Privacy policy

Who we are

4Wheels.com ("4Wheels", "we", "us") is an independent automotive information website and referral service. To contact us about privacy, use the contact form and choose "Privacy request", or email us.

Information we collect

• Information you give us. When you submit a form — a quote request, contest entry, job application, support pledge, advertising inquiry, newsletter signup or message — we receive what you enter, such as your name, email, phone number, ZIP or postal code, vehicle details and your message.
• Calculator inputs. Our calculators run in your browser. The numbers you type are not sent to us unless you choose "Email me these results", in which case your email and the results are sent so we can deliver them.
• VIN and recall lookups. When you decode a VIN or check recalls, your browser sends the VIN or vehicle details directly to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public databases. We do not store them.
• Automatic information. Like most websites, our host and service providers receive technical data such as IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed and referring pages.
• Cookies and local storage. See our cookie policy. We store your cookie choice and preferred currency in your browser.

How we use information

• To answer your request, including matching you with partners who can provide the quote or offer you asked for.
• To run contests, consider job applications, process support pledges and reply to messages.
• To send the newsletter if you opted in. Every issue has an unsubscribe link.
• To operate, secure and improve the site, and to show advertising.
• To comply with law and protect our rights and users.

How we share information

• Matched partners. If you submit a quote request and give consent, we share the details in your request with partners that can help with it — for example lenders, insurance carriers or agencies, car buyers or dealers, auto transport providers, or vehicle service contract providers. They may contact you as described in the consent you gave. Their use of your information is governed by their own privacy policies. We do not sell your request to unrelated marketers.
• Service providers. We use providers to host the site, process form submissions and deliver email. They may process data only to provide their service to us.
• Legal reasons. We may disclose information if required by law, or to protect safety, rights or property.
• Business transfers. If 4Wheels or its assets are sold or transferred, information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.

Advertising and Google

We use Google AdSense to show ads. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the Internet.

• You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings.
• You can opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalised advertising at aboutads.info.
• Learn how Google uses information from sites that use its services at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites.

If you choose "Essential only" in our cookie notice, we request non-personalised ads where Google supports it. Visitors in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland may also see a consent message provided through Google's certified consent tools.

Embedded videos and fonts

Videos load from YouTube's privacy-enhanced domain only after you press play; YouTube's privacy policy then applies. Fonts are loaded from Google Fonts.

Your choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete or receive a copy of your personal information, to object to or restrict certain processing, to withdraw consent, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information or targeted advertising. These include rights under the EU and UK GDPR, the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended, other U.S. state privacy laws, Canada's PIPEDA and Quebec's privacy law, India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, and Australia's Privacy Act.

• To make a request, contact us as described above. We'll verify your request and respond within the time required by law.
• To stop partner contact, tell the partner directly, and tell us so we stop sharing future requests.
• You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time.
• We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.
• Where processing is based on consent or legitimate interests (EU/UK), you may withdraw consent or object at any time, and you may complain to your local data protection authority.

Retention

We keep form submissions only as long as needed for the purpose they were collected for — typically up to 24 months for quote requests and messages, 12 months for job applications, and as required by law for records of consent and contest results.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS and we limit access to the information we receive. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We never ask for Social Security numbers, card numbers or passwords in our forms.

International transfers

We and our providers may process information in countries other than yours. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for these transfers.

Children

4Wheels is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. Contests and quote requests are open only to adults. If you believe a child has sent us information, contact us and we'll delete it.

Changes

We may update this policy and will change the effective date above. Significant changes will be highlighted on this page.