC 24-valve V6 engine, 4MATIC all-wheel drive, Independent 3-link front suspension -inc: anti-dive geometry coil springs over gas shocks, Independent 5-arm multi-link rear suspension -inc: separate coil springs gas shocks, Lower sport suspension -inc: sport shocks sport springs, Front/rear stabilizer bar, Pwr rack & pinion steering, 4-wheel anti-lock disc brake system (ABS) w/brake assist, Pwr perforated & ventilated front & ventilated rear disc brakes, Polished chrome exhaust tips, Electronic stability program (ESP), 4-wheel electronic traction system (4-ETS), Programmable daytime running lamps w/auto override, Front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS), Front/rear window curtain airbags, 3-point driver & front passenger shoulder belts -inc: height adjustment emergency tensioning device adaptive belt force limiter, Rear 3-point seat belts -inc: outboard emergency tensioning device outboard belt force limiter outboard automatic height adjustment, Outboard rear universal lower anchors & tethers for children (LATCH), Child safety rear door locks, Tire pressure monitoring system

Here's how # 2 reads: PREMIUM 2 PKG -inc: garage door opener, auto-dimming rearview mirror w/compass, auto-dimming exterior driver mirror, driver seat memory, pwr steering column w/memory, rain sensor, Sirius satellite radio, heated front seats, split-folding rear seats, rear sunshade, bi-xenon headlamps w/washing system, corner-illum fog lamps, LED tail lamps

What if it had Navigation: MULTIMEDIA PKG -inc: enhanced voice control, COMAND navigation system, 7" color display, in-dash 6-disc CD/DVD changer, harman/kardon LOGIC7 surround sound system, 6-GB hard drive w/Music Register, Gracenote

What do think? On your website, you have great detail, but it's missing what a Premium 1 package gives the online shopper.

 

[mcampo2501]

Well your explosion is certainly more descriptive, but I dont think the customer would read through it all. In a perfect world I would list optional equipment, followed by one or two key standard features. I have greatly reduced my comments over the last few months, as they used to look more like this. I guess I was just fishing for an easy way to tell what equipment is on car. Seems as though the answer is there isn't? Thanks for demo though.

 

[CarGuy2011]

Well your explosion is certainly more descriptive, but I dont think the customer would read through it all. In a perfect world I would list optional equipment, followed by one or two key standard features. I have greatly reduced my comments over the last few months, as they used to look more like this. I guess I was just fishing for an easy way to tell what equipment is on car. Seems as though the answer is there isn't? Thanks for demo though.

As the dealer, you can reduce the options to a more suitable description, you have complete control over how the option is listed. You can even adjust the option to shorten it, save it and everytime the system comes across that option again, it will apply the settings you saved.

I tyically remove the some of the "fluffy" options to reduce the amount of the options.

I trimmed your car's options from 51 to 39:

BLACK MB-TEX SEAT TRIM, PREMIUM 1 PKG -inc: garage door opener auto-dimming rearview mirror w/compass auto-dimming exterior driver mirror driver seat memory pwr steering column w/memory rain sensor Sirius satellite radio heated front seats, 17" 7-dual-spoke aluminum wheels -inc: 17" x 7.5" front 17" x 8.5" rear, Pwr tilt/slide tinted glass sunroof w/1-touch open/close, AMG front air dam w/mesh air intakes side skirts & rear apron, Halogen headlamps w/selectable light-sensing, Front halogen fog lamps, Pwr heated mirrors, AM/FM/Weatherband radio w/CD-player -inc: MP3 capability (8) speakers Bluetooth interface for hands-free phone auxiliary audio input jack, 8-way pwr front sport seats -inc: adjustable lumbar support active adjustable head restraints, 3-spoke leather-wrapped sport steering wheel w/multi-function controls, Tilt/telescopic steering column, 5" central controller display w/retractable cover, Multi-function display in instrument cluster -inc: trip computer exterior temp gauge oil level check digital speedometer audio status reminder & malfunction messages driver-programmable settings, Mercedes-Benz Maintenance System display, Pwr windows w/1-touch up/down, SmartKey infrared remote -inc: trunk open windows & sunroof open/close panic alarm fuel filler door selective unlock programmable auto-lock, Cruise control, Anti-theft alarm system, Engine immobilizer, Automatic dual-zone climate control -inc: dust & pollen filters tunnel mode w/1-touch closing of all windows sun sensor, Rear window defroster w/auto-shutoff, Aluminum trim, Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors, 7-Speed automatic transmission -inc: Touch Shift, 3.0L DOHC 24-valve V6 engine, 4MATIC all-wheel drive, Lower sport suspension -inc: sport shocks sport springs, Pwr rack & pinion steering, 4-wheel anti-lock disc brake system (ABS) w/brake assist, Pwr perforated & ventilated front & ventilated rear disc brakes, Electronic stability program (ESP), 4-wheel electronic traction system (4-ETS), Programmable daytime running lamps w/auto override, Front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS), Front/rear window curtain airbags, Outboard rear universal lower anchors & tethers for children (LATCH), Child safety rear door locks, Tire pressure monitoring system


I removed some of the more common options, such as 3 point seatbelts, cupholders, and more. And remember this posting is in paragraph form becasue I cut and pasted all the options from HN in one paragraph, but online it is separated into bullet points for each option. And it would be further dvivided on your website as Exterior, interior, Mech, Safety, and Installed. It would not be in paragraph form and therefore easier to read.

If an online shopper found my car online and it was more detail in its description than another dealer's same car, I think the online shopper would think the other dealer's car was not as equipped as the my car. "Hey honey, this car doesn't come with an AMG front air dam w/mesh air intakes and side skirts & rear apron or a Bluetooth interface for hands-free phone like ABC Motors, but they look the same! Let's go to ABC Motors and buy theirs because it's better."

 

[CarGuy2011]

Here maybe this is easier to read than just a paragraph of options. Here are two AutoTrader.com 2011 Dodge Durango examples:

The other data collection company and how they decode and describe the options:
Cars for Sale: 2011 Dodge Durango AWD Crew in Cincinnati, OH 45251: Sport Utility Details - 318451774 - AutoTrader.com

HomeNet collected:
Cars for Sale: 2011 Dodge Durango 2WD Crew in Cincinnati, OH 45245: Sport Utility Details - 321829399 - AutoTrader.com

Did you notice the custom comments the dealer felt the need to add to the other company's listing? The Internet Manager added "3rd row seating, 6.5 touch screen and power liftgate" because the other company doesn't have information to describe those options or they completely missed them. My Chrome Data VIN decoder didn't miss those items. It builds value. Photos are great, Videos are Awesome, Enriched Options are becoming the difference between a basic listing and quality listing.