AutoCheck vs CARFAX: what’s the difference and which one to go with?
Automobiles, just like people, have their «skeletons in the closet». Oftentimes, they are very hard to find even upon the most meticulous inspection or a test drive. Coming to aid in search of critical flaws are the vehicle history reports. There are two major players that offer this sort of paperwork: AutoCheck and CARFAX (not to be confused with CarMax vehicle retailer). Each of these two can offer information regarding the past of the car, yet their sources differ. Let us have a closer look at the difference together with the Columbus experts (Tbilisi).
Vehicle history report: what is that?
Basically, this is a spreadsheet containing the data on the vehicle, namely the details of any road accidents in the U.S. or Canada, or any other event that required the involvement of the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles, the division of the Police Department) or representatives of insurance companies or state services.
The report contains vital information related to the change of the vehicle’s owner, theft of the vehicle, and any «title» changes. For better understanding, the legal document the state government issues to demonstrate who owns the vehicle, is called «car title» or «title» in the United States. In Georgia, the country in Europe, this document is called the «vehicle passport».
The history of this form is traced back to the American individual Ewin Barnett. In 1986, he offered an early version of the vehicle history report to the dealer market; these reports were developed with a database of 10,000 records, and distributed via fax. This was the beginning of CARFAX, Inc. with subsequent online service of the same name that provides vehicle data to individuals and businesses.
As of today, CARFAX claims to have access to over 20 billion records from more than 100,000 sources, including motor vehicle departments for the 50 U.S. states and the 10 Canadian provinces, along with auto and salvage auctions, rental and fleet vehicle companies, consumer protection agencies, fire and police departments, manufacturers, inspection companies, service and repair facilities, dealers and import/export companies etc.
It’s pretty clear that «all-round» information from such an extended database brings peace and serenity to the future car’s owner.
CARFAX: golden standard
«Let me see the CARFAX» has become as much of a colloquialism as «hit me up on Snapchat» or «Google search that». And for good reason, too, since the CARFAX reports answer the truly important questions: Has the car been stolen? Has it been flooded? How many owners has the car had? Has the VIN-related paperwork been altered? Are the odometer readings to be trusted? Is the car loaned? Have the airbags popped?
Unique are the CARFAX details on the car’s maintenance and its safety check-ups, including the CO2 emission levels. If the car had failed to pass the obligatory servicing, it is put into the report, along with the date of a failed check-up and mileage at the time.
Therefore, the servicing history report demonstrates what repair works or maintenance procedures had been previously applied to the automobile. This list, however, can be incomplete, since the owner could have performed repairs by himself or had the car serviced in a garage that does not keep the relevant records. The web service warns about this scenario, along with possible accident concealment, using the streamlined wording «no accidents have been reported to CARFAX».
Nevertheless, the CARFAX report provides decent picture of the overall reliability and servicing of the vehicle. The web service itself is reliable: if you purchased a car with a «clean» CARFAX report, and found out later the vehicle was involved in a DMV-reported accident, the company guarantees they will buy out the car back at full price.
Screenshot of a typical CARFAX report
AutoCheck: report on comparison
One of the flaws of any given CARFAX report is that it has no data assessment, for instance, by comparing two similar vehicles. It is entirely up to you to decide whether the provided information is valid and of any relevance to your needs.
AutoCheck is owned by the American-Irish giant Experian (which aggregates consumer credit reporting information on over 1 billion people and businesses), and deals in assessment reports.
This web service provides the same data that CARFAX does, but goes one step further with a unified assessment. Later on, these details can be used when comparing similar vehicles, for example, of the same age and similar mileage. The better the mark of a car, the more sense it makes to choose this particular car over its competitors.
However, the well of sources that AutoCheck extract their information from is not as vast as CARFAX databases have. For instance, AutoCheck have no records of technical maintenance of the car, its safety check-ups, and emission levels.
At the same time, should you employ AutoCheck tools, you will have information on the car’s ownership, its possible recall status, registration history. Available are the records of accidents, loan rights, flooding or hurricane-caused damages, or «lemon» tags («lemon car» is an American slang term which means a car with significant flaws or malfunctions that deem it unsafe to drive). Also, AutoCheck collects and stores data on possible car theft and odometer rollback («rollback» means changing the readings of odometer to lesser numbers in order to conceal the actual mileage on a car), using those for its assessments.
Just like CARFAX, AutoCheck guarantees to buy the car back (up to 100% of the NADA balance value), should it be revealed the report omitted the legal status of the vehicle and other data reported by official bodies.
Screenshot of a typical AutoCheck report
Is the report worth the money?
Buying CARFAX and AutoCheck reports is not difficult. Both of the web services can be found online with no problem whatsoever. All you need to do once you found either of them is to provide your credit card details to buy one of the reports.
All-round CARFAX is $39.99. The one from AutoCheck is a little bit cheaper - $24.99. Both offer special options and discount prices when you search several VIN numbers at a time.
However, don’t be so quick to pay for the reports. Car dealerships and intermediary firms, which offer services for purchasing vehicles abroad, often provide potential buyers with a document about the car's history. If you find yourself at a dealer who doesn’t want to provide you with a «carfax», better look for a different place to leave your money at.
Alternative reports
CARFAX and AutoCheck are, without a doubt, the leaders in the industry. There are different options to get a report, however. For example, they can be obtained through the following organizations:
National Vehicle Motor Title Information System (NVMTIS)
This electronic tool delivers legally unimpeachable information about a vehicle's technical condition and history. The reports are prepared by the U.S. Department of Justice, and marketed through authorized vendors carsforsale.com, carrecord.com, titlecheck.us and vinsmart.com.
They disclose the «title» information and current status of the auto – «scrapped», «rebuilt», etc., recorded odometer readings and accidents. The information is provided by auto junkyards, insurers, and the DMV.
The cost of the NMVTIS report is only $4.95.
National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB)
Another (free) VIN check service is available via the NICB. The Bureau’s report is limited to the information regarding the vehicle’s stolen or damaged status.
What you should keep in mind
In the end, the reports are as good as the sources they extract information from. The data from reports of all sorts can be outdated or incomplete.
«Instead of using the vehicle history report as your cornerstone in deciding in favor of buying a car, consider it the starting point of your personal investigation that will lead you to making the right decision,» Columb Trade (Tbilisi) experts say.
It is crucial to have the car thoroughly examined by a mechanic before buying it, no matter what part of the world you are buying it in. If it’s in the U.S., Columb Trade will help you find a qualified specialist.
So, what’s better – CARFAX or AutoCheck? It all boils down to something like this: the former is more detailed, as a rule. The latter saves you a little bit of money. Surely, it’s perfect to have both to obtain a more well-rounded picture regarding the technical state of the vehicle and its history. Should you go this route, spending less is not an option.
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