A couple of weeks back I asked a question about an overfilled transmission on a 2007 Ford Ranger that I had just purchased from a used car lot. The used car lot ended up having to buy the car back from me since it had bad valve seals and a blown head gasket. It was a battle to get them to buy the car back, but they finally agreed to it just to get rid of me. I noticed the other day they have reposted the truck on their website for $1k more and the engine rebuild as well as the transmission service are not listed on the carfax report even though they were done at an outside mechanic shop that works with the dealer. Before the truck was bought back from me by the used car lot, the mechanic doing the work told me they think this kind of work has been done to the car once before, but that is also missing from the carfax. How are they able to hide such major work from carfax and do dealers have any way of doctoring a carfax report?
I'm obviously never buying a car from them again (I bought a 2021 Tacoma instead), but I feel bad because someone WILL end up with that truck and they are selling it while hiding the major work that was completed. I thought this might be interesting for you to read Scotty since you frequently talk about how carfax shouldn't be trusted as God's honest truth about a car's history.
That is why an inpendent mechanic should check it before buying. Unfortunately, many people look for easy money through cheating.
Simple. Carfax only registers insurance claims. When insurance isn't paying for car service it doesn't go on carfax.
It seems to be a very widely held misconception. I think people just WISH there was some magical log that shows you everything that was done to a car, and it comes true, but only in their mind.
The truth is there isn't, which is why inspection and test driving is so important.
And carfax certainly isn't going around neighbourhoods, spying through windows, and recording you change the CV axle in your garage.
You will be suprised with the amount of fraud and inconclusiveness in our society.
Carfax isn't a society problem. Carfax can still be a useful source of information, and you should read it if one exists. It's just not magic like some people think it is, or a replacement proper inspection.
@moutainmanjoe
I was talking specifically about the people reporting damage to insurance companies and those be saved in carfax reports. I was not talking about carfax itself.
@mountainmanjoe