Is Carfax a definite authority?

[the caveman]

I'm about to buy a TDI from the US and it has the Carfax info in the sales info. Is it THE definitive word on the history or the vehicle ? Is it an accepted last word , that is, should it be trusted enough ?

[Settings]

Carfax doesn't always offer all the facts: Marketplace investigation

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/01/15/marketplace-carfax.html#ixzz12pNkf5Pm

[zukgod1]

We offer Carfax at ort shop and no it doesn't know everything.

Repairs can be made to the body and or drive train and Carfax may or may not know about it.


Example;

2008 Ford F-350 Diesel 4dr, just absolutely beautiful...
Well after some digging we found frame clamp marks on it, holes made larger on body mounts etc so stuff would fit correctly. As I mentioned to the untrained eye it was a very good looking truck and it came back with a clean Carfax, no accidents, no frame damage etc..

If you wreck a car and pay cash for the repairs it wont show, if you have mechanical repairs done at a shop that doesn't report to Carfax it wont show.


The only thing I can tell you is get the car to a good shop and pay them the $150 or what ever they charge to work it over to make sure there isnt anything hidden..

Good luck.

[the caveman]

It's had another inspection, by another company, but i will still want to put it on a lift before i give him all the money. Thing is with this car's Carfax, there seems it only had 2 owners and 90 % of the service was done at a dealer. And it looks very clean . OF course, as you say, it doesn't mean something else was done to it, and not left a paper trail.

[CRSMP5]

ive owned a car since 96 and car fax does not even list me... just where i got i tfrom.. so fail..

[clbanman]

If any repairs went through insurance, they will show up but as previously mentioned, if the P.O. covered repairs on their own, it wouldn't be recorded.  It will show ownership changes.