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Carfax have established themselves as leaders in vehicle verification before purchase and this means that many skeptic buyers want to benefit from their services before making an investment. Are they trustworthy? What do they offer for those who want to buy a used motorcycle?
Can You Use Carfax For Motorcycles?
Carfax can be used only on certain motorcycles, and their database does not cover all VIN numbers. They clearly state on their website that they do not specialize in anything else but for cars and light trucks after the 17-character standardization of the VIN number.
The fact that some people successfully used Carfax (here) to obtain information about a motorcycle has created a bit of a problem because they told others that this service works for bikes too. The truth is that it only works sometimes because they don’t have access to all the records.
In turn, legitimate sellers found themselves turned down because the VIN of their motorcycle was not in the Carfax database and buyers deemed them not thrust worthy. It is a loop of mistrust that helps no one.
Buying a used motorcycle? Try not to go alone and always take someone with you even if they are not a mechanic. They may see problems that you don’t and ask basic questions you may not be thinking of.
What information does Carfax give about vehicles?
When buying a report from Carfax they offer the following information:
- Number of previous owners;
- All previous odometer readings;
- Road worthiness as in if it was damaged or if was a lemon;
- Accidents, Airbag deploying, total losses and odometer inconsistency;
- If there is a lien on it;
Even if this sounds like it could be a deal saver, the truth is that they may not have all that information and that some sections might be marked with “Unavailable information”. But the report can also be extremely detailed and it can sometimes even tell you when the last oil change happened.
What information does Carfax give about vehicles?
When buying a report from Carfax they offer the following information:
- Number of previous owners;
- All previous odometer readings;
- Roadworthiness as in if it was damaged or if was a lemon;
- Accidents, Airbag deploying, total losses and odometer inconsistency;
- If there is a lien on it;
Even if this sounds like it could be a deal saver, the truth is that they may not have all that information and that some sections might be marked with “Unavailable information”. But the report can also be extremely detailed and it can sometimes even tell you when the last oil change happened.
It sounds too good to be true, how much does it cost?
Well… if it sounds too good to be true…you know.
Carfax, has three types of packages.
- 1 report at $39.99
- 3 reports at $59.99
- 6 reports at 99.99
The problem is that some of the motorcycles that you are going to check might not be verifiable by them, and if you choose the 3 or 6 reports package you will enter that loop that we discussed earlier.
Ensuring that the motorcycle has a clean VIN is important. Most states require a VIN inspection if you are registering the motorcycle for the first time from out of state.
What About Motorcycles? Are There Alternatives to Carfax?
Yes, there are other agencies that can verify the history of a motorcycle. You can find two of them here and here.
Even if it’s good to know that there are services dedicated to motorcycles, it’s important to know that they too are limited to the 17 digits VIN, which came into use in 1981. So, there is no record previous to that year.
There is a trick you can use if you are suspicious about the seller. You can contact your insurance broker with the registration plate, and they might be able to give you some information about the motorcycle.
This is more likely to happen if you have a history with that broker (a good history, calling them names over the phone pretty much reduces your chances to 0), and the information available is limited to the claims that the vehicle had.
What is the disadvantage of using Carfax or Carfax alternatives?
The illusion of safety is the biggest disadvantage.
It is almost impossible to verify the entire history of a motorcycle. You probably want to know exactly what you are buying, and that is a legitimate request, but we both know that things don’t work like this in our world.
Even if a bike never had an accident, it may have been misused horribly, and you might end up having to perform serious repairs on it.
Motorcycles are much smaller than a car, meaning that they can easily be carried to a garage after an accident. There, the owner can repair it DIY style or with the help of an unauthorized mechanic.
Even if this could not be such a bad idea, if the chassis is damaged, safety can be seriously compromised.
If the accident wasn’t reported, and the motorcycle wasn’t repaired in a service, there will be no record of the accident or the repair, but there would be clues, which brings us to the next part of this article.
How else can you check the history of a motorcycle?
The history of serious fraud, like theft or if the motorcycle was salvaged can be found for free at the National Insurance Crime Bureau. You can find them here and you will need the VIN number.
The rest of the issues that a motorbike has will have to be discussed with two people:
- A very good mechanic;
- A very good IT guy.
In all fairness, those could be just one guy, but from my experience good mechanics who have an eye to spot faulty welding and different paint shades, don’t usually know much about hidden error codes and mileage that has been tampered with.
If you know someone who is brilliant at both, do share, we all need him in our lives.
The mechanic should check:
- The integrity of the chassis. It is very important that the mechanic is well familiarized with that particular model, as he needs to know exactly how the factory welding looks;
- Clutch – Squeeze the clutch and release slow. Is it smooth? Does the bike roll with little to no resistance in first gear?
- Make sure that you will allow the engine time to cool before the mechanic takes a look at it;
- The place where plastic meets metal, as there could be signs of it being tempered with;
- The cold start (this could be difficult in warm weather);
- The exhaust pipe and header, as this can show signs of rust that has eaten it in some places;
The IT guy has to connect to the ECU (or ECM) and check for errors, and for errors that have been erased. That, if the bike has an ECU, if it doesn’t, I envy you.
Keep this in mind;
The older the motorcycle, the less likely it may have the electronics need to run a diagnostic.
In Conclusion
As you can see, in the end, it all comes down to the people. Getting to know the seller, having a good mechanic and ultimately what your gut feeling about the motorcycle is.
So, can you use Carfax for motorcycles? Maybe, but the other options might just be better.
