WHAT IS IMPORTANT?
You have heard “show me the Carfax?” as have millions of Americans. What many people don’t know is that Carfax never inspects any of the vehicles it provides reports on. Understand that a Carfax report can change after the date you purchase a vehicle. Making a decision solely based off a Carfax report is not recommended and not a great idea. If possible have the vehicle inspected by a mechanic and always go off its current condition, not past history.
Understanding a Carfax Report
TOTAL LOSS
When the cost of repairs exceed the actual cash value of the vehicle the vehicle is considered a “total loss”. This type of claim requires a bit more effort on the part of the insured compared to more minor claims.
ODOMETER CHECK
CARFAX analyzes the following to identify possible:
• Rollback – Manipulating the odometer mileage to conceal a vehicles true mileage (i.e. Fraud or illegal activity) • Rollover – Once them maximum capacity for mileage is reached the odometer restarts from zero (i.e. mechanical or equipment limitation)
• Inconsistencies – If there is contradictory data regarding the vehicles mileage CARFAX cannot determine if its potential human error (rollback).
AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT
When an accident occurs, a signal is sent to the inflator unit within the airbag control unit. This ignites a chemical reaction that generates the inflation of the driver, passenger, and side airbags to deploy through the module cover. Once the airbag is deployed it must be reinstalled by a qualified ASE certified technician. Have a mechanic inspect any vehicle that had the airbags deployed prior to purchasing.
ACCIDENT DAMAGE
Salvage auction, crash test vehicle, fire damage, water damage, and damage discloser are some of the many events that could be indicated on a report as accident or damage.
BUYBACK / LEMON
A lemon law buyback title vehicle is a car that has been bought back by the manufacturer because of warranty defects. The lemon law does apply to used cars. This law applies for cars bought back from the manufacturer on or after January 1, 1996. Not all states issue manufacturer buyback titles. Check the specific requirements for a lemon law vehicle varies by state.
MANUFACTURERS RECALL
Automobile manufacturers issue a recall when they determine that a vehicle, equipment or other vehicle part creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. Manufacturers are required to fix, repair, refund, and in some rare cases repurchase the vehicle.
BASIC WARRANTY
Warranties can vary by manufacturer but most vehicle manufactures offer a basic warranty for new vehicles that typically last for a certain amount of time or set number of miles.
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE *
Structural damage refers to any damage to a vehicles underlying structure or underpinnings. Major and minor collisions can ultimately cause structural damage to the vehicles frame and unibody.
* Monster Cars LLC discloses “previous accident” on vehicles where severe damage or airbag deployed was reported to Carfax or AutoCheck as well as any unibody or structural damage announced vehicles at auction regardless of it being reported to AutoCheck or Carfax.
* Auction announcements of structural damage are in the form of words such as Airbag/ Unibody/ Frame/ Structural based on NAAA Auction Arbitration Rules. In layman's terms, the car has been in a previous accident and sustained damage at one time. Unfortunately, there is no distinction between a minor dent or a major accident when to comes to the use of these words. With Unibody construction, any vehicle that sustains “any” damage can be considered, even if the accident is as minor as an 1/8 inch-1 inch dent to the body or structure of the vehicle or something much more severe.
