What is the LemonCheck© Vehicle History Report?

Our Vehicle History Report is the most comprehensive report in New Zealand today. Our 46 point report ensures you are protected against such events as damaged imports, money owing, expired WOF and/or registration, expired RUC (road user charges) and much more (see below). The information we discover is assembled in a logical fashion with ALERTS appearing at the top of the report clearly identifying what you should be concerned about. Each report has a unique reference number located near the top of the report under the heading Search Criteria.

What do we alert you to?

• Stolen: Has the vehicle been stolen or of interest to the Police.
• Money owing: Does a previous owner still owe money on this vehicle? We check ALL past plates to ensure you don’t buy a Lemon. BEWARE most of our competitors do not check past plates and that can mean they miss a security (money owing) on the vehicle making you liable for the outstanding debt if you go ahead and purchase it. It is not worth the risk. Be safe use LemonCheck©
• Registration and WOF: Is the registration and/or WOF current about to expire. Is the RUC (road user charges) paid up? Don’t be caught with a bill which can be thousands of dollars. $$$$$
• Is the odometer reading reliable? We report the mileage recorded at each WOF inspection and alert you to inconsistencies which may reveal odometer tampering. We do not have an odometer history prior to import from another country such as Japan or Singapore for example.
• Deregistered: This could indicate that the vehicle has been off the road for extensive repairs. You should know if this is the case and ensure you have the vehicle checked by a panel beater.
• Ownership history: Was the vehicle privately owned? How many owners? And was it a rental or a taxi?

How do you get the information about the vehicle?

The information in the report is obtained from the following sources:

• NZTA New Zealand Transport Agency
  This tells us about past plates associated with the vehicle so that when we check the PPSR it checks for ALL money owing on the vehicle.
• PPSR Personal Property Securities Register
  This is where we discover if money is owed on the vehicle.
• NZ Police
  Tells us if the vehicle is stolen or under investigation by the Police.
• MAF
  This tells us if the vehicle was imported in an accident damaged or flood damaged condition.

Are your reports reliable?

Each report has a date and time stamp on it and is an accurate reflection of the data contained within the databases above at that time. However as we have no control over the input of that data we must decline liability for inaccurate data derived from those third party sources. In saying that we should add that since 2003 and many thousands of reports we have never encountered any more than minor errors such as inaccurate description of colour. As VIN numbers are 17 characters long they can be incorrectly input but we cover that possibility by checking the NZTA New Zealand Transport Agency database first with the Registration and or VIN number which ensures accuracy.

If you find a vehicle which has money owing on it you can still buy it provided the seller removes the debt by paying it off. Once the debt is cleared the party holding the debt will release the security at the PPSR. Once you are advised that the debt has been removed you can do a recheck through LemonCheck to ensure it has been removed before you part with your hard earned cash.

Reference Number

Each report has a unique reference number located near the top of the report under the heading "Search Criteria". Entering this number where you see this box on our website:

Will recall the report whenever you need it into the future. It will always be available. You can use it to send the report to your friends, finance companies, banks, auto repairers in fact whoever you want to make the report available to and it is FREE. Be aware though that the report does not update and the data contained in it is only valid as at the date and time it was first supplied.

How is the LemonCheck© Vehicle History Report different to the others companies’ reports.

It is the most comprehensive report covering 46 points of interest. It is the ONLY one that allow you to recheck for money owing for only $7. It is the most inexpensive report that checks for past plates to ensure you don’t get caught with a Lemon. It is available 24/7 either online at www.lemoncheck.co.nz/order.aspx or by phoning 0800 LemonCheck (536662) with a credit card or 0900 LemonCheck (536662) charged to your telephone account.

Our computer wizard sources the various data, analysis it and presents it in an easy to understand format so you don’t need to struggle through a lot of information which may not mean a lot to you. We do it for you in typically under 10 seconds. Our report is available forever to email to your friends, financiers or simply for you to recall any time later. The reference number on the report can be used to locate the report whenever you desire.

How do I obtain a LemonCheck© Vehicle History Report?

On-line LemonCheck®

You can order a report on our web site 24 hours 7 days a week. All you need to have is a valid credit card number and either the license plate or 17 digit VIN number. In addition to viewing and printing the report you can also email a copy. To check the current operational status of the LemonCheck® system and any schedule outages click here.

0800 LemonCheck®

The 0800 LemonCheck® (53 66 62) number is available 24/7. You need to have a valid credit card number and either the license plate or 17 digit VIN number. Key information will be given to you by our live operators with the option of having the report faxed, emailed or posted to you, it’s your choice.

0900 LemonCheck®

The 0900 LemonCheck® (53 66 62) number is available 24/7. The LemonCheck® charge will be billed directly to your phone account. You need to have either the license plate or 17 digit VIN number. Key information will be given to you by our live operators with the option of having the report faxed, emailed or posted to you, it’s your choice. If you have a toll bar or a prepay mobile phone you cannot access the LemonCheck service. You can call your telco service provider and ask for your toll bar to be removed temporarily.

What we check

Q. Do you check motorbikes?

A. Yes, we check motorbikes, caravans, trailers, tractors, trucks, motor homes anything with a registration plate. If the vehicle has not had its registration renewed for a long time it may show on our system as “Plate or VIN has not been used”.

Money Owing

Q. How do you ensure you do not miss money owing on the vehicle being checked?

A. Unlike most of our competitors we check all past plates for money owing. If we didn’t there is a real risk that we would miss securities registered against a previous plate the vehicle may have had. Don’t risk buying a Lemon!

Past Plates

Q. How do you ensure you do not miss money owing on the vehicle being checked?

A. Unlike most of our competitors we check all past plates for money owing. If we didn’t there is a real risk that we would miss securities registered against a previous plate the vehicle may have had.

Importance of Checking past plates

Q. I don’t understand why it is so important that you check past plates?

A. A person buys a vehicle which has the registration number AB123. They then borrow $10,000 using the car as security for the loan. They then get a personalised plate MYCAR and with $7000 still owing on the vehicle put it on the market claiming there is no money owing on it. You get a check done from one of our less expensive competitors who don’t check past plates using the plate number MYCAR. They will NOT FIND the $7000 debt and YOU will be liable for it if you buy the car. We prevent the possibility this way. When you tell us to check MYCAR our system is programmed to first of all query the plate MYCAR for all past plate relationships. That will reveal the plate AB123. We then check the PPSR (personal properties security register) for any debts on both AB123 and MYCAR thereby revealing the debt of $7000 and alerting you to it. All of this happens in around 10 seconds. Some vehicles have multiple past plates, we have seen as many as 10, and we check every one of them at no additional cost to you so you are SAFE with LemonCheck©.

What to do if a security is found

Q. I did a report and found there was money owing on it. I really like the vehicle and would like to buy it but I am concerned about the debt on it. What should I do to protect myself?

A. When there is money owing the debt (security) is shown as an alert and the detail is covered under the heading “Security Interest Details”. Within that section it will specify who the loan is from and give a phone and fax number for you to make contact with them. You can tell them you have been alerted to the debt by doing a Lemoncheck Vehicle History Report and you want to be sure you do not buy someone else’s debt. They will advise you how to handle it. In these circumstances you can do a recheck for only $7.

Rechecking for money owing

Q. I did a report and found that there was money owing on the vehicle. The seller told me they were going to pay the debt off and that it would be cleared later that day. Do I have to buy another Lemoncheck Vehicle History Report to find out if they have?

A. No you don’t. Unlike our competitors we provide an easy and inexpensive way to recheck the vehicle for money owing. For only $7 you can recheck a vehicle to see that the debt has been cleared by going here.

Historical records

Q. I am trying to track the history of a vehicle which has not been registered for a long time. It comes up on your system as “Plate or VIN has not been used”. Can you provide any details about such a vehicle?

A. Unfortunately we are unable to provide a LemonCheck© vehicle history report for vehicles that have not been registered for a long time. You could try the NZ Transport Agency (0800 699 000) to see if they can help you.

Incomplete Ownership Status

Q. I have just checked a vehicle and the ownership status is incomplete?

A. This applies to vehicles which have been sold and the buyer or seller have not notified NZTA of the change of ownership.