CarFax Reports

How much can you trust a CaFax report? I bought my truck a few years ago and the dealer gave me a "clean" CarFax report w/ no accidents, etc. I was so excited to buy the truck at such a great deal that I didn't look it over as thouroughly as I should have. Once I brought it home and started doing a through inspection I did find evidence that it had been wrecked before on the drivers side front fender. The inner fender was bent up and you could tell that the fender had been replaced and repainted. The truck looks great now and there's no problems w/ the driving or operation on the vehicle, but I was just wondering how CarFax gets it's info. I'm assuming it's just from insurance claims. I recently had some hail damage that I got an insurance check for and fixed on my own, so I'm wondering if that will show up on a new CarFax report.

 

I don't know for sure, but insurance claims, registration, and dealerships (I would assume).

So yeah, anyone can have an accident in their truck - never report it - and fix the repairs themselves. It'll never show up on a Carfax report.

 

I had a Dodge Dakota and I was in a near head on accident, we hit passenger front fender to passenger front fender if that makes sense?
Needless to say my truck was in bad shape and required $13k worth of repair! I was pissed but then I figured the insurance company would total the truck and I would get a new one, I was wrong.
They paid to fix the truck and the shop actually did a great job. Anyways I sold the truck about two years later and I paid to have a carfax report for the potential buyer just to be honest and low and behold the report was totally clean.
I still told the buyer about the accident but it goes to show the carfax is not 100% accurate.
My .02

 

i was told specifically by a dealer when i was asking about a carfax report that they were not 100% accurate due to the report only shows accidents or damage that was actually reported or was filed on insurance claims.

 

I believe a CarFax report will only show you changes to the title. That would include title transfers (when it's sold/purchased) but more importantly if it gets totaled. Other than that, I don't think anything else would show.

It's pretty misleading, but that's their marketing angle. I did a carfax report on an old Chevy I bought and was having trouble with. Did the "free" one and it said - "Hey, there are two incidents on the title. Pay now to find out what...". I paid for the report only to find that the title had been transferred twice. (I bought it from a used car lot).

 

this is correct.....unfortunately. the truck i have now has be previouslywrecked, but only a little, and the honda the wife has now has been is a side colision....................cant fully look at carfax as the end all be all.

 

Check out this link, it shows everything from oil changes to drivers window replaced.

http://www.carfax.com/cfm/ccc_DisplayHistoryRpt.cfm?partner=EBZ_0&vin=4T1BG22K5XU428577

 

Carfax only shows accidents where the Police or Highway Patrol are called.

 

As with anything there are ways to circumvent the reporting process.
Always look it (the vehicle) over really well before purchasing. Get it inspected if need be by a reputable independent party.
Lastly, trust your gut..

 

carfax is a complete waste of money...SCAM

 

I agree but was it really necessary to bring back a 3 year old thread to announce it?

 

did a search for carfax..I didn't realize it was old until after I posted!

 

A local used car dealership stresses it has car fax for each of its' vehicles, trouble is the car fax have been edited by the dealership. Buyer beware, car fax can be manipulated.

 

I purchased a used chevy cobalt for my daughter. It had been a hertz rental car. Dealer showed me the carfax report and everything looked good. Six months later the clearcoat started coming off the rear. Took it to chevy dealership and was informed the car had been wrecked. Hertz paid for repairs with no record of the wreck on carfax. You just never know.