CARFAX inaccuracies
12-01-2011, 12:24 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
CARFAX inaccuracies
Anyone have experience with inaccuracies in CARFAX reports? My old car is out there for sale and I KNOW that I was the 2nd owner. Car is listed as a one owner vehicle. 
12-01-2011, 12:27 PM
#2
Nordschleife Master
I saw that on a couple reports I recently ran. One car was a 2 owner car but listed 4 owners. The problem is the report listed the dealers buying the cars as an owner. Technically the dealer owns the car but that doesn't make it a proper owner count when we ask how many owners the car has.
12-01-2011, 12:49 PM
#3
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yea you need to check the dates to decipher it. slightly off topic, carfax should never be used to serve as some type of semiofficial record of accidents and the like. it's more of a high level overview to survey any potential flags.
12-01-2011, 10:59 PM
#7
Nordschleife Master
car fax means NOTHING. I looked at a GT3 with a clean car fax: My PPI showed the car had 3 corner damage and according to the body shop that I had the inspection told me the car was not safe for tract use.
If the repairs are not reported to insurance company (track damage) then car fax misses it.
If the repairs are not reported to insurance company (track damage) then car fax misses it.
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12-02-2011, 12:18 AM
#8
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Well, I've informed the group listing the car on rennlist of the inaccuracy via private
message. If they don't change the listing, I'm going to post that it is not a one owner car.
Just don't think it's right...
message. If they don't change the listing, I'm going to post that it is not a one owner car.
Just don't think it's right...
12-02-2011, 12:43 AM
#9
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i try and use carfax and auto check to compare, but neither will necessarily have accident(s) reported accurately based on if a shop/owner reports it.
12-03-2011, 10:09 AM
#11
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Seven problems with a Carfax (or any Vehicle History report):
First, if the vehicle has been rebuilt (or salvaged) Carfax can only report this if the States’ DMV changed the vehicle’s title to “salvage, rebuilt, reconstructed, etc…” However, there are some states that do not indicate remarks on their titles such as “savage, rebuilt, true miles unknown, thief recovery, etc…” Also, if the insurance company does not notify the state that they have totaled a vehicle, the DMV will not change the title to ‘salvage, rebuilt, etc…” For example, a few years ago, State Farm was sued for not reporting over 30,000 totaled vehicles to the States’ DMV. Since the titles were never changed to salvage, Carfax shows these vehicles to have "clean" titles. These totaled vehicles were sold to salvage yards, patched together, and re-sold to the public with the original titles and a "clean" Carfax report. It is not uncommon for a professional pre-purchase inspection to find accident and frame damage on a vehicle when the Carfax report shows “no reported Structural / Frame Damage" or "Accident / Damage".
Second, there is no database for body & frame shops to report accident damage and repairs, and not all insurance companies disclose or share their accident information. Carfax readily admits that there are thousands of accidents, each day, which will never show up on a Carfax report. Even if Carfax reports an accident, it cannot tell you the extent of the accident damage, or the quality of any repairs. Only a professional inspection by a Frame Specialist can give you that information.
Third, used car dealers know the limitations of a Carfax report. Some dealers knowingly buy vehicles with frame and accident damaged which have a "clean" Carfax report. They sell these damaged vehicles to unsuspecting buyers showing them the “clean” Carfax before they purchase. Bad vehicles are purchased every day because the seller/salesperson talked the buyer out of a professional inspection by showing a "clean" report. A vehicle history report cannot tell the buyer the current condition of the vehicle.
Forth, Carfax does not have any type of reporting mechanism with the tens of thousands independent repair facilities across the United States. Most of the Carfax reports have little or no repair information compared to the millions of automotive repairs performed each day. Even if Carfax reports a repair, it cannot tell you if the problem was fixed correctly or if there are additional mechanical/electrical problems with the vehicle.
Fifth, some States require an annual safety and/or emission testing. A safety or emission test is very limited in its testing and like a repair history, it cannot tell the buyer the current actual condition of all the vehicle’s components and systems.
Sixth, Carfax is a "History" report. There is a time lag between when a vehicle's title was changed to reflect a "negative" comment and when Carfax actually reports the title's new information. This time lag can allow a damaged vehicle to be re-sold before Carfax can report the negative information about the vehicle.
Seventh, search the web for complaints against Carfax. Many consumers have filed complaints and lawsuits that Carfax deceives their customers by concealing the limits of the information it collects. When confronted by irate customers, Carfax hides behind their disclaimer. (FYI, Carfax does not allow phoned in complaints).
The perception for a used car buyers is that Carfax offers comprehensive historical information about used vehicles, but the reality is, the information contained in a Carfax report is incomplete, limited, misleading, may not be current, and in some cases totally inaccurate. This difference between the used car buyers' perception, and reality, will cause them to make bad decisions based upon incomplete information provided by a Carfax report.
A used car buyer should question the cost effectiveness of a vehicle history report. A Carfax report sells for $34-$45 vs. a professional pre-purchase inspection for around $150. Pay the $34-$45, and you still don't know the current condition of any mechanical or electrical system, you still don’t know for sure if the vehicle was in accident(s) or the quality of any previous accident damage, and you still don't know if the vehicle was abused or well maintained. Only a physical pre-purchase inspection by an ASE Master Technician (for all mechanical & electrical systems) and a Frame Specialist (for body and frame problems) can determine the true condition before you buy.
The ONLY way to determine the TRUE condition before purchase is to have the vehicle professionally inspected by an ASE Certified Master Technician for mechanical & electrical problems and Frame Specialist for previous accident damages.
The #1 reason bad cars are purchased is the buyers' inability to determine the true condition of the vehicle before purchase. A history report cannot be used to determine the true current condition of the vehicle. For more information about used car inspections, please visit the non-profit consumer site www.UsedCarInspections.ORG
Second, there is no database for body & frame shops to report accident damage and repairs, and not all insurance companies disclose or share their accident information. Carfax readily admits that there are thousands of accidents, each day, which will never show up on a Carfax report. Even if Carfax reports an accident, it cannot tell you the extent of the accident damage, or the quality of any repairs. Only a professional inspection by a Frame Specialist can give you that information.
Third, used car dealers know the limitations of a Carfax report. Some dealers knowingly buy vehicles with frame and accident damaged which have a "clean" Carfax report. They sell these damaged vehicles to unsuspecting buyers showing them the “clean” Carfax before they purchase. Bad vehicles are purchased every day because the seller/salesperson talked the buyer out of a professional inspection by showing a "clean" report. A vehicle history report cannot tell the buyer the current condition of the vehicle.
Forth, Carfax does not have any type of reporting mechanism with the tens of thousands independent repair facilities across the United States. Most of the Carfax reports have little or no repair information compared to the millions of automotive repairs performed each day. Even if Carfax reports a repair, it cannot tell you if the problem was fixed correctly or if there are additional mechanical/electrical problems with the vehicle.
Fifth, some States require an annual safety and/or emission testing. A safety or emission test is very limited in its testing and like a repair history, it cannot tell the buyer the current actual condition of all the vehicle’s components and systems.
Sixth, Carfax is a "History" report. There is a time lag between when a vehicle's title was changed to reflect a "negative" comment and when Carfax actually reports the title's new information. This time lag can allow a damaged vehicle to be re-sold before Carfax can report the negative information about the vehicle.
Seventh, search the web for complaints against Carfax. Many consumers have filed complaints and lawsuits that Carfax deceives their customers by concealing the limits of the information it collects. When confronted by irate customers, Carfax hides behind their disclaimer. (FYI, Carfax does not allow phoned in complaints).
The perception for a used car buyers is that Carfax offers comprehensive historical information about used vehicles, but the reality is, the information contained in a Carfax report is incomplete, limited, misleading, may not be current, and in some cases totally inaccurate. This difference between the used car buyers' perception, and reality, will cause them to make bad decisions based upon incomplete information provided by a Carfax report.
A used car buyer should question the cost effectiveness of a vehicle history report. A Carfax report sells for $34-$45 vs. a professional pre-purchase inspection for around $150. Pay the $34-$45, and you still don't know the current condition of any mechanical or electrical system, you still don’t know for sure if the vehicle was in accident(s) or the quality of any previous accident damage, and you still don't know if the vehicle was abused or well maintained. Only a physical pre-purchase inspection by an ASE Master Technician (for all mechanical & electrical systems) and a Frame Specialist (for body and frame problems) can determine the true condition before you buy.
The ONLY way to determine the TRUE condition before purchase is to have the vehicle professionally inspected by an ASE Certified Master Technician for mechanical & electrical problems and Frame Specialist for previous accident damages.
The #1 reason bad cars are purchased is the buyers' inability to determine the true condition of the vehicle before purchase. A history report cannot be used to determine the true current condition of the vehicle. For more information about used car inspections, please visit the non-profit consumer site www.UsedCarInspections.ORG