If a CARFAX HAS THIS, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY | 5 Red Flags

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With used car prices steadily heading down, more and more people may be looking at buying one. Looking at the CarFax is an important part of the routine, but not all reports are created equal. Ray and Zach go through 5 red flags you may see in CarFax reports. If you see any of these, be very cautious.

[@flanigas]

Lack of service history on a carfax is not the same as a lack of service. I do all the regular maintenance on my cars at the recommended intervals. So outside of my own records there is no official record for those services. A good mechanic can tell if a car was well taken care of or not without a service history.

[@apacheworrier3776]

Carfax is extremely inaccurate, other than chain of ownership. I asked a dealership for service history on a used vehicle, and they had 23 service records, and carfax only showed 8.

[@TheDhappiness]

Agree here too. If you have a truck chances are you can change brakes and fluids.

[@dclausen321]

You’re absolutely right. I do my own service too. If you don’t see service records it’s just a good starting point for discussion with the selling dealer.

[@XennialGuy]

Yeah, even if you take it to the dealer for service, half the time it's not reported to Carfax. It depends on the dealer whether or not they report it, and they are not required to report it.

[@nathaniel_117]

💯 agreed. I also do all my services. I actually do mine sooner than the manufacturer recommendation says. And I do it knowing that there will not be oils spilled on other components, and there will be no loose screws or nuts anywhere. So my cars are better taken care of than the dealer techs do. I refuse to pay for someone at sometime to look at all the dealers overly exaggerated cost amount spent, so they can think the car is “taken care of”.

[@macsloan58]

CARFAX really needs to add a narrative section to the accidents reported on a vehicle. I have a pickup that will show rear damage from a collision. I got bumped (literally bumped) in the tailgate by a driver backing out of a parking space. However, where the damage was, directly on the latch, the tailgate needed to be replaced. So whoever buys it down the road won’t know if I was rear ended by a high speed vehicle, or maybe I backed into a telephone pole. CARFAX has a huge loophole there that needs addressed.

[@rachelbutler790]

It as least includes whether or not airbags were deployed. That, I think, is supposed to be the indication of whether or not it was a high speed accident or not. If the car is hit at a high speed, airbags would deploy.

[@youngmaraschino]

@@rachelbutler790nah I was rear ended at 40 mph while at a dead stop and pushed into the car in front of me. My car was totaled. But the CarFax says “minor damage” to the front (which is why they totaled it cause the damage at the front not the smashed rear end) and it doesn’t even report the rear end damage. It’s funny to cause I bought the car with “minor damage” already says it was backed into in a parking lot. It’s literally just a scuff (so I’ve thought) .. but after this wreck seeing how they log the damage has me weary. Especially cause while searching for my crash report by VIN I found the police report for the date the “minor damage” was reported back in 2018. I had to pay $8 for mine so I didn’t pay for that one but I’m tempted to go back and get it and see what it really says. My battery was in the trunk of the side the car was hit on and I had issues with the car starting due to something with the battery so I wouldn’t be surprised if my car was actually pretty seriously damaged before I got it but was just coded on the report as “minor” /// unless you know about cars I’m starting to think you’ll never really know cause these websites and things are so misleading

[@kenty6973]

My Camry just hit 300K miles without service history on Carfax. If I sent my Camry to the dealership to get "serviced" with all the records on Carfax, my Camry would be long gone. The service history on Carfax just showed how much the dealership had "serviced" your wallet, not your vehicle.

[@jcreeker5581]

Truth

[@Dave-zl2ky]

Used Carfax to find my vehicle. One owner with a car serviced every 3000 miles at a dealer. High mileage with no accidents. I looked for the Sienna for a year and a half. Very happy almost two years later.

[@brentmorgan7736]

I change my own oil so there is no service records on mine. Have your never heard of people that do their own service?

[@notme232]

Keep a log of date, current millage and oil used. Keep your own records so if you ever decide to sell (or just need to remember a part number of something you replaced 6 years ago), you have a binder full of information.

[@jeredmansell2574]

A lot of commenters didn't watch to the end of the video. at 10:20 he explains that CarFax isn't the end all be all and is only as helpful as the information dealers and mechanics share. It's still a useful resources.

[@lisag18]

Or watch it, at all and go by the headline

[@2steaksandwiches665]

Too many people think that Carfax is like a criminal record with everything showing up. It just isn’t. It never has been. It never will be.

[@rmakids]

But he went on and on about how it's an issue and a dealer would offer less

[@qbanb8582]

Gaps in service history wouldn't be a huge red flag to me in some cases. Its possible that the place it gets serviced doesn't report to Carfax. I think more of them doing it now. Now I would agree a bunch of service history in a short period could be could be something to be concerned about. Especially if you're not one that is inclined to do maintenance.

[@maloney7461]

You are correct

[@musseda999]

Guys, thank you so much! I was looking at a 2021 Ford F-150 and the CARFAX service history looked just like you described in your example. Only two oil changes in over 30,000 miles! It’s like you were speaking directly to me! Thanks again, Dave

[@jjcoulterxxx]

Great topic. I play detective with vehicle CARFAX reports as well. Knowing major flood month-year and cold weather states that use road salt, for example, can be inferred from these reports to help focus pre-sale inspection.

[@ToddMurphyhealthy4life]

I see you have 295,000 subscribers. I started watching you when you had 17.4k subscribers. I've loved every minute over the past year and a half. Thanks for the info guys.

[@MGMidget73]

Back in the 70's I'd change oil every 3k. David from automotive press recently had a Japanese Toyota engineer mechanic on his video that he interviewed. The gentleman recommended even today to change oil every 3k. I change my Tundras every 5k without fail.

[@AvengerAngel]

The worse information owners are getting with new cars is the 10K mi. oil change intervals. I change the oil in our Tacoma every 5K mi. The first change I made was when the truck was new, and I had an oil change performed at 3K mi. although this seems a bit much, the first 3K mi on a new vehicle is when build contaminants are present and more likely to be in the oil, although some might argue this is not true on modern engines.

[@repairman99]

I have a 2012 Honda Fit and followed the recommended 10k oil change intervals. I only had 125,000 miles on it. Its working great so far. For over 10 years of ownership I only had it service 12 times.

[@Cocora22]

100 % agree . I do oil changes on all our trucks at 5,000 miles full synthetic. I don't care if some people think it's overkill, after all they' aren't paying for the service or the materials. I was told by the service guy at the Lexus dealer that I should wait to do a transmission fluid change at 100,000 miles!!!! I have never let a transmission go that long without a fluid change. My son's Nissan Xterra has 190,000 miles on it. I have done all the fluids on that truck I believe 6 to 8 times. Finally at around 170,000 we did the suspension all around, struts and shocks. I typically do front and rear diffs on 3 of our trucks every 25,000 miles. It is so easy it's almost funny how simple it is and it doesn't take long. You also do it with your kid/kids and they learn a valuable lesson for their future. It's a win win.

[@vincentdavis9920]

Finally, some people that remember things like changing the oil every 3k miles. Changing the oil at 3k and driving a manual transmission are the choice of ownership IMO. Keep the number of issues down to a minimum.

[@Jackknife247]

Thanks for your hard work keeping us informed and up to date on many concerns regarding vehicle purchases and processes. My comment regarding carfax is exactly what you covered at the end of your video. I do not take my car to the dealership for service. As I found, they completely overcharged the customer for service. I have a dedicated independent and certified mechanic who has serviced my truck for over 18 years, and I'm not sure if he registers the vehicle on carfax. I also used to change the oil and small service needs throughout the years myself. All other service records are kept in a file at home. I have found this to be not only economical, but I tend to have much better knowledge of the truck itself. Please keep up the good work. It's much appreciated.

[@boatlover1875]

I have to say I had a 1999 Ford Ranger and the Carfax history might have looked similar for the first 100k. I changed my own oil and filter every 3-5k miles, gave it to my son 12 years later and it is still running strong. Just before giving it to him, I took it to a mechanic and had him completely inspect it and fix anything that was showing wear. Who knows what that repair looks like on the report.

[@coldnorthAK]

I bought a 2002 Chevy Silverado brand new. I’m the only one who has changed the oil, tranny, diff, transfer case, coolant fluids. Truck at 200k miles the trucks still running strong.

[@bornasrizz]

right but you arent the average person and theyre talking about the general public. also which is why your truck made it to 200k!

[@jcreeker5581]

Well done!

[@scottpaulson1714]

Love the channel guys, i'm learning a fair amount of info. Thank you

[@ajantics]

Carfax is about as accurate as a 1-800 Psychic number. When my girlfriend was looking for a car we went to multipool dealers and found vehicles at dealers with "clean carfax" and "no accidents" only to visually inspect the vehicles and find clear hidden damage that would only be caused by major accidents. Yet they all had "CLEAN CARFAX with NO ACCIDENTS" As far as service history there are alot of people who buy a new vehicle out of state and they do not have a dealer close to them and bring the vehicle to a local mechanic who doesn't report to carfax. This does not mean that the vehicle was never serviced. I Even had an issue with carfax for one of my vehicles. I was trading in for a new truck. I owned the car from brand new. Only had one fender bender & the only damage to the vehicle was the front license plate punctured through the front bumper. I had it fixed with insurance. During the trade in they offered me half of what the actual trade in value was. Apparently, Carfax had a report that both front airbags went off and severe front end damage was caused. I even had the receipt from the auto body shop for the repair and all of the insurance paperwork proving this was false and it took forever to get carfax to correct their mistake. 3 months later my vehicle was worth double because carfax had the false report!

[@austinpowers1999]

CAR FAUX

[@bmshaven]

It's a helpful tool. Provides more insight than simply going in blind, but it's not everything.

[@davidprodigy5833]

That would suck if it had false information on it to the bad

[@Victic005]

My Carfax is a joke. They tell me mileage that are incorrect and tell me to rotate tires, when the car have staggered wheels.

[@ruthmichigander]

Look how many owners on the 2nd truck too!

[@oldskoolbmw]

Repo's don't show up accurately on car fax. They show as if it was put up forsale at a dealer but if you run the vin through a service like bad vin, you'll find pictures where the car was curb jumped, damaged, repo'd when snow on the ground sitting in an open dirt lot and then in July it will say "forsale at dealer" and the dealer will have tried to fix any damage. So so many cars in FL are like that.

[@Miami543210]

Many many many shops, mechanics, do it yourself types and body shops DO NOT report ANYTHING to CarFax. A thorough inspection is always your best bet.

[@fpvmississippi]

My independent reports to care fax. I would not go to the 29.95 shops to change my oil!

[@maloney7461]

The service records do not always show up on Carfax report. I sold a 350Z once, the car was ALWAYS serviced at the dealer. Those service records did not appear on a Carfax report. Carfax is only good for if the car was in an accident, it also tells you how many people had own the car before you. It tells you if the car is from out of state. My Z was in a 3k accident, that did not show up on the Carfax report.

[@BunkMasterFlex77]

A lot of small mechanic shops don't report data including my shop. You can save your records but that doesn't help a 2nd or 3rd owner.

[@berniekirk1397]

Nor will those services ever appear on the carfax. Carfax is far from a complete and accurate record.

[@jeffsmith846]

I do my own oil/filter changes so our F150 would show zero oil changes with 114,000 miles. It would however show recall mileage.

[@2steaksandwiches665]

I get it man. I’ve done this. I just keep receipts and then I sell it locally. The future buyer loves the receipts and I understand why.

[@timking2822]

I don't trust either independent shops or the dealer to do regularly scheduled services. I do keep a log and I provide it when I sell the vehicle. As you both know, you can tell pretty quickly how an owner treated their vehicle by just looking at it. The advice to have an expert inspect any vehicle before purchase is an excellent one. Great information about CarFax.

[@re-ridersuzanne]

Thanks for the topic. I keep all service records. They would be available. The last used car I bought from a friend had all service information in a folder that I now add too. Finding good mechanics would be a great topic for you guys. I'd love to know what signs to look for. Here's another fun one. I went shopping for a car on 2 occasions and had a male friend with me. The salesman talked to my male friend and continued to do so even after I said I was buying the car!

[@markh.6687]

If the shop's parking area is full of cars, that MIGHT be a clue they are good. I've seen a few shops that if they were crooked they'd been shut down years ago. Do the usual checks with the Better Business Bureau site (not perfect, but if you a bunch of complaints, be wary). Run the business name in your search tool of choice; might find lawsuits, reviews, etc. Ask friends/neighbors who they take their cars to, and if they are satisfied with the work. As for sexist salespeople, there are some men who have not yet realized women have been legally able to sign contracts and buy vehicles for the last 50 years or so....

[@rossferguson5786]

Great video ! But how do we know that the owner didn’t change the oil and provide other service themselves, a friend of family member, or small independent garage ? I do agree and would avoid the vehicle if they couldn’t even show receipts for parts. Like oil filter, oil, etc

[@esoterical73]

I have a 2k2 Ford F-150 that was bought brand new off the show room. Oil changes were performed by me every 3k miles and now it sits with 87k miles. Also the air filter and coolant levels were changed when needed. Other services were performed by the dealer at recommended mileage. The first time my truck graced the dealer was about 2k9 for trans fluid and other standard 30k stuff. I'll be driving it for another 20 years. Trusting your purchase to just service records will only get you so far.

[@krashanb5767]

They never heard about recording a service that actually was never performed. Happens also at the dealers...

[@kevinW826]

Up here in Canada the majority of carfax reports I have seen don’t include service or mechanical visits, only car accidents and where it was purchased. What dealership it was purchased at is where you need to call and find out and start tracing its service history.

[@joelombardi4907]

In terms of long periods in between services on the Carfax, if someone were to service the car themselves and do their own oil changes, breaks, etc. how does that show up on the Carfax?

[@Cory69]

it doesn't lol even some shops don't report to carfax. it's up to the business to report or not

[@kimberbell4238]

We purchased a 07 Honda SI new in 07. It has 266k miles on it. My husband has had the oil changed, tires rotated, and alignment done (lifetime alignment plan at Firestone) every 3-5k miles. He's been doing it himself for at least the last 150k. He uploads the information into Honda. And keeps every receipt for everything he has done to it.

[@richricogranada9647]

Car odometers should be protected like airplane black boxes where it is practically impossible to access them.

[@TheLifetraveler1]

In my search for a used car this past week. One dealer put up a shiny Red 2022 Civic online for sale. They tried to stall me from seeing it, until I got frustrated and was about to leave. They finally brought the car from the back. 1) It was absolutely filthy inside, as if a family of 7 vacationed in it for a year. 2) There was a piece missing from the front grill. 3) It really stank. 4) But worst of all it had a big GIANT (Repo sign) written on the driver side window. Salesman, looked at me and said, "it just needs to be cleaned up". Idiot! Carfax said it was originally a 'rental'. I used to work for a rental company taking cars to auction. So someone rented it or stole it. The rental company found it trashed. Sent it off to one of those 'redline' auctions. These folks purchased it, with the intent of fixing it up. I'm sure the photograph I saw was one of their 'new' matching Red Civics (they had five of them) in the picture. But they used the vin number associated with the repo. Dastardly, just dastardly!

[@JobyJoby-iw2wr]

Daughter bought a one owner, low mileage Mazda 6 with a salvage title. Carfax showed a RF impact, nothing else. After the car was purchased, we find out the rear clip (minimum) had been replaced - no record. Car was good looking, reliable and acquitted itself very well.

[@proverbs2927]

I’ve had a Toyota dealership salesman actually tell me with all of these services such as what you mentioned is actually a good thing and how well kept the car has been taken care of. Over half of these services wasn’t your typical oil change or some typical service, but other more serious issues. So to all the viewers expect a lying salesman try to flip the script and say it’s a good thing all these services have been done. I was nice and said no thanks, but that is not what I was thinking by any stretch of the imagination!

[@michaeldaniels8556]

The 2 ford cases you mentioned I might suggest that they came into the USA from Canada as many do, and Carafe do not have the Canadian history perhaps. Just a suggestion as my F 150' s usually end up in Texas area from Eastern Canada as I traded often on a short term lease.

[@jorgeotanez4474]

Excellent points, but what if I’m a mechanic and I do all my services at home, how do I record that in all data?? I usually save receipts for my oil and oil filters and parts that will not show on the fax!!

[@robertbailey1838]

I recently discovered that I could get a free Carfax login that would allow me to enter my VIN number and enter the service work I've performed, including oil changes.

[@proverbs2927]

@@robertbailey1838 way to much work for me. More power to you for actually doing that though.

[@znrctrnn]

My mother has this on her 2008 Camry, the first 4 oil changes Performed at Longo Toyota, the largest Toyota dealer in the US are not s howling, but we have the receipts for it being changed.

[@walpoleandworcester]

Carfax can be quite useful but should be taken with a grain of salt. At least you can see right away which vehicles to avoid from the start and then check out the "clean" vehicles for yourself before buying.

[@timparker1973]

Not all of us go over pay at a dealer, for oil changes. so there will be no record.

[@thelonelywolf88]

I just want to say that the garage I work at doesn't report to Carfax. So, all the maintenance I do on my car, I manually input it. I just don't really put in the data for oil changes as I do them myself. Other than that, I keep that info up to date myself

[@justhere4721]

I can see how multiple services in a short period of time can be suspicious. Might be an underlying problem. It can also be that the dealer is spreading out the service needed rather than getting it done in one visit. More visits, more money. Also, some owners don't have the money to do all at once. So they wait and make other appointments.

[@jrtaylor2288]

1st. off I do all my own routine maintenance. I only would go to the dealership for warranty/recall work. For any other reason I have a trusted independent mechanic, and the vast majority of independent shops don't report to carfax. In Virginia the only thing reported is your state inspection. P.S. I keep all my receipts and records.

[@Scotty_in_Ohio]

Even if the first owner performed the maintenance themselves (wouldn't be uncommon for a truck owner to do at all) - there were several recalls depending on engine time for F-150's in that year range (ask me how I know) - and depending on dealership you'd typically get at least a couple oil changes for "free" - though I get it - my father in law only has recall work (and even then not every recall) done by a dealer - he performs all other maintenance himself. That truck would for sure have to have a PPI if I were interested in it but I would probably "pass" given the number of visits to the selling dealer in the short amount of time and how long it sat on the dealer lot. It's a wonder it didn't go to auction after the first 3 months...

[@drsysop]

Not all services are reported to Carfax I noticed the same with AutoCheck. I bought a vehicle on the US Territory of Guam when I was there & had it shipped back to mainland US & there was no Carfax report on it at all. Carfax & AutoCheck only have reports from vehicles in the US 50 States, Puerto Rico & Canada only.

[@johdirt7843]

Not all mechanics use a POS system that reports to CarFax. Lot's of mom and pops don't. Jiffy Lube does not report to CarFax either. On top of that CarFax BLOWS and enters services by hand. Two of the entries for my CarFax have oil changes being performed when in fact it wasn't. But yes, that many services in that short of a time is a red flag unless the guy likes his 3 month OCI.

[@XennialGuy]

On the opposite end, at some dealers every time a vehicle gets washed, detailed, cleaned, oil checked, or just pulled into the bay to ask a general question, it can get recorded to Carfax as "vehicle serviced". This happened to one of my vehicles, it never actually went in for any service, but every time I brought it in to buy an oil filter or ask a question, they would check my oil as a courtesy and guess what would get reported on Carfax.

[@danluban3050]

POS = point of sale I had to read that twice 🤣

[@kdmoates]

You are absolutely correct, this is why this video from these two provide misleading info, they don’t know what they’re talking about.

[@anthonymalovrh2912]

Changed my oil at home for years. Was not until a few years ago I heard of CarFax and logged all my oil changes.

[@fixittony]

What if you do the work yourself like fluid changes and other things? What are your thoughts If all receipts show the car was maintained?

[@masudzhasan5879]

But what if they do service at local mechanic than dealerships. They may not come up in carfax right?

[@rickdecker2146]

Check the gaps too. If they're not consistent or different from one side to the other side of the car that's not a good sign either no matter what the carfax or auto check report says.

[@markh.6687]

Door and fender/quarter panel gaps for those who don't realize what Rick means Door, trunk, hood gaps should be equal. If not, there may be hidden frame or body damage, poor bodywork was done, etc.

[@bobgaylord8883]

I'm a "D.I.Y." kind of guy and have always changed my own oil & filter every 3000 miles and done any other service / repairs at my home shop. A Carfax on my vhehicles would show zero maintenance, while in fact, excellent service has been done. I keep a record on everything, however, by date & mileage. Would this log I've kept make a differece, with a used car dealer?

[@richardclark1374]

So for all of us that have done and are more than capable of doing vehicle maintenance our used cars are supposed to worth less due to Carfax reports? I also keep record of work I've competed. My thoughts are that the records would get tossed in the trash either at dealer or auto auction recon.

[@lklpalka]

Me too but I keep my vehicle so long that I don't worry much about it. You can usually tell if a vehicle is kept after

[@zmbewolfable]

I love my 05 trailblazer, still kicking not leans since 07, may not look pretty but still going strong

[@timevans9427]

who cares. not part of the conversation

[@DeepDishPizza]

I work at a dealer and we are still marking up used cars by $5k-7k depending on the model.

[@swmplvr]

🤢🤢🤮🤮

[@2148aa]

2nd vehicle, Billy Bob might have done his own service, or it was a fleet vehicle that did service in-house. Comprehensive damage ovly sees carfax if vehicle is declared totaled.

[@alexkouvolo2477]

My Buick has an unresolved recall for the ignition switch. In my research, I found that the problem was a weak detent spring. IP found that the "repair" was to fix the key that i could not add keys to a key ring. No mentionb of replacing the detent spring.

[@markh.6687]

Many independent shops do not report service data to Carfax or other services, so ask if they have service receipts in the glovebox.

[@billhansher9911]

You can sign up on Carfax and add service records for your vehicle if a dealer does not input

[@l.cfootman3259]

Thats scary to know that a Military Service member may have purchased that vehicle, since Sierra Vista is a Military town! And, what Sean Flanigan said is correct as well, since I do some light maintenance on a few cars for different individuals!

[@explorenaked]

I do my own oil changes so there is no way to report it. However, I keep the purchase receipts for the oil, filter, and plugs to show that it was done. Porsche charges $750. I can do it for $100 and one hour.

[@kyreerollerson]

For me, it's definitely a red flag when a car goes in for a service or inspection, and then immediately goes up for sale. It suggests that the prior owner was confronted with some sort of expensive repair, and so chose to dump the car. It's what I'd do--I've done it--and I've also inadvertently bought cars where that had been the case.

[@codybenintendi505]

i was gonna sell my supra afte ihit a sign at 5 mph.. stupid but costly. i wanted the car ready to sell so i had the 30k reommended sercives done. new tires and a buff and detail. costly on my end but i wanted the new owner to love it as mush as i did. but ultimately i chose to keep the car once i got it back

[@crg34]

Does jiffy lube put their service history on car fax? I know I don’t when I change the oil and do maintenance in my house.

[@elvinlee7592]

I do all of my maintenance at home including suspension rebuilds and engine head gaskets replacements. None of the work I do is recorded in Carfax.

[@kimberbell4238]

It's interesting looking at Car Fax. They always tell a story!

[@theonlybuster]

Look at the Carfax BUT do not accept it as the end all be all. Use it as a general guidance. This example was extreme and should have been an obvious bad investment. Now I have had 4 services in 1 month. The first was a 100k routine check. 2 was simple warranty work (rear view mirror issue). It had to be shipped so I kept the vehicle until the part came in but on the carfax there's a report of it being serviced that day. 3 was me returning to have a new mirror installed and they replaced my oil for compensation for the delay. And 4 was due to the mechanic not installing my plastic under carriage that resulted in it coming off on the interstate but they replaced it (their cost) on the 4th trip. So if you look at my car's carfax you'll see 4 services in 1 month. Simply stated, review it and take it with a grain of sand. It paints a picture but in most cases not a complete pic

[@cobra02411]

I used the "my carfax" service they offer. I think that's the name. But I recorded all the maintenance I did myself to the vehicle. It was great for me and I thought it would show up for everyone else, but when I traded the car NONE of my service showed up. 40k miles of oil changes, brake replacement, other services disappeared. Also, not every garage is hooked up to it, so I should be able add that myself to it. So annual inspections and other work is also lost. I don't know if they fixed that but it's a major gap.

[@AvengerAngel]

Carfax has issues with expedience in getting reports from "participating" service/repair facilities, (key word is 'participating') and at times issues, or any records including maintenance, may not show -up for months, so it is strange in this case that these service records would listed in short consecutive intervals? Also, can a dealer alter a Carfax?

[@gnicks2995]

I am looking at a leased car 2021 Mazda cx5 18k miles at ford dealership. It have 2 SERVICE CONTRACT CLAIMS while getting oil change/tires rotated. One 01/2023 and another 07/23 right before Mazda sold the car to Ford. Should I be concerned?

[@Quietone660]

I have a 28 year old Honda Civic. I do my own work on it. It runs great. There is no service record, period.

[@elee8374]

I purchased a car years ago that had a reconditioned title and the carfax showed it having been in a fire. When I sold it 4 years later the fire wasn’t on the carfax report at all. If that isn’t fuzzy math I don’t know what is.

[@wherethereisfaith]

I was looking at a 2020 Ford Ranger XLT for 29995.00 not too long ago. There was no oil change history in over 50k miles. I was gonna pass on it but...the dealership found documentation in the vehicle and I was able to trace it to a shop in Martinsburg WV. They had changed the oil every 3 to 4k miles on the truck but it did not show up in the carfax. That accounted for oil changes from 30k and up. I had to assume the prior owner probably used yet another shop for the gap that I found between zero and 30k miles as he seemed very dilligent from 30k up until the 55K. It had been sitting on the lot for a while so when I said I wasn't ready that night, it ended up selling a few days later. I wonder if I had given the sales guy a way to explain the oil change history and he used it to sell the truck. I'll never know. The game playing was pretty old school. Someone came up during the negotiation to "show" the truck to someone else when I hesitated and even moved the truck from where I dropped it off after the test drive. Very slick. Gosh I wish I could just hire an advocate and take them with me to deal with these people, kind of like a lawyer. I hate going to buy a car.

[@johnholmes2808]

Used car prices are not falling where I live.

[@fartdemon450]

True. Not sure where these falling prices are happening

[@GatesRapes]

Nope ,, prices are not falling !!!

[@chriscarneal199]

Prices are not yet but trade in value has plummeted.

[@oldfordman68]

I purchased a new Volkswagen Tiguan in 2019 and in 2020 I moved to a different state Carfax listed the State title change as owner 2 the car never changed ownership.

[@jeanettebeamon6376]

Really good information thank you.

[@Holabella]

@CAREDGE I am looking at a Certified PreOwned Car from a Toyota dealership in S. Florida. When I look up the VIN in the Florida DMV it states that there is a lien on it. Should I be concerned? I read online that a dealer can not legally sell a car with a lien on it. Can you please advise? It reads: Title Type:PAPER TITLE WITH LIEN

[@mikesmith-wk7vy]

I do maintenance my self basics like oil and filters , that would not show up but I Write everything down in a notepad so I know things are done but none of that shows up yet my vehicle is perfectly maintained

[@Desertharleyrider]

I live in Sierra Vista, AZ where that Lawley dealership is located. They’re known to be shady at times, but have a monopoly on dealerships in town. Only one they don’t own is Toyota.

[@ChronicPainInTheAss]

Your advice is appreciated and valued. The father-son, question-answer format makes it even more interesting. Thank you for your channel and the information you provide!

[@bradleyr.6385]

Thanks for this video guys. I’m about to make an offer on a Honda Accord 950 miles away. I’ve done all my research and all the boxes check. Should I Are an offer contingent on a PPI?

[@livinglimitless7962]

I did everything for my c6 vette so 0 service but oil changed after only 3k miles. Yes I did race it hard but never had a service. From 10k miles to 55k miles.

[@rogerd777]

I noticed the second pickup truck you did, the original owner with no service history was the Arizona Motor Vehicle Dept. So as a state owned/operated vehicle it likely had fleet service that wasn't reported to CARFAX.

[@smokeyj3983]

My explorer with 90k miles shows almost no service on Carfax. However, I have meticulous maintained it myself with the best oils, filters, belts, waxes. I'm about to sell it, I hope it doesn't scare buyers away. I've had friends work in mechanic and lube places and the horror stories I've heard. I don't trust anyone but myself maintaining vehicles.

[@misterwubulous]

Hey guys! New to your channel. Love your show. I have a question that has always bugged me. Everyone recommends getting a used car inspected before purchasing and I can't figure out the logistics of that. What mechanic in the world will drop what they are doing whenever I decide to bring a vehicle by for an inspection. Or do I pay a mechanic to follow me around while I look at used cars?

[@bamwa]

look for a mobile mechanic who does prepurchase inspections or ask your garage if you can bring it there. or yeah pay a mechanic to follow you around, smartass.

[@dierpap]

The problem with Carfax is that it is that repair shops often do not update the site. I had my vehicle serviced every 5000 miles at Toyota of Southern Maryland. They did not update Carfax. I do have a record of every service done on the vehicle.

[@petervg8377]

I did my own oil changes and transmission fluid changes since new. 130k miles. No service history will show on carfax report.

[@commonsenseisntcommon1776]

ditto

[@1HeatWalk]

I'm sure there are those that didn't keep up with maintenance like you.

[@mikimiki195]

Pops should tell us some of the biggest screws he did back in the day. How manny pieces of crap he sold to poor souls 😅

[@Shalmaneser1]

The Honda turbocharged engines have been a bit spotty with oil dilution. It's fun trying to spot when CarFax et al have little more than dealership service records. Oil dilution can range from simply having to be spot-on with oil changes to sub 3K intervals. There are a FEW non-dealerships who report to CarFax. FWIW: Honda's owner site allows for user input of maintenance. All maintenance records are severely lacking in detail.

[@ratinthehat_]

Nice I’ve been waiting for one of these videos

[@G_from_Jersey]

Being in the automotive repair business we know that most small repair shops do not share maintenance history on CARFAX. I do all my maintenance services and besides receipts, you will not see any service history. I do like to check the maintenance and repair history on vehicles and do it every day for work. I would definitely read a CARFAX on a vehicle I'm interested in, but no history wouldn't stop me from buying a vehicle if everything checks out when I inspect the vehicle. One thing that would bother me is if the vehicle has had several owners. Another would be a branded title.

[@allamar9083]

Agree ,,,,I do all my oil changes . I can do the best Mobil 1 and filter waaaay cheaper than any oil change business charges for regular Dino oil. Plus 1 time at their place I had oil all over my engine to clean up. The local oil change place wiped out my neighbors Chrysler 300 . Wrong filter. On interstate… 70 MPH,,damage done. Not naming names. I double and triple check MY work ,they do a Quick job,I don’t want a QUICK JOB .

[@michaelbaja1854]

My car is mostly serviced by me...There are some people that still do that. Bigger repairs I may have a shop do the work because I don't have the equipment or time. So you will not see oil or fluid changes on my vehicles. At least I know I am getting fresh oil, not recycled added to my car. Also, I don't need a repair person to change small parts such as bulbs, relays, fuses, brakes, shocks...etc.

[@Jetter638]

If you get your oil changed at say Jiffy Lube does that show up in the CarFax report? It would seem to me that a lot of the "Service" requirements seem to be just a way to get you back into a dealership so that they can tell you this or that is wrong and charge you money for something that may not be wrong. What do you say to that?

[@Themfeels101]

I never go to the dealership for maintenance, I do all the regular maintenance on my cars at the recommended intervals with a local and family owned mechanic shop. I do keep receipts though so I have service history alright, lol, it's just never gonna be on the carfax, it's an old 08 Camry. Once I get my newer car though I will have a service book to record and document instead of just receipts.

[@panda17284]

Idk if Tennessee has a state inspection for cars. I’ve been here since 2003 and they did away with emissions 2 years ago in Nashville but there is no inspection

[@emiliog.4432]

Unfortunately. The items that are red flags are usually NOT on CarFax.

[@ramblr5900]

Explain please

[@Strm-cl4yf]

Not all accident repairs are reported to carfax . They have it written on their report that only services reported are shown

[@allenanderson3649]

Mechanic owned . At least a DYI owner , As a mechanic I've NEVER had a LOF done by any shop ran 4 vehicles well past 200k miles

[@jws3925]

I don't know about this. I have a well equipped garage with a hoist and I do nearly all my own routine service on my vehicle, new or not. The only time it goes into the dealer is for a recall or electrical diagnosis requiring an OEM scan tool. So, this case and others like it there will be no service entries or very few but in actuality the vehicle has gotten maintained better than 90% of vehicles on the road. I do keep a running record of all the service I do so I can show this to a prospective buyer but it will not show up on any carfax.

[@garygullikson6349]

I got an email from Carfax that said that my car was overdue for service. ( I had declined tire rotation, car is seldom driven) How does Carfax get inputs on service if you don't have dealer service it but have somebody else service it or do it yourself?

[@emersonbiggens1502]

I've been maintaining my own cars for the last 40 years, Oil / Fluid changes, brakes, filters, etc. I would hate for them to look at my carfax.

[@catherineyslas4725]

Do you recommend getting service at a dealership or is it cheaper elsewhere?

[@mr.tuckers2848]

The customer lived 3 miles away and bought a lemon- period. IN cases like this though, nobody knows if the owner serviced this vehicle at home and did their own oil/transmission changes. But since the car came back for multiple issues in less than 2 weeks after purchase, then yes that justifies that something was wrong with the truck.

[@chi4life61]

When you take your vehicle to Jiffy Lube, would that show up on Carfax as a service?

[@JHenley01]

Still plenty of people that do the service themselves. I just bought a brand new vehicle under warranty and service contract but it’s just easier to do it myself. 20 minutes to change the oil myself and I can put full synthetic in it every 5,000 miles vs the blend crap they will change only every 10,000 miles.

[@timothythompson4036]

I get my oil changed every 5k miles at a oil change place. It is never reported. I Have my maintenance done at an independent repair shop. It is never reported. The only thing that appears on car fax is the annual inspection. I keep records in a notebook in the car about when service is done. Carfax is good to see if the odometer has been tampered with or the car had been in accidents. That is all.

[@bsespi]

How do you guys feel about corporate lease vehicles? I've been looking at some reasonably priced with good milage at a dealership that shows they've been regularly serviced at their dealership.