CarFax accident info. question

[Percival P. Cassidy]

I've noticed TV ads for CarFax claiming that one can find out whether a vehicle has been involved in an accident.

Where do they get this info? Police reports? Insurance co. records?
Repairer's records?

Perce

 

[Daniel J. Stern]

I've noticed TV ads for CarFax claiming that one can find out whether a vehicle has been involved in an accident. Where do they get this info? Police reports? Insurance co. records? Repairer's records?

Some or all of the above. They make it sound as if CarFax info on any given car is infallible, which it is not. I proved that to myself by Carfaxing a car our family had owned since new (and still owned). There were all sorts of amusing and completely false "data" about my car, but stuff that should've been on there...wasn't. Often, ownership transfers and other state-controlled functions (sometimes including safety and/or emission tests) show up on Carfax. Accidents, floods, etc. do NOT reliably show up in Carfax; there's no means by which for them to do so.

Carfax isn't all they'd like you to believe it is.

 

[David (archive)]

I've noticed TV ads for CarFax claiming that one can find out whether a vehicle has been involved in an accident.

Where do they get this info? Police reports? Insurance co. records?
Repairer's records?

It comes from insurance records. However insurance companies do not always share that info with anyone. So it is really a worthless report.

 

[jdoe]

CarFax is especially worthless. I"ve done the same thing as Dan and found only AutoCheck.com to be worth anything.
Larry