Is CarFax/AutoCheck worth a hoot?

[Nick1994]

Wondering if a CarFax really matters that much when buying a car. Sure it can help, but it doesn’t show everything.

Last month I sold my 2018 Genesis G80 to CarMax and I can see the AutoCheck history report and it shows the same things as the CarFax CarCare app. It shows the previous owner’s oil changes but Larry Miller Hyundai and Genesis of Peoria who did every oil change every 5,500-6,000 miles and LOTS of repairs didn’t report anything to the history while I owned it. So it makes it seem like it wasn’t maintained, when it was maintained very well.
Here’s the link to the listing, can scroll to the AutoCheck:
Link

The Lexus I just bought also doesn’t show the last brake service the previous owner had done at a local shop the spring on the CarFax.

I’m not a stickler for a CarFax that shows everything, since even before I’ve known of services not being reported for cars I’ve owned.

 

[bdcardinal]

Those programs are all garbage in/garbage out. They only report what is reported to them.

 

[fantastic]

I like to see what has been reported or how many owners the vehicle had since I don't buy new ones.

 

[Furious]

Carfax is usually the best option but it doesn't mean everything is going to be reported.

Carfax relies on shops to report repairs and not all of them do it. Additionally DIY maintenance/repairs obviously doesn't get recorded. This is why it is important for people that do DIY work who do not intend to keep their vehicle until they junk it to have a maintenance record for the next owner.

The main thing I look for in the Carfax is accident reports, oil changes (vast majority use quick lube shops) transmission service and if it is a timing belt driven vehicle I would love to see record of the timing belt being done.

 

[AZjeff]

You nailed it in the first sentence. Carfax etal shows you things but not everything. I wouldn't buy a car based on Carfax unless it was a 1 owner with an obvious uninterrupted history of service that makes sense. The 2020 Equinox we bought in February was that car, the report gave some confidence it was maintained properly. I would not buy a car based on something I see on a Carfax, accident, multi-owner, rental, etc.

 

[TheOilWizard]

Those programs are all garbage in/garbage out. They only report what is reported to them.

They are simply a tool in selecting a used vehicle, but like anything else not fool proof.

 

[walterjay]

Cannot be relied upon for all pertinent information. Family member had a transmission blow out during warranty. One year later she traded the car in for new. I looked up the Carfax to see if it noted the replaced tranny. It simply stated serviced by dealer.

 

[dishdude]

They are simply a tool in selecting a used vehicle, but like anything else not fool proof.

Exactly, I don't have a problem with Carfax, I have a problem with their marketing and pricing. Their advertising makes it sound like it is the end all be all when buying a used car, and their pricing reflects it. How much is a report now? $30? Ridiculous to ask buyers looking at multiple cars to pay that. They used to sell 7 day subscriptions and that made a lot more sense.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Sure it can help, but it doesn’t show everything.

It can only show what is reported.

Some data is better than no data, IMHO.

Best thing to know is where it spent its like - aka do they salt there or not.

 

[Kira]

1) Mrs. Kira's '99 Honda AccordV6, bought and serviced at a dealership before we met, had nothing on the Carfax except occurrences of registration/renewals and state inspections.

2) The "cute little fox" commercials have unknowing people asking for them so much, dealerships must subscribe to make sales.
One dealer told me if it helps him avoid buying 3 bad cars a year, it's worth it.

3) Once a dopey guy looked at a well used battle wagon of a car I was selling and stuttered, "Show me the Carfax". I do believe I hurt my ear drums suppressing a laugh but I hung on and told him to take down the VIN and go to Carfax himself. jerk

4) A legit Q: What would be the mechanism and motivation for a small independent garage to report their days work to Carfax?

 

[shortyb]

During my patrol days, I worked several wrecks where both parties wanted to work out damages/repairs on their own to avoid the collision being reported to the state or having insurance involved. In some of these wrecks, there was significant damage, but since they declined a report, it would stay off of CarFax and similar reporting companies.

 

[Wylie6G72]

My Canyon sustained $1500 in damage to the left front fender in 2016 from a careless and aggressive Fiat 500 driver. That's nowhere to be found on Carfax because we paid for the repair out of pocket. The only way to make Carfax reliable it is to achieve 100% reporting compliance on every possible facility and every single insurance company that could ever be involved with a vehicle. Never happen.

 

[SC Maintenance]

4) A legit Q: What would be the mechanism and motivation for a small independent garage to report their days work to Carfax?

Nothing.

My understanding is the big garage software packages report automatically. Presumably you and the garage agreed to all this in that 2 point font at the bottom.

 

[PontiacHO]

Never trust one those reports that was supplied by the dealer. Run your own with the VIN of the vehicle you are interested in and viewing with your eyes.

 

[RaymondP]

If you change your own oil/filter Carfax will NOT record it. Report may look like oil/filter has never been changed. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[rszappa1]

If you change your own oil/filter Carfax will NOT record it. Report may look like oil/filter has never been changed. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I log all of my work on Carfax and it does show all of the service done...both the dealer and mine...

 

[PF52]

If you change your own oil/filter Carfax will NOT record it. Report may look like oil/filter has never been changed. Please correct me if I am wrong.

+2

I ran a Carfax on a car I'd owned since new, and it had very few records. At one point there was about a 240K-mile gap in entries.

 

[rstcso]

Here's an example of what a CarFax entry may show vs reality. This was posted yesterday. Timestamp 12:45 shows the CarFax.

 

[KrisZ]

It’s useful for showing how many owners the vehicle had and where it was registered, which is super useful if you want to avoid the salt belt states. You can also see if the registration was renewed every year or not. If it wasn’t, it likely means it sat unused for some reason.

But as far as maintenance history goes, I don’t go by it.

 

[TheOilWizard]

I log all of my work on Carfax and it does show all of the service done...both the dealer and mine...

My understanding is that only you can see what you've reported. So if someone else runs the Carfax, they will only see the dealer work.

Good way to track your personal records, but that's about it.