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Dealer services not on carfax

Odrapnew

Explorer Addict
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2014 Explorer Sport
Hey all, I'm posting here since it still gets a lot of activity, unfortunately I'm looking at 'jumping ship' from my Explorer.

I'm looking at a used VW GTI as a downsize.

The car is certified used, 2016 with 20k miles on it. Older gentleman owned it and traded it in. The dealer gave me the full service records, which includes all scheduled maintenance. When they gave me the Carfax, none of the maintenance records are listed. All service was done at the selling dealer.

What's more interesting is that there's a similar one for sale at a different dealer, year newer but with 60k miles and that Carfax shows all maintenance records.

So, my question, should those dealer records be listed on the Carfax?
I know Carfax doesn't include everything.

I don't think it will stop me from buy, more of curiosity.
 



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Any record will be on a carfax if the dealer participates and reports it. Frankly I dont put much weight on carfax, including accidents. Carfax gets most of their accident reporting from police reports because it is public info. If one doesnt call the cops, it typically wont show up.
 






You can fill volumes with what isn't listed on a Carfax.

Like most things it is just a tool and shouldn't be depended on for all the information
 






Any record will be on a carfax if the dealer participates and reports it. Frankly I dont put much weight on carfax, including accidents. Carfax gets most of their accident reporting from police reports because it is public info. If one doesnt call the cops, it typically wont show up.

Totally agree on not really trusting Carfax anymore. Plenty of folks don't report it, so you won't see it. I remember looking for a new vehicle in 2007, Carfax said it was clean as can be. Ended up checking it out in person and you could tell half the car was repainted and clearly in an accident.
 






Speaking of CARFAX....If a dealer takes vehicle in trade then sends to Auction and another dealer purchases from auction, shouldn't that be considered another owner?

Example, Dealer A takes in trade, sends to Auction then Dealer B purchases from Auction shouldn't that be considered a sale as in another owner in the vehicle history?
 






Speaking of CARFAX....If a dealer takes vehicle in trade then sends to Auction and another dealer purchases from auction, shouldn't that be considered another owner?

Example, Dealer A takes in trade, sends to Auction then Dealer B purchases from Auction shouldn't that be considered a sale as in another owner in the vehicle history?

My guess is that dealers aren't considered to be owners in the way you are thinking. Your way would make the manufacturer (Ford, GM, Toyota etc.) listed as the first owner on a Carfax report. A lot of times a dealer will win a car at auction and take possession of it but won't "buy" it until they sell it. This happened with my present Mountaineer. It took time to receive the title from the auction company that they got it from, not the dealer I bought it from. This makes sense because many dealers don't have the disposable cash to hold a decent inventory of vehicles. This also helps the auction companies move their vehicles into the hands of people that can sell them to end users and I am sure they will finance this for the dealers to make even more money on the sale.
 






Totally agree on not really trusting Carfax anymore. Plenty of folks don't report it, so you won't see it. I remember looking for a new vehicle in 2007, Carfax said it was clean as can be. Ended up checking it out in person and you could tell half the car was repainted and clearly in an accident.

IMO, a Carfax report is most useful for me in determining where a vehicle has resided over its lifetime. I am a stickler for avoiding ones that have been in areas where the roads are salted regularly in the winter or in coastal areas where salty sea air can cause corrosion issues. If I get accident and service information in the report then this is just a bonus. Also, reports will tell how many owners a vehicle has had and I avoid ones with many owners because there is likely reasons for this and most aren't good ones. Typically, multiple people don't sell a vehicle that has served them well. To me, a Carfax report is just one of many "tools" I use to vet a used vehicle I am seriously considering for purchase.
 






Speaking of CARFAX....If a dealer takes vehicle in trade then sends to Auction and another dealer purchases from auction, shouldn't that be considered another owner?

Example, Dealer A takes in trade, sends to Auction then Dealer B purchases from Auction shouldn't that be considered a sale as in another owner in the vehicle history?

Yes. This is how it typically works, but as mentioned, it really depends on what is reported and how it is reported (how the dealer transfers/titles the vehicle). The vehicles I have looked at and bought from major auctions have always indicated sold at auction and purchased at auction.

If you want to see how this works to get a feel for it, just go to a used car dealer, inquire about any off lease vehicles they may have picked up from Ford dealer auction, and ask to see the carfax for those vehicles. Or, if you have access to a carfax account, jot down a few vins off the local dealers used car lot and pull up carfax reports on them so you can have first hand experience.

My guess is that dealers aren't considered to be owners in the way you are thinking. Your way would make the manufacturer (Ford, GM, Toyota etc.) listed as the first owner on a Carfax report. A lot of times a dealer will win a car at auction and take possession of it but won't "buy" it until they sell it. This happened with my present Mountaineer. It took time to receive the title from the auction company that they got it from, not the dealer I bought it from. This makes sense because many dealers don't have the disposable cash to hold a decent inventory of vehicles. This also helps the auction companies move their vehicles into the hands of people that can sell them to end users and I am sure they will finance this for the dealers to make even more money on the sale.
Yeah, that's not how car manufacturing and new car sales works. At the most basic level, a dealer can transfer or move a car around on an MSO and even put miles on it and so on, but until it has it's "ticket" punched and is titled, it can still be considered a new vehicle with no owners and with full factory warranty. There are a lot of other nuances to it. New vehicles auctioned by the manufacturer have their ticket punched on the date of manufacture (to start the warranty clock) and when they are sold at auction as used, they typically show the manufacturer as the first owner. This is how Ford moves vehicles through auction that are cancelled fleet orders, have damage from the factory/transit, or hail damage/etc...


As far as dealers having disposable cash to hold inventory, that is not how it works either. Dealers typically floorplan (line of credit) their vehicles and leverage that to allow them to hold large amounts of inventory for little money (basically just the interest if they turn their inventory fast). Again, there's lots more to it, but that's the basic gist of it.
 






Thanks for all the input. I guess since I have the full service report from the dealer, I won't worry about it on the Carfax.

Since it was brought up, this car technically has had 2 owners, but the current "owner" has had it for about 1 month according to the Carfax. I know the dealer has had it since mid-December and for some reason the title was transferred in mid-January.
 






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