FAQ

CARFAX Canada provides available service records to give you an idea of how the vehicle was maintained, such as:

• engine checked
• wheels checked
• vehicle serviced
• maintenance inspection completed
• tires rotated
• oil and filter changed
• tire condition / pressure checked
• electrical system checked
• trim repaired

Please note that service records are not available for all VINs, therefore the service record details on your report may vary. CARFAX Canada does not alter any report data; we are unable to add or revise service records on vehicle history reports as they’re owned by individual service facilities.

If your service facility’s records are not appearing on your vehicle’s history report, and your facility is not currently reporting to CARFAX Canada, please contact them to invite them to begin sharing their data with CARFAX Canada so that your vehicle’s service history may be reflected in the future.

If you wish to easily record and keep track of your vehicle’s service history – including records from a service facility not reporting to CARFAX Canada and/or your own maintenance of the vehicle, you can do so for free through CARFAX Canada Car Care. For more information, please see: What is CARFAX Canada Car Care?

Independent source is an odometer reading that is manually entered by the owner on a listing site when they are trying to sell their vehicle.

The vehicle has been reported to have odometer problems such as, but not limited to:

• Discrepancies in the vehicle's odometer history
• An analog odometer display
• A non-functioning odometer display
• An odometer display that has been replaced
• Inconclusive diagnostic test results of the vehicle's computer readings
• Vehicle was/is title branded in the U.S. as "Not Actual Miles" and/or "Exceeds Mechanical Limits"

Before you buy a used car, we recommend that you get a CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report, take a thorough test drive and have the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic or auto technician to make sure the vehicle is functioning properly. We would also recommend speaking with your provincial vehicle registration authority to further ensure vehicle can be registered with and operated in your province.

The number of kilometers or miles a vehicle has traveled, as reported to CARFAX Canada, along with the unit of measure: 

KM = Kilometers 

MI = Miles 

*U = Unknown (reporting source was unable to confirm if odometer reading was in MI or KMs, or they did not report a unit of measure to us) 

It stands for “unknown,” meaning that someone didn't enter the units (miles or kms) for the odometer reading or was unable to confirm the unit of measure for the currently displayed odometer reading. 

This does not mean the true distance traveled is unknown or that the odometer may have been tampered with.

Before you buy a used car, we recommend that you get a CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report, take a thorough test drive and have the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic and/or auto technician to make sure the vehicle is functioning properly.

Our commitment is to provide the most comprehensive vehicle history report in the country so Canadians can make better decisions about buying and selling vehicles. To support this, we have access to billions of data records from thousands of trusted sources across North America including Canadian and U.S. motor vehicle agencies, insurance agencies, collision repair facilities, auto auctions, police departments and more.

While we are the most comprehensive vehicle history reporting service in Canada, a report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX Canada by participating data sources.

We obtain odometer readings from many different verifiable sources such as service facilities, listing sites, estimate facilities and auctions. If there aren’t any odometer readings available from these sources, then this section is left blank on the report.

If there are no odometer readings on the report, we recommend you ask the seller to provide you service history or work orders so that you can confirm the true mileage on the vehicle. 

Before you buy a used car, we recommend that you get a CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report, take a thorough test drive and have the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic and/or auto technician to make sure the vehicle is functioning properly.

Our commitment is to provide the most comprehensive vehicle history report in the country so Canadians can make better decisions about buying and selling vehicles. To support this, we have access to billions of data records from thousands of trusted sources across North America including Canadian and U.S. motor vehicle agencies, insurance agencies, collision repair facilities, auto auctions, police departments and more.

While we are the most comprehensive vehicle history reporting service in Canada, a report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX Canada by participating data sources.

Please note that service records are not available for all VINs, therefore the service record history for each vehicle may vary. CARFAX Canada does not alter any report data; we are unable to add or revise service records on vehicle history reports as they’re owned by individual service facilities.

If a service facility’s records are not appearing on your vehicle’s history report, and your facility is not currently reporting to CARFAX Canada, please contact them to invite them to begin sharing their data with CARFAX Canada so that your vehicle’s service history may be reflected in the future.

If you wish to easily record and keep track of your vehicle’s service history – including records from a service facility not reporting to CARFAX Canada and/or your own maintenance of the vehicle, you can do so for free through CARFAX Canada Car Care.

For more information, please see: What is CARFAX Canada Car Care?

If the vehicle wasn't serviced at a facility that we receive data from, we recommend you ask the seller of the vehicle to provide you with service records to verify work that has been done.

Before you buy a used car, we recommend that you get a CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report, take a thorough test drive and have the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic and/or auto technician to make sure the vehicle is functioning properly.

Some service facilities agree to have their names listed on the report, while others do not.

We recommend you ask the seller of the vehicle to provide you with service records to verify work that has been done and/or to have vehicle mechanically inspected.

Please note we are unable to obtain or disclose the name of these facilities.

Our commitment is to provide the most comprehensive vehicle history report in the country so Canadians can make better decisions about buying and selling vehicles. To support this, we have access to billions of data records from thousands of trusted sources across North America including Canadian and U.S. motor vehicle agencies, insurance agencies, collision repair facilities, auto auctions, police departments and more.

While we are the most comprehensive vehicle history reporting service in Canada, a report is based only on information supplied to CARFAX Canada by participating data sources. The level of detail provided in your report will vary as it is dependent on the service records that each service facility shares.

Please note, we are unable to obtain additional information regarding the services completed.

We recommend you ask the seller of the vehicle to provide you with service records to verify work that has been done.

Before you buy a used car, we recommend that you get a CARFAX Canada Vehicle History Report, take a thorough test drive and have the vehicle inspected by a qualified mechanic and/or auto technician to make sure the vehicle is functioning properly.