I agree with you and would have done the same. Or, more likely, I wouldn't have started it. Not because I care about the disclosures, just out of principle. I'm not a fan of the organization.

“Engine option” was a category asked and answered.

I think asking for a VIN could be a way to validate that responders are true owners. In a survey, there's no way to identify people who are displeased for whatever reason and try to make a product look worse than it is, nor those who feel that they made the greatest ever choice and want to make the product look better than it really is. That's weakness of subjective surveys that, for me, minimizes their value.

Aren't vehicle VIN numbers public info?

And yes, I imagine it could be to identify actual vehicles, and weed out false entries.

I think they're not private but also not completely public either. Not private because you can walk by any car and read its VIN through the windshield. It identifies the car but nothing more, just like a license plate does, so nothing much more than the number is available to the general public without some reason for access, like Carfax. But, which again, has info only for the car and not about owners.

I think what is publicly available with a VIN is that in addition to other data bits, they have data that identifies a car's brand and model year. Who knows what access Consumer Reports has but if it's just the high level stuff, someone entering a VIN that can be validated as identifying the car being rated would either be an owner or someone who went to the trouble of finding one out in public and taking down the number to use. To pretend they were an owner. .

Just as saying "ATM machine" is redundant, because that would be "automated teller machine machine", "VIN number" is too, meaning "vehicle identification number number".

Hot water heater. Although I suppose that’s not redundant, just generally wrong. unless you’ve got recirc hot water and are reheating it from hot to hotter.

Chatgpt says Elmer and I are both right:

Why does consumer reports ask for vin or plate number when surveying car owners?

ChatGPT said:

Consumer Reports asks for your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) or license plate number when surveying car owners for a few important reasons:

1. Verify the Specific Vehicle

They use the VIN or plate to confirm:

• Exact year, make, model, and trim of your car.
• Any relevant factory options or features (like AWD, turbo engine, etc.).
  This ensures your responses are accurately tied to the correct version of the vehicle — especially important for reliability and satisfaction ratings.

2. Prevent Duplicate or Fraudulent Responses

The VIN/plate helps them:

• Avoid counting multiple surveys from the same vehicle.
• Deter fake or biased submissions from individuals or companies trying to skew results.

3. Enhance Data Accuracy for Reliability Scores

Because small differences in model years or trim levels can significantly affect reliability or performance, linking your survey to a VIN makes their data more precise and trustworthy.

4. Link to Maintenance and Recall Records (anonymously)

In some cases, CR may use the VIN (usually anonymized) to:

• Cross-reference with public or commercial databases.
• Correlate reported issues with known recalls or service bulletins.

🔒 Privacy note: Consumer Reports states they only use this information for research purposes and don’t share it with outside parties. It’s meant to strengthen the integrity of their vehicle reliability ratings.

You can often choose not to provide it, but doing so helps improve the quality of their findings.

" Hot water heater. "

Yup. Thanks another good one. And one that's heard often, about as frequently as the other two are.

I don't know much about the Carfax business model but I know any Tom, Dick or Harry can take a VIN, enter it on its site, pay a fee, and get a relatively comprehensive report. It covers the car's history but says nothing personal about owners. It often does detail ownership changes and how many owners there have been and where. Service details, body work, accident reports, and other similar things are also included. . Dealers often make Carfax reports available for prospective buyers of used cars.

If you haven't seen a Carfax report, and want to see what info they have, find the website of a dealership that offers that info and you can often pull one up online.

"Just as saying "ATM machine" is redundant, because that would be "automated teller machine machine", "VIN number" is too, meaning "vehicle identification number number"."

Elmer, thank you! My husband and I joke about that all the time when people say VIN number, etc. Same about hot water heater.

ISBN number likewise.

I had to look that one up, floral. I'm an avid reader, almost always in audio book format. If the number is always shown at the front or other part of a printed book, I wouldn't see it. The look up refreshed my recollection about these, it had otherwise been forgotten.

Is reference to a book's ISDN commonly done in the UK? I don't think it is here - author, title, format seem to do the job.