Experian’s AutoCheck has thrown down the gauntlet to its competitor, CarFax. AutoCheck says it’s better at providing the accident information car buyers want. This morning’s press release is all about diss and dat. “A new quantitative analysis conducted by Pipal Research, an independent, custom research firm, comparing AutoCheck and Carfax vehicle history reports, demonstrates that AutoCheck holds significant competitive advantages by reporting twice the number of accidents . . . By having access to more reported accident information when stocking their inventories and at the time of sale, dealers are better equipped to bring higher quality used cars onto their lots and be able to demonstrate that quality to consumers who place high value on this information.” CarFax is having none of it. “We’ve had claims like this made us against us in the past,” Communications Director Larry Gamache says. “Show me the study.” Gamache has no doubts about the supremacy of his company’s accident data. “We have 22,000 sources of information and 6.5 billion pieces of information in our database. CarFax is bar none the absolute best provider of vehicle history information. Period.” Ball’s in your court AutoCheck.
This is a sore subject for me. Carfax has ruined more deals than any of the other sources. It reports accidents late, reports minor bumper bumps, confusing the consumer into thinking it was more serious. Reported accidents and when inspecting the car proves otherwise….. I’ve had inventory with clean carfaxes only to be kicked by autocheck at the auctions for accident reports
Let’s not mention odometer discrepencies because a lazy smog guy couldn’t get the mileage right from the odo.
I don’t know when carfax became the bible, it always perplexed me.
I agree that Carfax is ripe for the picking. Somehow a below average product became the bible and it makes no sense.
I use carfax, autocheck and a pre-purchase inspection performed by in independent mechanic who specialized in the make. No such thing as TMI when buying a used car as long as it’s accurate information.
Twotone
You get to be the Bible by being the first most people know, not by being the best.
I’ve never used either service. Those who’ve used both–which is best, and why?
I have to confess… up to this point if I were going to buy a used car I’d have probably used carfax just because it’s the only service I knew about.
If there are other services out there that truly provide something better then they need to get with it on the advertising. Lobbing grenades in a press release is not going to get John Q. Public to notice.
Information like this is why I continue to read TTAC…
the carfax I had for my latest 528e revealed none of the damage I found when I went through the car. It did, however, account for the mileage. No big deal, I paid 500 clams for the car. It is good to know that there is an alternative to carfax.
+1 TwoTone. Were I to buy a used car, I wouldn’t rely on just one source of information about its history and condition.
In the same vein: CarFax and AutoCheck are both cheap compared to the cost of a car. Why NOT get both?
Been shopping lately, seen three cars with clean CarFax and visible bodywork repairs. Haven’t seen where AutoCheck and CarFax differed on an accident report (didn’t have an AutoCheck account to check them all, but some dealers have them for free), but it seems CarFax has far more ‘maintenance reports’, even from independent service places — Does CarFax pay for that info?
Back in 2004 my ’03 GTI had about $4,000 in bodywork done to the front end (hood, grill, radiator, lights, bumper, supports, other stuff). Police responded to the scene, gave other driver 2 tickets and me none.
I traded it in (May, 2009) at the dealer where I had bought it. The same dealer that had done all the body work.
I disclosed the repairs to my salesman, figuring that the dealership already had records of it.
The Carfax they ran, however, came out sparklingly clean.
I wonder what they told the wholesaler to whom they sold it?
They absolutely pay for that info. Repair shops aren’t going to go through the trouble to provide it for free.
My Dad had a 99 F350 diesel that was bought back under the lemon law. A couple years later, when I had Carfax access, I ran that truck’s VIN for kicks. Guess what – perfectly clean.
Consumer Reports, in a recent edition, did an expose, and proved that all 5 commercial auto reporting services missed many types of accidents (even salvage type accidents).
All 5 services. On a regular basis.
That is confidence sapping.
I’ve used both int he past year – both when selling my Impreza and when buying a used xB. If I had to choose one, I’d choose AutoCheck.
CarFax has more info on maintenance history – but it’s all worthless. Being the only owner of my Impreza, I knew the history, but bought the Carfax for any potential buyers. It listed some of the car service visit dates – but never gave any info on what was done.
The same when buying a used car – I bought the “unlimited” monthly package from both, and found Autocheck better. Again – Carfax listed more (useless) service visits, but AutoCheck was FAR better at listing when cars had passed through auctions. Maybe it’s just me, but if I’m buying a car, a two-owner car is very different than a two owner car that’s been through the mill of an auction. Or, in some cases, a car will have been through two or three auctions, yet is still a “one or two owner car” since the dealers aren’t owners. AutoCheck mentioned cars being offered at auction about 10x more often than Carfax. I never had either service flag a salvage that the other didn’t catch. (Total, maybe 150-200 cars searched.)
After having both, I’d be happy to only use AutoCheck in the future. Their “unlimited” service is significantly cheaper than Carfax – although AutoCheck does send very annoying messages after each 25 histories, asking if you’re really a dealer in disguise.
At the end of the day, no online automated car-history search will be flawless – and either AutoCheck or CarFax will help knock out some of the worst cars, but there’s nothing like taking a look yourself and having it inspected. Seems everyone wants to buy cheap cars online and think a Carfax (or AutoCheck) will make that safe and easy. Never gonna happen.
ALWAYS have a good mechanic who knows body work check out the car. Take digital photos in the sun; they will often reveal paint work so you can ask more questions.
We’ve had two different cars have bumpers replaced or painted after parking lot incidents. I take photos of the damage before and after the repair, print the photos, and put them in my folder for that car. If it comes up as an accident on a CarFax or other report, I have the photos to show how silly the accident was.
I’ve used both and my impression is virtually identical to Mekkons, though I didn’t notice that many more service related hits in Carfax. I no longer look at the Carfax, since the odd bit of dealership service doesn’t mean much without a description. The auction information, though is nice and useful – the delays from purchase at auction to a potential sale to me is good from a negotiation standpoint (I generally won’t bring up the amount of time a vehicle has been with a dealership, but I’m certainly concious of the fact that unsold inventory costs money to hold).
Fred D.
My Dad had a 99 F350 diesel that was bought back under the lemon law. A couple years later, when I had Carfax access, I ran that truck’s VIN for kicks. Guess what – perfectly clean.
Yep. Same thing with two cars I’ve had bought back under the lemon law. Both had perfect CarFax’ when I checked just for grins and giggles.
I look at these reports when I’m considering a car, but just because something’s not listed, I don’t assume it didn’t happen. As always, you have to have any pre-owned car you’re considering buying checked out thoroughly to make sure you don’t find any nasty surprises in a few months.
I have never found Carfax to be worth ANYTHING… If you get the report for free then you got what you paid for. In the past I have even run reports on cars that I know have “salvaged” titles and what not only to have them all come back clean.
If you are betting the farm on a clean CarFax report you are going to get burned…
In theory this should be a great service… But almost ZERO body-shops contribute, very few dealer, and even the DMV is hit and miss State by state…
CR is right about CarFax… it is a waste of money.
Ditto CamaroKid – I’ve bought two salvage title cars, both had perfectly clean Carfaxes.
When I buy a car, all I care about is what is the condition it is in RIGHT NOW. Actual service records are nice too. Who cares if it has had one owner or ten? Or sold privately or at auction? In the case of my Saab 9-5, I had picture evidence of the accident damage, and could see that it was repaired properly. It was a great car that I bought for 1/3 of normal retail for the year and low mileage. The salvage title BMW was a theft recovery, which was great as it had brand-new sport seats in it! Also bought stupid cheap.
I’ve used both and prefer AutoCheck. AutoCheck charges less and contains more pertinent useful information.
You still need to put an “eye” on the car because neither service will show any accident information if no police report is generated.
Having pulled dozens of AutoCheck reports in the last few weeks in my quest for a used SUV, I’ve identified 3 occurences where AutoCheck reported accident data that CarFax did not (when CarFax was provided gratis of seller). I didn’t encounter any vice-versa situations.
CarFax did however seem better at reporting some service records – especially on fleet vehicles.
But since AutoCheck costs considerably less than CarFax and provides all the crucial data desired (and in some cases more)… Experian has every right to beat their chest about it.
I don’t see how any of the services are capable of accurately reporting accidents if they get the info from sources such as state databases. For example, my state of CA has a law that says I have to report any accident with a damage result of over $500 or an injury to the DMV, however there is no enforcement. Hence, when my wife did $4500 of damage to the Jag a few years ago on the rear bumper of a delivery truck, we had the insurance pay the body shop and did not tell the DMV. Sure enough, a couple of years later, I decided to run the VIN through a buddy’s CarFax account and there was no report regarding the damage. Rear door was mangled as was the quarterpanel. Certainly something I’d prefer to know about if I was buying the car…
I recently assisted in the purchase of two late model used cars. Every car under serious consideration was checked against two Canadian sources, Car Proof and UCDA Auto Check.
In the case of a GM CPO the Car Proof report saved our ass. It revealed the car had been in two collisions. Certified used cars are guaranteed collision-free! Caught out, the dealer said he knew the former owner personally and the car had never been in an accident. It had been keyed twice, paint repairs accounting for the notation. Our mechanic’s under car inspection confirmed extensive collision repairs.
It sometimes takes six or more months for information to reach the reporting agency. Compare both history reports. If one missed something, the other may have it. Carefully examine the documentation to ensure all pages are present and apply to the car under consideration. Reputable dealers provide cost free reports, though they’ll grumble about supplying two. In that case let your feet do the talking.
Engage a competent mechanic or inspection agency to thoroughly examine the vehicle. Cost varies, but the range is $50 to $150. Dealers routinely erase diagnostic codes. Drive the car far enough for new codes, if any, to register. Specifically instruct the mechanic to report scanner codes, evidence of deferred maintenance, abuse, body or frame damage and misrepresentation. Delete the vehicle from consideration if the mechanic’s report contradicts any statements made by the seller.
I did one ck with AutoCheck and they did not report the odometer accurately so in the future the best judge of an auto is ME-Why should I PAY for some bogus info–If everyone wants to waste their money get a ck of the auto from anyone. I would rather pay a mechanic $30 for 5 min of his time including an inspection on a hoist. The only reason I used AutoCheck is the car I was interested in was made in Canada. Hardcase