Bonus Edition of a 3 Part Series: Buying and Selling Vehicles for the Enthusiast
BONUS EDITION: Carfax Report Example
Vehicle history reports.. what don’t they tell you?
In this BONUS EDITION, Buying and Selling Vehicles for the Enthusiast Brent shares an example of the pitfalls of relying solely on a vehicle history report.
In my last journal, What a Carfax Report Doesn't Tell You, we reviewed the pros and cons of vehicle history reports including their limitations in identifying vehicles that have been repainted. This week in our shop we had an unfortunate example of this.
We had a late model luxury sedan in to have the vehicle ceramic coated to protect the quality of the paint. The customer had done their due diligence and purchased a Carfax Vehicle History Report that showed no history of the vehicle being in an accident or having any work done at a body shop.
After our initial wash we started to notice several imperfections in the paint:
Nibs - typically dust that gets into the paint or clearcoat. We see these in almost all repaints (if not all) and even some from a factory paint job.
Sanding Marks - todays paintjobs consist of three layers: primer, paint, and clearcoat. When too course of a sandpaper is used on the paint or primer it leaves sanding marks under the clearcoat that cannot be removed with a full repaint of the panel.
Thinly Applied Clearcoat - clearcoat gets sprayed on after the panel is painted. If it is not thick enough it can start to chip off as we saw on this car in several places.
Solvent Pop - pinholes in the clearcoat from the paint not having enough time to dry before the clearcoat is applied.
After our final review, including a paint depth report, it was determined that more than half of the vehicle had been repainted. It isn’t uncommon to see a used vehicle that has had a panel or two repainted and even the best painters can leave the occasional nib in the paint. On this car though, every panel that had been repainted had multiple imperfections due to poor quality.
A quality detail shop that has experience with paint correction (addressing imperfections in vehicle paint) will be able to identify these issues and can help you make better buying decisions.
If you are an auto enthusiast and considering a new to you vehicle, get the CARFAX Report, but get a paint evaluation as well!
Up next in our three part series Buying and Selling Vehicles for the Enthusiast:
Part Two: Vehicle Valuation Tools for Classic and Future Classic Vehicles
Brent Mathieson is the CEO and Founder of Revive Auto Detailing, a detail shop in seacoast New Hampshire that in less than 5 years has grown from a 1 man, mobile detailing business to one of the largest detail shops in the region.