Privacy policy

This policy is effective from the date shown above. It covers codemechanic.pro.

The short version

• There are no accounts. We don't ask for your name, email or location to use the site.
• Your car (year, make, model, engine) is saved only in your own browser. It never reaches our servers.
• If you enter a VIN, it goes straight from your browser to NHTSA to identify the engine. We never receive or store it.
• Codes you type into the lookup or the multi-code tool are read in your browser and not sent to us.
• We don't run analytics today. Once ads are live, Google and its partners may use cookies, subject to your consent choices.

My Car and your browser's storage

When you save a car with "My car", its year, make, model and engine (and trim, if known) are stored in your browser's local storage (under the name cm_mycar) so code pages can show information for that car. This data stays on your device: it is never sent to CodeMechanic's servers and never changes what other visitors or search engines see. Clearing My Car, or your browser data, removes it. We also store your light or dark theme choice in local storage (theme).

Your VIN

Entering a VIN is optional; you can always pick your car from the lists instead. If you do enter one:

• Your browser sends it once, without cookies, to the free vehicle decoder run by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA vPIC) to identify the engine. NHTSA's handling of that request is covered by its own privacy policy.
• The VIN is not sent to CodeMechanic's servers, and it is not saved in your browser.
• Only the decoded year, make, model, engine and trim are kept, in your browser, as described above.

Codes you enter

The code lookup and the multi-code tool work in your browser. The multi-code tool keeps your codes in the part of the address after the "#", which browsers don't send to our server. Nothing you type there is stored by us. (With JavaScript switched off, the lookup falls back to an ordinary address with the codes in it, which shows up only in the standard server logs described below.)

Advertising and cookies

The site is paid for by display ads from Google AdSense. Once ads are live, Google and its partners may use cookies or similar technology to show ads based on your visits to this and other sites, and to measure them. Specifically:

• Google's use of advertising cookies lets it and its partners serve ads based on your visits to this site and other sites.
• You can turn off personalised advertising in Google's ad settings, and opt out of personalised ads from many other ad companies at aboutads.info.
• Google explains how it uses data from sites that use its services at policies.google.com.

We don't choose which ads you see, and advertisers don't receive your VIN, your saved car or the codes you enter.

Consent

Before any ad cookies are set for visitors from the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, those visitors are asked for consent through a Google-certified consent management platform. You can change your choice at any time from the privacy link that message leaves on the page.

Analytics

We don't currently use any analytics service. If we add one (for example Google Analytics), we will update this policy first, turn it on only with the consent required where you live, and never send it VINs, your saved car or any other identifying information.

If you email us

When you email us (for example to report an error), we use your address and message only to reply and to fix the page. Please don't include your VIN or other personal details we don't need.

Server logs

Our hosting and content delivery network (Cloudflare) keep standard request logs, such as IP address, page requested and browser type, for security and to keep the site running.

Your rights (GDPR, UK GDPR and US state laws such as the CCPA)

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• know what personal information we hold about you, and get a copy;
• have it corrected or deleted;
• object to or restrict how it is used, and withdraw consent you gave;
• opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information for targeted advertising (California and other US states);
• complain to your local data protection authority.

We don't sell personal information for money. In practice we hold very little: the only personal information that reaches us is what you put in an email. Ad cookies are managed through the consent and opt-out tools above. We won't treat you differently for using any of these rights.

Data requests

To make a request, email [email protected] with "Privacy request" in the subject. We may need to confirm the request comes from you, and we will reply within the time the law where you live allows.

Children's privacy

The site is meant for drivers and is not directed at children under 13 (or under 16 in the EEA and UK). We don't knowingly collect personal information from children. If you think a child has sent us personal information, email us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, we update the date at the top of this page; material changes are noted here. Questions: [email protected], or see the contact page.