1. A portable electronic device comprising: a housing having a display; a memory within the housing in which machine instructions and data are stored, including an access code to a restricted access database of vehicle components of an identified component manufacturer; a device for importing a vehicle identification number (VIN) or code containing said VIN included in the housing; a user interface from which a user inputs or selects options, including activation of the device for importing a VIN or code containing said VIN; communication circuitry within the housing, the communication circuitry comprising signal transmitting and signal receiving capability; wherein the signal receiving capability receives the VIN from the device for importing a VIN or code containing said VIN, the signal transmitting capability sends the VIN to the restricted access database, external to the portable electronic device, along with the access code to lookup vehicle component information related to the VIN, and the signal receiving capability receives information sent from the restricted access database to the portable electronic device in response to the lookup of vehicle component information; and an information processor to process the information received by the signal receiving capability of the communication circuitry into a displayable form for presentation on the display.