Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 26, 2026
Wheel Scout ("Wheel Scout", "we", "us") helps people find and evaluate publicly available private-party vehicle listings. This policy explains exactly what we collect, why, who we share it with, and the choices you have. We have tried to write it in plain English rather than legalese.
1. Information we collect
Information you give us
| Data | Why we need it |
|---|---|
| Email address | To create your account, sign you in, send account and purchase-related messages, and deliver reports you request. |
| Password | Stored only as a salted cryptographic hash. We cannot read your password. |
| ZIP code and search radius | To find vehicle listings near you. This is the only location information we collect — we do not use your device's GPS or track your movements. |
| Saved searches and favorites | To alert you when a matching vehicle appears and to show your saved cars. |
| Push notification device token (iPhone app, only if you allow notifications) | A code Apple assigns to your phone so we can deliver saved-search alerts as notifications. It contains no personal details, is stored with your account, and is deleted when you sign out or turn notifications off. You can stop notifications at any time in iPhone Settings. |
| VIN or license plate you look up | To run the vehicle decode or history check you requested. |
| Camera (iPhone app, VIN scanner only) | Only when you tap Scan a VIN, and only to read the VIN from the door sticker or windshield tag. The camera image is processed on your phone and is never uploaded, stored, or shared; only the 17-character VIN it reads is sent to us. You can turn camera access off at any time in iPhone Settings. |
| Phone number or delivery email (Carfax requests only) | Only if you order a Carfax report, so the report can be delivered to you. |
| Questions you type into the AI car chat | To generate an answer to your question. |
| Website forms (waitlist and contact) | If you join the launch waitlist or use the contact form on wheelscoutapp.com, we collect the email address and message you submit so we can reply and let you know when Wheel Scout is available. These forms are processed by Netlify, our website host. Waitlist emails are used only for Wheel Scout launch and service news, and every such email includes a way to opt out. |
Information collected automatically
- Usage records — which scans and history checks you ran, and when. This is how monthly plan allowances are counted.
- Device push token — only if you enable notifications, so we can send deal alerts.
- Standard server logs — request times and error diagnostics kept briefly for security and reliability.
- Browser storage — when you sign in on the web, a sign-in token (and small preferences such as saved favorites) is kept in your browser's own storage so you stay signed in. This is first-party only and is removed when you sign out. We do not set third-party or advertising cookies.
We do not use third-party advertising trackers, advertising identifiers, or cross-app tracking, and we do not build advertising profiles.
Vehicle listing data
Wheel Scout reads publicly visible vehicle listings and scores them. That listing content (title, price, mileage, photos, seller-written description, and the city shown on the listing) is information published by third-party sellers on public marketplace pages — it is not collected from you, and it is shown to Wheel Scout users in the app.
2. How we use information
- To operate the app: find local listings, score deals, flag risks, and run the reports you request.
- To maintain your account, plan, and monthly allowances.
- To send alerts you asked for, and service messages such as verification or password resets.
- To process purchases (through Stripe) and honor active memberships.
- To protect the service against abuse, fraud, and runaway automated usage.
- To improve accuracy — for example, learning typical market prices from listing prices in aggregate. This uses vehicle data, not personal data.
We do not sell or rent your personal information, and we do not share it for cross-context behavioral advertising.
3. Service providers we share data with
We share only what each provider needs to perform its function:
| Provider | What they receive | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Your email and payment details you enter directly with them | Payment processing. Card numbers go directly to Stripe — Wheel Scout never receives or stores them. |
| Render | Application data at rest | Cloud hosting of the app and database. |
| Apify | Search area (ZIP-level), no personal identifiers | Retrieving public marketplace listings. |
| Groq | The car question you ask and the listing context for it, no account identifiers | Generating AI chat and price-check answers. |
| NHTSA (U.S. government vPIC database) | The VIN you scan or type | Free decode of the year, make, model and specs. |
| VINData / NMVTIS | The VIN or plate you submit | Vehicle history and odometer/salvage checks. |
| Carfax (manual fulfillment) | The VIN, or license plate and state, you submit | Producing a Carfax report you purchased. |
| Apple Push Notification service | Your device token and the alert text (the car's title and price) | Delivering saved-search alerts to the iPhone app. |
| Google Workspace | Email you send us or we send you | Support correspondence. |
| Netlify | Waitlist and contact form submissions; standard web request logs | Hosting wheelscoutapp.com and receiving its form submissions. |
| Meta (Facebook) | Standard advertising-measurement signals from wheelscoutapp.com via the Meta Pixel — pages visited and actions such as creating an account or completing a purchase, tied to Meta’s own cookies. No card numbers, passwords, VINs, or report contents. | Measuring whether our ads lead to signups and purchases, so we can advertise efficiently. You can limit this with your browser’s tracking controls or Meta’s Ad Preferences. |
We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of Wheel Scout or its users. If Wheel Scout is ever involved in a merger or acquisition, we will notify users before personal information becomes subject to a different policy.
4. Artificial intelligence in the app
Some Wheel Scout features are powered by artificial intelligence. The AI car chat sends the question you type and the listing being discussed to our AI service provider (Groq) to generate an answer; no account identifiers are included in those requests. AI-generated answers and scores are informational estimates to help you evaluate a listing — they are not professional, mechanical, or financial advice, and they can be wrong. Always verify a vehicle in person before you buy. We do not use your personal information to train AI models.
5. Data retention
- Account data is kept while your account is open.
- Usage records are kept for allowance counting and abuse prevention, typically no more than 24 months.
- Purchase records are kept as required for tax and accounting purposes.
- Vehicle listings age out of the app automatically once they are no longer available.
- When you delete your account, your personal data is deleted from our database. Anonymous, aggregated market-price statistics that cannot identify you may remain.
6. Your choices and rights
- Delete your account — in the app: Account → Delete account. This removes your data from our systems.
- Access or correct your data — email us and we will help.
- Turn off notifications — in your device settings or in the app.
- Marketing — we do not run marketing email campaigns; messages we send are account and service related.
California residents (CCPA/CPRA): you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion, to request correction, and to not be discriminated against for exercising those rights. We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined by the CPRA. To make a request, email us at the address below.
If you are in a jurisdiction with similar rights (for example the EU/UK GDPR), you may also request access, correction, deletion, or portability of your data.
7. Security
Traffic between the app and our servers is encrypted with HTTPS. Passwords are stored only as salted hashes. Access to production systems is limited to the app's operator. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and will notify affected users promptly if a breach affecting personal data occurs.
8. Children
Wheel Scout is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.
9. Beta testing
During the beta period, the app is distributed to invited testers through Apple TestFlight. Apple provides us with basic, aggregated tester and crash information; Apple's handling of that data is governed by Apple's privacy policy. Beta features may change, and beta data may be reset before public launch.
10. Changes to this policy
If we make material changes, we will update the date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you in the app.
11. Contact
Questions, requests, or privacy concerns:
support@wheelscoutapp.com
Wheel Scout LLC, California, USA
Wheel Scout is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Facebook, Meta, Carfax, or Apple.