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I recently worked on something for a client where he asked me to analyze a situation where he was rear ended, and wanted to avoid having the event disclosed on his CARFAX report for his expensive vehicle, because this would lower the value of the vehicle. In his case there was a police report taken, and insurance companies are involved.
If the accident is reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles (in California, the DMV), which if there is a police report it will be, it will end up as a disclosable event on CARFAX, so if there is a police report, you might as well just have the damage fixed right no way to do it under the table especially with insurance companies involved. As well nowadays a lot of car dealerships and auto repair shops disclose events including even maintenance and mechanical repairs to CARFAX as well.
Time was that you could get into an accident and avoid having it disclosed to CARFAX, but it is getting harder and harder to avoid that.
All incidents involving payouts from insurance companies will also appear as an incident on your car insurance "CLUE" sheet, but since you were rear ended this accident is not your fault and your rates will not be increased. You will want to hold on to whatever letter the insurance company gives you that finds you 0% at fault, because if you someday you change insurance companies, that letter will be your proof that you were not at fault - the CLUE sheet will not necessarily disclose who was at fault.
To summarize:
CARFAX and similar services such as AutoCheck, receive reports from all statewide departments of motor vehicles - end up in an accident that is reported to DMV and it will appear on your CARFAX vehicle record.
Almost all dealerships and many independent repair shops including many body shops report to CARFAX, including reporting even maintenance and mechanical repair work done. I believe that CARFAX pays these shops for each disclosure, or pays them some annual fee to report to them.
Basically, to avoid a CARFAX report, avoid any sort of insurance involvement, DMV involvement, police involvement - and have the work done at an independent facility that does not report to CARFAX or AutoCheck.
Note: insurance involvement does not guarantee CARFAX reporting - but if somehow the event gets reported to the DMV by or through your insurance company, it will end up on your CARFAX report. Usually when you get into an accident that is over a certain dollar amount of damage (in California, $500.), you are required to report the incident to the DMV and it will end up on your driving record. Failure to report the accident may result in action against your driving privileges, although I have personally neglected to mail in such report forms to the DMV and nothing has ever happened to me on incidents where the police were NOT involved.
If the accident is reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles (in California, the DMV), which if there is a police report it will be, it will end up as a disclosable event on CARFAX, so if there is a police report, you might as well just have the damage fixed right no way to do it under the table especially with insurance companies involved. As well nowadays a lot of car dealerships and auto repair shops disclose events including even maintenance and mechanical repairs to CARFAX as well.
Time was that you could get into an accident and avoid having it disclosed to CARFAX, but it is getting harder and harder to avoid that.
All incidents involving payouts from insurance companies will also appear as an incident on your car insurance "CLUE" sheet, but since you were rear ended this accident is not your fault and your rates will not be increased. You will want to hold on to whatever letter the insurance company gives you that finds you 0% at fault, because if you someday you change insurance companies, that letter will be your proof that you were not at fault - the CLUE sheet will not necessarily disclose who was at fault.
To summarize:
CARFAX and similar services such as AutoCheck, receive reports from all statewide departments of motor vehicles - end up in an accident that is reported to DMV and it will appear on your CARFAX vehicle record.
Almost all dealerships and many independent repair shops including many body shops report to CARFAX, including reporting even maintenance and mechanical repair work done. I believe that CARFAX pays these shops for each disclosure, or pays them some annual fee to report to them.
Basically, to avoid a CARFAX report, avoid any sort of insurance involvement, DMV involvement, police involvement - and have the work done at an independent facility that does not report to CARFAX or AutoCheck.
Note: insurance involvement does not guarantee CARFAX reporting - but if somehow the event gets reported to the DMV by or through your insurance company, it will end up on your CARFAX report. Usually when you get into an accident that is over a certain dollar amount of damage (in California, $500.), you are required to report the incident to the DMV and it will end up on your driving record. Failure to report the accident may result in action against your driving privileges, although I have personally neglected to mail in such report forms to the DMV and nothing has ever happened to me on incidents where the police were NOT involved.