Life Hack: How to Get a Free CARFAX Report

When buying a used car, any advice is valuable, especially if it helps save money. And the easiest way to do that is to purchase a vehicle history report, according to auto experts at Columbus and MSN.com. And here's the best way to do it.

The Vehicle History Report is CARFAX's best-known product. This is not surprising, because it contains information about the number of owners of a used vehicle, accidents in which it has been, ownership rights issues, and technical maintenance. You simply cannot do without this information when purchasing a used car. But there is one problem – CARFAX charges almost $40 for a report. It is not a lot of money for a potential buyer, however, there are ways to save on this payment. The following will help you understand how to do this.

How much does a CARFAX report cost?

The vehicle history report price is $39.99. This may not seem like much, especially if the report confirms that the car you are buying is in perfect condition or not, but if you need to check several cars, the costs start to add up. 

How do I get a free CARFAX report?

Some automotive websites run promotions from time to time that allow you to get a free report. There are also several other methods that work well.

1. Buy a used car through the CARFAX website in the Cars-For-Sale section. It always comes with a maintenance report that is free of charge.

2. Contact a company that offers assistance in purchasing a car in the US.

If you are buying a vehicle at an auto auction in the US with the help of a company that takes care of its purchase and delivery, you will definitely be met halfway. Consulting companies work in close contact with CARFAX and have extensive experience in checking cars using this online service. Most likely, they will offer you a report for a nominal price – $3-5 (and in case of Columbus – only $1).

1. Find CARFAX reports by visiting other auto sites on the Internet.

CARFAX is not the only website that offers users access to vehicle information. Sites like AutoTrader.com or Cars.com may provide free CARFAX reports for some used cars on sale. And there are other sites worth exploring as well.

Sellers of used cars – including American dealerships – understand that people are hesitant to make a big purchase without having all the information about the car’s history, and will thus provide a report at your request. But only if they believe that you are serious about buying it.

Is there an alternative to CARFAX?

Although CARFAX is considered the most comprehensive archives of used car reports, you do necessary have to use it to get information about used cars. Sometimes you can collect the information you are interested in yourself, especially if you don't need a full report on the vehicle.

Here are some alternative online services to help you find the data you need. 

1. Vincheck.info.

VIN (vehicle identification number) allows you to track a car back to the moment it first rolled off the assembly line.

If you have the VIN number of the car you are interested in, use Vincheck.info. This site is free and contains plenty of useful background information.

For example, you can get information about whether the car has been in serious accidents, or had been stolen or pawned. 

2. Lemonchecks.com.

Отчеты об истории транспортных средств на сайте Lemonchecks.com также бесплатные.

The website’s vehicle history reports are also free.

Using this online resource, you can get information about major accidents involving the vehicle, ownership history, vehicle damage (for example, as a result of flooding) and even odometer rollbacks.

3. Iseecars.com/vin

Of the three free alternatives to the CARFAX report, iSeeCars is the most comprehensive. The only problem is that not all cars in this system are available.

There are other resources (BidFax.info, EpicVin.com, etc.) and options (eg, contacting your local highway patrol department, or the NICB website, which allows you to check your vehicle's VIN for free), however, they are all inferior to CARFAX and some other paid sites (Autoastat.com, AutoDNA, etc.) that provide the most comprehensive reports on the history of a vehicle. 

Is it possible to “hack” CARFAX?

One trick to getting a free CARFAX Vehicle History Report has recently gone viral. Going on Google and searching “dealer auto check inurl: VIN”, and then entering the VIN number you are interested instead of the one suggested by the website seemed to do the trick. But this loophole was recently closed, as Reddit users sadly reported.

What information does a CARFAX report contain?

If none of the options for getting a free CARFAX report worked for you, it's time to determine if the original document is worth at least $1. Judge for yourself.

1. Vehicle History.

The first VIN numbers were introduced into the CARFAX database in 1981. Since then, everyone was able to track the history of cars using the service. In particular, you can get information about the number of owners of a used car, accidents in which it was involved, issues with ownership rights, whether the car was used in a taxi cab service, as well as its maintenance.

Vehicle ownership history is an important part of your CARFAX report. It goes without saying that people who buy one car and own it for many years usually take better care of it. If you want your vehicle to last, look for one that had one or two owners.

2. Damage data.

Equally useful is information from the CARFAX report on whether the car was involved in an accident. Damage sustained in an accident does not always affect the functionality of the vehicle. However, if the car has been involved in a serious one, you need to think twice about whether it is worth buying. Keep in mind that many people use the report to negotiate the best price for a car that has been involved in an accident.

3. Odometer readings.

One of the major problems that people run into when buying a used car is the mileage, or rather how true it is. Tampering with odometer readings is a criminal offense in the United States, but it still happens sometimes.

Every time any work is performed at a service station in the US (even an oil change or the like, the car’s odometer readings are recorded and entered into the CARFAX database. Therefore, by looking at the report, you can easily detect if someone had tempered with it. For instance, if the seller reported 50,000 miles on the car but the report shows an oil change at 80,000, it is obvious that the odometer readings are not true.

4. Car maintenance.

Every time a vehicle undergoes scheduled maintenance, it is recorded on a CARFAX report. Thanks to this information, you will be able to check whether the car had a responsible owner - for example, whether they changed the oil and other consumables on time, how they upgraded the car, etc. In short, buying a 3-year-old car with 50,000 miles on it that has never had an oil change is never a good decision.

Does CARFAX have a report for each vehicle?

CARFAX does not have a complete history for each vehicle. Its database is larger than its competitors with more than 30 billion records from more than 131,000 sources, but even that doesn't cover everything.

How to find out your car's VIN number?

On most cars it is located on the front dashboard on the driver's side. If you can't find it, try other options:

1. Search the paperwork.

VIN numbers can be found on auto insurance documents and registration cards.

2. Examine the car door.

Another place where to look for a VIN number is on the side of the driver's car door.

3. Check the user manual.

If you can’t find the VIN on your car, look in the owner’s manual – it probably contains accurate information about its location.  

Is CARFAX ever wrong?

The short answer to this question is yes. This is evidenced by a number of lawsuits (West v. CARFAX, etc.). But the probability of error is small. If you find any inaccuracies in the report, you can always contact the company representatives. In cases where information is disputed but cannot be verified, CARFAX allows consumers and dealerships to add data to their reports.

When does a CARFAX report expire?

The information remains relevant indefinitely. However, CARFAX issues credits for a period of four years from the date of purchase of the report. They can be used to obtain updated reports for a specific vehicle or to obtain information on other vehicles.

To Sum Up

As you can see, there are many ways to get a CARFAX report for free or for a nominal fee. Which one to choose is up to you. However, it is always best to entrust a conducting a high standard, comprehensive car inspection to professionals. For example, Columbus has its own checklist to confirm information received from American sources. Proficiency in utilizing online services that offer car history checks, and over 10 years of operating on the car market allow the company’s team to avoid any and all mistakes by typically using more than one database to check and confirm the vehicle history.

Contact Columbus if you want to get a comprehensive check of a car sold at an online auction and get it delivered at a great price from the United States! Our experts are always available.

Sources: МSN.com, Сarfax.com