My clean carfax is no longer clean. Carfax added historical data after my purchase

So much for Toyota's certification program & the dealer. I'd bring this up with Toyota but wouldn't expect any satisfaction. Why are you selling the car? Is it a base V?

 

It's a top of the line 5, called the V in 2010.

It's a hatchback, not a wagon.

 

You might need a lawyer to chime in on this one.

CPO is what could nail the Toyota dealer. If there is evidence that the Prius had been in an accident (that would have been clear on the visual inspection CPO requires), then their missing it is negligence, and their failure to inform (if they saw it) is fraud.

As far as Carfax goes, I don't use them...overpriced. InstaVIN does the same thing for a fraction of the cost and uses the same sources. If Carfax didn't have access to the data at the time the report was generated, that's not their fault. The databases they draw on are not always updated in a timely fashion, and I doubt there's any requirement for those record custodians to do so.

Lesson learned, DO NOT trust any VIN check to prove nothing is wrong with a used vehicle. It's a good starting point, but always have a trusted mechanic give the vehicle a good looking over.

[DISCLAIMER: NOT LEGAL ADVICE]

My 2 cents is to have a trustworthy mechanic look over your Prius to see if the damage reported is apparent by the condition of the car post-repair. If it is, I'd consider a small-claims court case against the dealer. There is no excuse for missing the work or concealing it as a "CPO" sale. You'd be seeking the loss in value to the car by this information being concealed.

However, if that same mechanic can't see any evidence of repair work having been done, I doubt you'll have squat against the dealer UNLESS you can find some proof that they knew of the damage via another means. Do see if you can locate WHO did the repair work. I find it suspect that the dealer doesn't want to talk to you, and since Toyota is often used to fix Toyotas, if they did the very repair job, you'll have them by the short hairs.

Good luck.

 

"Service records say rear bumper repainted"

Have you determined whether anything more than this was done?

 

How many miles? You got a CARB cert vehicle to 150k miles

 

Don't know what you do.
But that's interesting.
Didn't know Carfax could do that. -What good is their "guarantee" if they can simply add "historical data" that they evidently missed, later to cover their butts? Guess it would just be a race to for a consumer to discover the problem in the history BEFORE Carfax discovers it. But the whole idea of using Carfax is to supposedly be assured of a vehicles history.

That really is too bad, if you purchased the vehicle in great part because it was a certified pre-owned and paid the premium believing the Carfax was clean and the auto history clear.

If you could afford it, I might even talk to a (gasp) Lawyer. Don't know if you would have precedent or any viable grounds, but it is a crappy deal.

 

how does the dealer determine if a car is cpo? if it has had any accidents/bodywork, do they reject it? what if that info wasn't available to them either, are they responsible?

 

To me CPO essentially just means an extended warranty is thrown in with the purchase of the car. This usually means the car should be in good condition since any repairs necessary will have to be covered by Toyota, but not necessarily.

When I bought my Mustang CPO, two days after my purchase I pull up to a light and some girl starts screaming that my engine is smoking. I was only a mile from the dealership, so I drove it over there cautiously, and when I pull up to the service bay and the steam starting shooting out all over the place. Turned out it was the thermostat if I recall correctly, or at least that's what they told me. CPO warranty covered that one, otherwise it may have gone a different route.

 

"It's a top of the line 5, called the V in 2010.

It's a hatchback, not a wagon."

I know it can't be a v because they didn't exist in 2010.

Is it base V, a V-NAV or a V-AT? I'm just curious.

 

Bumpers may be repainted for minor cosmetic scratches, particularly if the car is otherwise immaculate. Is their any reason to believe that the car was in an accident that required repair work beyond dealing with minor scratches? Perhaps the dealer did it without expecting the Carfax implications. If so, a letter from them may be very reassuring to buyers.

 

My hatch was repainted at my request before delivery because a dealer's employee chipped the paint. Sometimes some things are really no big deal. I could have my rear bumper cover repainted to remove a few imperfections, some caused by heads of license plate screws.

Sounds like those potential customers need to stay on the new car lot.

 

I think you can just tell buyers the bumper was repainted, there's no evidence to suggest there was any accident. If the car has a clean title, a repainted bumper shouldn't decrease the valve.

The valves of used Prius cars will be lower than you expect, because the new cars are being discounted by $5000. That will not be favorable to used cars on the marketplace.

 

This is great advice. I bought a 2011 Golf in March that had a clean CarFax, but when a mechanic looked it over he was able to pretty quickly see that the right front fender had been replaced. That's a pretty pricey repair, but for whatever reason (probably was never reported by the car's owner) it didn't show up in the CarFax data.