CARFAX names transmission replacement in its service history, but only swaps logged by a reporting shop show up. What the invoice must say, how case stamps reveal a swap, and why CVT warranty extensions matter.
CARFAX has no windshield line, so most glass swaps never show. When a replacement can reach the report, why camera recalibration matters more than the glass, and how to read the date stamp to spot new glass yourself.
CARFAX has no modifications section, so lifts, tunes, exhausts, and diesel deletes rarely show. Where mods can leak onto a report, why emissions mods can block registration, and how to find a build the report never saw.
CARFAX shows paint work only when it was tied to a reported claim, crash, or shop record. Cash repaints and dealer touch-ups often leave no trace. What state color-change rules say, and how to check paint with a gauge, magnet, and daylight.
CARFAX shows an engine replacement only if a reporting dealer or shop logged it as a service record. Titles carry no engine brand and private swaps rarely appear. Why mileage never resets, what VIN and smog rules say, and how to verify a swap.
There's no fixed delay. An accident reaches a CARFAX report only after a police, insurance, repair, title, or auction record arrives, which can take days, months, or never happen. How each source moves and how to protect yourself before you buy.
CARFAX and AutoCheck reports show how many owners a car had, where, and for how long, but never names. Why federal privacy law hides them, and the legal ways to find a past owner.
Found an accident on CARFAX after buying from a dealer who never mentioned it. How to check the dates, prove what the dealer knew, read your state's disclosure rules, and push for a fix.
A "no records found" VIN check means the database had nothing on file for that VIN. How to tell a typo, a coverage gap, reporting lag, or a fake VIN apart before you pay.
Sales tax on a used car depends on who sold it, where you register it, and whether you traded something in. Here's how dealer vs private-party tax works, which states shrink the trade-in credit, what no-sales-tax states still charge, and how Texas, Virginia, Delaware, and North Carolina check a lowball bill of sale.
