1. Welcome to 4Runners.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all 4Runner discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other 4Runner owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Rental Companies Do Not Report Damage to Carfax. Buyer Beware.

Discussion in 'General 4Runner Talk' started by HotelMedicis, Jan 31, 2023.

  1. Jan 31, 2023 at 9:34 AM
    #1
    HotelMedicis

    HotelMedicis [OP] No Commercial Interests

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2022
    Member:
    #29434
    Messages:
    389
    I just wanted to share with you all that rental car companies such as Avis, Enterprise and Hertz are not under any obligation to report vehicle damage. In other words, collision damage to a rental car will not appear on a Carfax report. The vehicle may have been involved in a major collision but judging by the clean Carfax you would never know it. Buyer beware.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news...records-carfax-enterprise-adesa-auto-auction/

    https://www.moneysense.ca/columns/a...confirm-if-a-used-rental-has-been-in-a-crash/
     
  2. Jan 31, 2023 at 9:41 AM
    #2
    RumHamRunner73

    RumHamRunner73 Dead on with a zero

    Joined:
    Nov 24, 2022
    Member:
    #29771
    Messages:
    2,122
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Philip
    Oakboro, N.C
    Vehicle:
    2022 4 Runner Limited. Blizzard Pearl
    It is amazing, once looked into, How many different types of repairs are not reported to these agencies.

    Always get a independent review and do not rely solely on these services.
     
    HotelMedicis[OP] likes this.
  3. Jan 31, 2023 at 11:05 PM
    #3
    McSpazatron

    McSpazatron New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2021
    Member:
    #19810
    Messages:
    4,612
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2021 4runner OR
    Dobinson IMS Warn Bumper CaliRaised Sliders 285/70 K02s
    I have mixed feelings on these reporting companies like carfax. If I own a vehicle, and I fix something, it’s none of their business. Literally, they have no business with me! It bothers me in the same way credit reporting agencies bother me…private companies with way too much unchecked power to tell stories about individuals, or in this case private assets.

    If I sell a vehicle that’s had collision repair, has a broken transmission, burns a shit ton of oil etc, I sell it as-is and I would disclose it to the buyer, even if they didnt ask, because I dont want the headaches of somebody coming back to sue me. I also disclose because I hate the idea of somebody lying to me/hiding important faults just to sell me a car.

    I’m not sure if you are legally required to disclose if the buyer doesnt ask. But I know that if a buyer asks, and the seller lies, that’s prime law suit material. That’s why it’s so important to directly ask questions about damage or problems when buying used, and I’ll include that info (or tell them to include it) in a receipt documenting the transaction.

    I’ve never bought used from dealers, because dealers sell used cars as a commodity, and it’s against their interests to know too much about the cars they sell. If you asked if the car had damage history, they would just hand you a “clean” carfax so that you can come to your own conclusion based off what is implied by that carfax report. If pressed for an answer, what else could they say besides “I don’t know?”. Being that so many used cars sell for incredibly high prices at dealers, it just presents too much risk for me to buy a late model used vehicle, unless you are willing to spend your money to hire your own mechanic to inspect the vehicle thoroughly. That’s if the dealer even lets you…many would rather tell you they have another buyer to get rid of you if it comes to this.

    Im not sure what started this whole carfax thing…but it wouldnt surprise me if used car dealers invented the whole scheme in order to sell cars.
     
  4. Feb 1, 2023 at 1:05 AM
    #4
    steelevo

    steelevo Not so new anymore...

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2022
    Member:
    #29845
    Messages:
    1,887
    Utah
    Vehicle:
    2023 4Runner TRD Pro Solar Octane
    And no surprise to not buy a rental car. But, some people want to save a buck or two.
     
  5. Feb 1, 2023 at 1:44 AM
    #5
    HotelMedicis

    HotelMedicis [OP] No Commercial Interests

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2022
    Member:
    #29434
    Messages:
    389
    Credit Reports are bizarre. I lived 25 years in France and there are no credit ratings whatsoever. No credit reports, no silly numbers, no nothing. Then I come back here and everyone wants my social security number (I thought this was for retirement?) to get a credit report and run a background check! Totally wacko society.

    And house inspections prior to purchase? When did that start? Somebody's making money.

    Carfax, where did that come from anyway? No idea how that got started or when. You can't trust them, especially with rental cars.

    I smashed up my 19841/2 4Runner in 1985 and took it to a friend's Oldsmobile dealership and he fixed it. Nothing reported. I bet it has a clean Carfax! LOL
     
  6. Feb 1, 2023 at 2:27 AM
    #6
    Steely123

    Steely123 What's the new trend? I'll do it!

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2022
    Member:
    #27323
    Messages:
    2,549
    Gender:
    Male
    Georgetown, TX
    Vehicle:
    2018 4runner SR5 premium
    It's just someone at a company thought of something to sell snake oil with and the American public bought it hook line and sinker.

    Carfax is good to know about the title changing hands and to verify the title condition. But as said above, not everything is reported and used cars are just that..... Used. It's still up to you to take responsibility for whatever problems you're buying. Things like self done oil changes and repairs are not reported. And not all repair shops report to Carfax.

    Just like the BBB, people pay to be part of Carfax and listed there. And these are not free services to help the consumer. Same with auto pricing. That's why there's a NADA section for stealerships and one for consumers.
     
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2023
  7. Feb 1, 2023 at 9:21 AM
    #7
    BearBio

    BearBio New Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2021
    Member:
    #21264
    Messages:
    1,056
    First Name:
    Greg
    Vehicle:
    2019, Dark Blue SR5
    Roof rack, side bars
    Being "self-insured", I would be surprised if Federal agencies did.
     
  8. Feb 1, 2023 at 9:38 AM
    #8
    HotelMedicis

    HotelMedicis [OP] No Commercial Interests

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2022
    Member:
    #29434
    Messages:
    389
    Yeah, the French state is self insured. When Notre Dame Cathedral burned a few years ago everyone was shocked to learn that there was no insurance on it whatsoever. The French government just pays whatever damages occur to its buildings (and they own all churches and cathedrals built before 1905).
     
  9. Feb 1, 2023 at 10:31 AM
    #9
    McSpazatron

    McSpazatron New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2021
    Member:
    #19810
    Messages:
    4,612
    Gender:
    Male
    Vehicle:
    2021 4runner OR
    Dobinson IMS Warn Bumper CaliRaised Sliders 285/70 K02s
    France and the US colonies were fairly tight back during the American revolution. Seems our people and governments went different ways ideologically. Here, we got nothing to hide (“shut up and take my info”), while in France they seem to recognize and resist harmful concentrations of power (at least as reflected in their institutions). In many ways, the king still reigns in the US.

    I get the idea of credit reporting. If I’m lending to you, I’d like to know my level of risk. It would be convenient for me as a lender, and require me to do less work to weigh my risks. And it makes it a faster decision, so now I can make my living giving loans out, and I can pretty much weaponize who I give loans to, and for how much interest. It’s very convenient, and it makes me more money, what’s not to like?

    However, us people have a natural habit of generalizing, which often becomes a nasty habit of generalizing. So now we can maybe use credit scores to characterize a type of person, make judgements about their life paths, and simply avoid all sorts of business with “low scorers”. Including selling them houses or renting them apartments.

    Only somebody with a deep lack of imagination doesn’t understand how this can seriously f*ck more and more swaths of citizens each day, and how that impacts the health of the society we live in. These implications tend to come into sharper focus when you have your own children becoming adults.

    So now we can take the same concept to influence the price of somebody’s property. Great.

    I doubt France is perfect…after all they have mimes :p;). But one can honor a society that understands that tyranny will always result from unchecked power. Their society seem to have a a healthy hatred of that potential, from what I’ve seen.
     
    Steely123 likes this.

Products Discussed in

To Top