Would a break-in result in an "accident/damage" report on carfax?

[rockyraccoon]

A car I'm looking at shows an inspection for an "accident or damage" in 2003. The seller owned it at the time and said someone smashed the window and stole the radio. Would such a minor incident show up this way on the carfax?

I'm getting a PPI this week which I expect to confirm no prior damage, resprays, etc. If the PPI checks out and the seller has the records for the window repair would the carfax concern you?

[X JBM X]

Sounds strange to me...

Means they went thru insurance for the damage, which is odd for a window and radio....

[triplenet]

I was told that any police report will generate a Carfax report. I do think that there should be some notation about the cause of the report. To me as a buyer, a report raises a red flag. You don't know if there serious body damage or a minor scrape.

[X JBM X]

The truth is that if the repair was done correctly, and the PPI doesn't turn up anything unexpected, I would not be scared off. I know my car was in a minor fender bender at some point in time, and was repaired correctly. It doesn't show up on the carfax, but I still know about it.

The car still drives perfectly and looks fantastic. If anything, try using it as a bargaining chip. More often than not, you'll find these cars have had some type of "incident" over the 25+ years they've been around - so with proper addressing and care, it shouldn't be a deterrent.

[rockyraccoon]

This kind of thing is frustrating for both buyers and sellers. I do trust the guy and I'm sure he's being honest about the incident. A broken window does not bother me at all. The ambiguity of the carfax entry really doesn't help either of us.

[onboost]

Originally Posted by X JBM X

Sounds strange to me...
Means they went thru insurance for the damage, which is odd for a window and radio....

Nothing strange about it.. just as you stated if "they went thru insurance for the damage" then it may generate a report through CarFax. Again, this is not always the case and it varies by company, and by personnel.. meaning did they log the incident to the system that CarFax would pull from, and how detailed was the info.

Also, not everyone whose car gets damaged knows how to, or has the time deal with the repair be it a window & radio, or a bumper ding. So they drop it at the shop or dealer, file a claim and let the insurance take care of it. This is especially true given the complexity of the newer cars and some of the pencil necks that drive them.

Originally Posted by triplenet

I was told that any police report will generate a Carfax report.

You were told wrong.. CarFax pulls through insurance/claim reports.. not Police reports.

Not to mention the hole system is kinda wonky.. as it does not give full details it only knows that a claim was submitted and only covers the highlights thereof.

[thepenguin99]

So did you get the car? I notice the seller deleted his ad. It looked like a nice one but your offer was better than mine.

[rockyraccoon]

I did! The PPI was very positive.

[triplenet]

Good on the PPI! To answer your intial question, it looks like there are any number of sources that could have reported that to Carfax.

There are more reporting sources than I realized.

This is from Wikipedia about Carfax reporting:

Carfax has access to ten billion records from more than 34,000 sources, including motor vehicle departments for all 50 U.S. states and all 10 Canadian provinces. The company's information sources include U.S. state title and registration records, auto and salvage auctions, Canadian motor vehicle records, rental and fleet vehicle companies, consumer protection agencies, state inspection stations, extended warranty companies, insurance companies, fire and police departments, manufacturers, inspection companies, service and repair facilities, dealers and import/export companies.[6] CARFAX lists only information that is reported to them and consumers should not take this report to a be complete accident history. Not all accidents are disclosed and CARFAX uses the language "no accidents have been reported to CARFAX, the emphasis being on "reported". Consumers should not rely on CARFAX alone when checking out a used vehicle.

Additionally, Carfax includes information without context, which has resulted in misleading information being included in Vehicle History reports. For example, minor incidents which result in paint scratches are not differentiated from serious incidents that necessitate major repairs. This can often be included without the vehicle owners knowledge, and can be extremely tedious and time-consuming to correct—particularly as Carfax refuse to engage in person, and insist that everything be discussed electronically.

[thepenguin99]

Sweet, I imagine everyone will love seeing pics of the car when you get it. Nice unique color combo.