SAN DIEGO — A newcomer to the vehicle history provider segment, instaVIN, is looking to remove the cost to dealers who provide or purchase these kinds of reports — at least for a limited time. Company executives are ready to give individuals a free accident report through quick access via mobile phones.

Dealers and consumers can obtain the free instaVIN Accident History report by sending a text message with the vehicle's VIN to INSTA (46782). The offer runs through June 30 and is limited to one free accident history report per mobile phone.

The promotion stems from instaVIN's launch of its real-time mobile accident history service. The company indicated additional reports beyond the free one can be purchased for $1.99 to $2.99 and are available via mobile phone text messages.

The company also highlighted that its full Vehicle History Reports — which executives believe are comparable to products from Carfax or AutoCheck — are scheduled to be available on its Web site in a few weeks. The cost for each report is $6.99.

"The time has come for a low-cost alternative to Carfax or AutoCheck with access on your mobile phone for just $1.99," explained Jim Irish, chief executive officer of MobileTrac, the provider of instaVIN. "When competitive prices for a single report range from $29.99 to $34.99, many potential users simply forego this valuable tool or ask the dealer to supply it at their expense.

"We wanted to give everyone the opportunity to try instaVIN for free on their mobile phone to see how quick, easy and affordable Accident History Reports can be," he went on to say. "Car buyers can now check accident history data while shopping on the lot without relying on a dealer to provide them with an up-to-date Carfax report."

Beyond shoppers on the lot, instaVIN contends that its reports and access via text messages would be beneficial to dealers, too, especially at auction.

"Vehicles pass through auction lanes in a matter of a minute or two," instaVIN executives asserted.

"Dealers traditionally had to run reports the night before or call back to their office and take a salesman off the floor to look up vehicle history reports online," they continued.

"Armed with accident history and market values, dealers can quickly bid on vehicles when time is of the essence because instaVIN's data is refreshed in real time, providing the most up-to-date information in the industry," the company added.

The company also offers a proprietary Vehicle Valuator. Company officials contend this tool can provide up-to-the-minute average retail, private party and trade-in values of the same vehicle make and model within a user's ZIP code.

For more details about any of its products, executives directed dealers to its Web site, www.instaVIN.com.