'That's How I Found Out:' Mechanic Shares 2-Second Hack to Check if a Car Was Wrecked. Does It Work?

A Utah mechanic's simple tip for checking if a used car has been in a major accident has gone viral, garnering over 474,200 views since it was posted in August.

The discovery that prompted his advice reveals a shocking case of what appears to be automotive fraud that left one customer facing a $50,000 mistake.

Dave from Dave's Auto Shop (@davesautocenter) in Centerville, Utah shared his tip after inspecting a GMC pickup truck that had supposedly only suffered limited front-end damage according to its Carfax report. What he found when he dug deeper tells a very different story about the limitations of vehicle history reports and the lengths some may go to hide a vehicle's true past.

"If you've got a VIN number, and you should have a VIN number if you're buying a car, the VIN number in the window or in the door, put it in Google," Dave explains in the 1-minute, 50-second video. "Just put the VIN in Google, and if the car's ever been in a wreck or totaled, you'll get pictures. That's how I got the pictures. That's how I found out that this thing wasn't just tapped in the right front like the Carfax report reports."

The Shocking Discovery

The difference between what Carfax reported and what Dave found online was stark. While the vehicle history report indicated only front-right damage, the images he discovered showed a truck that was completely destroyed.

"This thing looks like it rolled down a mountain up in Alaska somewhere," Dave says, describing the extent of the damage shown in the online photos he found using the VIN search.

The before photos, which Dave displays in his video, show a GMC pickup truck that appears completely totaled, with the entire front end caved in and no intact panels visible. The level of destruction was so severe that many viewers questioned whether the vehicle could have been repaired at all.

Dave performed a used car inspection for the customer and discovered the truck had indeed been extensively rebuilt. Despite the major reconstruction, he was able to perform an alignment that improved the vehicle's drivability.

"We did the used car inspection, showed him everything that's wrong with it, spoke to him, gave him consulting about it," Dave explains. "I told him he had to go to the consumer, the Division of Consumer Protection, to see if he could get his money back."

The VIN Swap Controversy

The video sparked intense debate among viewers, with many self-described automotive professionals suggesting the truck was the result of a VIN swap rather than an extensive repair.

VIN (vehicle identification number) swapping is a serious federal crime that involves taking the VIN from a legitimate vehicle and applying it to a different vehicle, often to hide the true history of a severely damaged or stolen car. Under federal law, knowingly removing, obliterating, tampering with, or altering a VIN carries penalties of up to five years in prison.

"VIN swapped. There's absolutely no one that would have repaired that," commented Slusser_c10, receiving over 1,300 likes for the observation.

Joey echoed this sentiment: "100,000% a vin swap. There's no way someone fixed that."

The theory gained traction as multiple commenters claiming automotive industry experience weighed in. Keith suggested a common scenario, writing, "No paperwork for whatever they had, so they bought a most likely cheap totaled out auction vehicle to swap the VIN numbers that they then had paperwork for. Probably pocketed 40k."

However, some viewers with body shop experience pushed back against the VIN swap theory. Wannabe Outlaw claimed to have worked on similar rebuilds. "We used to fix trucks like this all the time," they wrote, sharing photos of before and after repairs from salvage yard work.

How the Google VIN Search Works

Dave's tip leverages the fact that many auction sites and insurance companies post photos of damaged vehicles online with their VIN numbers visible in the images. When these images are indexed by search engines like Google, they become discoverable through a simple VIN search. Major salvage auction companies like Copart and IAAI maintain extensive photo archives of vehicles that have been totaled, and these images often remain accessible online even after the vehicles are sold and potentially rebuilt.

Several commenters confirmed the effectiveness of this method. "I always Google the VIN… you'd be surprised what you find out about the vehicle…great advice," wrote Morphe.

Chaz Cave shared his own success story: "Took the vin and looked it up and it will show you the salvage lot if it was there and you'll see everything you need to know. My friend was thinking about buying a car but didn't know how the damage was and it was messed up pretty bad."

However, the method isn't foolproof. Manny2496 noted a potential issue: "Sometimes the VIN you Google is a similar car not the exact one. I deal with this all the time."

The Limitations of Carfax

The case highlights significant limitations in vehicle history reporting services. Carfax acknowledges that not every accident or damage event is reported to its database, and the company explicitly states that reports should be used alongside pre-purchase inspections. Several commenters shared their own experiences with Carfax gaps.

"Carfax doesn't always tell you about damage," noted BabbRVRentals. "I looked at a vehicle at a chain dealership. The passenger side had waves in both doors. Salesman said the Carfax was clean."

User7162376837367 reported an even more disturbing scenario: "I bought a truck with a clean Carfax; 3 years later it was updated with a significant rollover accident."

Mike Munsch315 explained one reason for these gaps, writing, "Unfortunately, mechanics are [not] required to report repairs to Carfax."

Carfax relies primarily on information from state agencies, insurance companies, and participating repair shops. If an accident isn't reported to police or insurance, or if repairs are done at non-participating facilities, that information typically won't appear in a Carfax report.

Legal Protections and Recourse

Some commenters pointed out potential remedies available to buyers who discover undisclosed damage. Carfax does offer a buyback guarantee, though it covers a much more limited scope than many buyers realize.

"Carfax guarantees the car or truck title against a salvage title's clean title so he needs to contact Carfax!" suggested Erin Geaux Bragh.

Bigdog Jefe' Bailey added, "Carfax needs to be involved, they guarantee buyback if other damages are found and not listed."

However, these protections come with significant limitations. The Carfax Buyback Guarantee specifically covers only DMV-issued title brands such as salvage, junk, rebuilt, fire, flood, hail, lemon/manufacturer buyback, not actual mileage, or exceeds mechanical limits that were reported to a DMV at least 60 days before the Carfax report date but not disclosed in the report. The guarantee does not cover unreported accidents or damage that was repaired without going through insurance or creating a title brand. Claims must be submitted within one year of the report date.

Professional Inspection Recommendations

The incident reinforces the importance of professional pre-purchase inspections, especially for vehicles with salvage titles. Dave emphasizes this point throughout his video.

"This is a perfect example of why you never, ever, never, never, ever buy a used car, and especially when it's a salvaged title, without having a good qualified mechanic look at it," he states.

Several industry professionals in the comments echoed this advice. Sarah Jane, who says she worked as a painter in the auto body industry, said, "What I have seen would blow your mind. Where one car was wrecked in the front and the other wrecked in the back cut in half and put together. Sometimes the title is salvage. Always have your used cars inspected by a competent mechanic."

Dave also promotes his own resources for buyers who want to perform their own inspections: "You can do 90% of these used car inspections yourself if you have the knowledge you need to do it. And I've got that in a book and a video series that I have."

The $50,000 Lesson

Despite the discovery of the vehicle's extensive damage history, the customer's options appeared limited. According to Dave, the dealership that sold the truck "told him to go pound sand" when approached about the issue.

"I'm not making this up. This was a $50,000 mistake," Dave concludes, referring to the customer's situation.

Motor1 attempted to reach Dave's Auto Shop via email. We'll be sure to update this if they respond.