How to discover odometer fraud

Odometer rollback and used car market

Even though it's illegal, odometer fraud continues to be a serious issue. According to 2002 NHTSA estimate, more than 450,000 vehicles are sold each year in US with false odometer readings. I personally have seen a number of vehicles with rolled back odometers. Not too long ago I came across the truck with very low mileage, sold at a small used car lot. Closer inspection showed many indications of excessive use. The history report revealed that the truck came from another state and its previously recorded mileage was in fact higher.
Almost all modern cars come now with electronic digital odometers which was supposed to make the tampering with the mileage more difficult. It turns out however, that electronic odometers are even easier to roll back having a special software. So how can you actually find out if the odometer shows true reading or was it rolled back? Read on.

Check the car history records

Check the used car history report - even though it will not give you a 100% guarantee that the car is perfect, it's well worth the money spent. The car may turn out to be not even worth a look. A history report can help you to uncover not only the rolled back mileage, but the also potential problems car might have had in the past such as accidents, flood damage, rental use, etc.
Visit How to check used car history to learn more.

Check interior condition

Check the driver's seat, steering wheel, driver's door inner handle, power window control buttons and the pedals for excessive wear. It's especially easy to catch if you already have inspected few cars of the same model - if the previous vehicle you looked at had less wear inside but the mileage was higher then it's very possible that the one you're looking at has the odometer rolled back. Check the glowbox for any service receipts, check the maintenance book for service records. Check driver's door or the windshield for any oil change stickers.

Have a close look at the odometer

If the odometer is mechanical, try to look more closely at the digits. Are the digits straight? Are the odometer readings actually change when the car is driven? Try to look for scratches, fingerprints or any other signs of tampering under the plastic cover (glass). I've seen this number of times. If you see any, be suspicious.

Under the hood

Have a look under the hood. If the Airconditioning system has been serviced, there should be a paper record with date and mileage wrapped around some of the A/C lines.
If the timing belt has been replaced, there might be a sticker that states when and at what mileage the timing belt has been replaced (see the photo). Some time ago, I came across the 1998 Camry with 77,000 miles. I found the sticker stating that timing belt has been replaced three years ago, according to the date, and the mileage at that time was 72,000 miles. Is it possible that for three years a car was only driven for 5,000 miles? To make sure I checked the history report and sure enough, it confirmed that odometer was rolled back.

Check the tires

On an average passenger car, tires usually last from 35,000 to 50,000 miles (50,000 km - 80,000 km). For example, if you're checking a car with 25,000 miles (40,000 km) on the odometer, it's most likely supposed to have original tires with about 30-40% of tread material remaining. If you notice, that new tires are installed, be suspicious. Try to find the production date, stamped on the tires: each tire has a DOT mark, that confirms that the tire meets the US Department of Transportation tire safety standards. The last digits of the DOT number indicate the week and the year of production. For example, this tire on the image was produced on the 37-th week (August) of 2003.

Mechanical inspection

As a last step prior buying a used car, have a vehicle inspected by an experienced mechanic of your choice. Also, check our Illustrated used car checklist. We also offer a comprehensive step-by-step guide How to buy a used car.

by Vlad Samarin