11 ways to find out if the mileage on a car is incorrect
It was a good thing in the old days that people did not face the question “How to find out if the mileage is twisted” when the buyer was faced with the question of purchasing a particular vehicle. I woke up early in the morning to go to the fair, walked through the rows, looked in the teeth and began bidding for the stallion I liked. And after the long-awaited purchase, there is no shame in returning home. If anyone doesn’t understand why they should look at their teeth, I’ll explain: teeth have always been a reliable indicator of age. No matter how good a horse looked based on its external characteristics, it was its teeth that always gave away its age.
How to find out and understand whether the mileage on a car is twisted
A car's high mileage can be determined by indirect signs:
- worn pedals;
- scratched sills;
- a worn steering wheel will allow you to visually determine whether the mileage on the car is twisted;
- worn-out gear knob;
- worn armrest;
- interior and all its elements, for example, leather seats;
- Another sign that will help you understand that the car has a bad mileage is rust at the outlet of the muffler. Although the car can be operated in different temperatures and pay attention to it last.
- Twisting can also be determined if it is clear that the instrument panel has been removed - scratches or mechanical damage.
What are we seeing these days?
Upon arrival at the nearest car dealership that sells used cars, you can see a unique beauty: all the cars, as if selected, are clean, mirror-like and ready to meet their new owner. And where, and most importantly, who to look in the mouth? Unfortunately, not everything is so simple in our life. Otherwise, I could, with a great degree of confidence, rely on the speedometer readings, which actually show how far our horse has traveled, and not think about how to check whether the mileage is twisted. But, in our time, they have learned to fake horse teeth, let alone iron horses.
Want to check it out? Hurry up to place an advertisement for the sale of your car, and you will immediately be bombarded with calls with offers to reduce the mileage of your car for a certain price. How do you like this? So, it's time to move on to the main topic of our conversation. The so-called corrective actions regarding the mileage of a car are taken through special intervention using a specialized tool or existing equipment in the vehicle components. This is done in order to change the readings of the on-board computer or instrument board in the direction you need.
Not so long ago, when speedometers were mechanical and, accordingly, correction methods were applied to them. During the whole process, the speedometer assembly itself was disassembled and the required numbers were manually set or operated using an electric drill. The chuck of an electric drill was carefully placed on the cable of the device, after which the required mileage was screwed on. Today, most automobile components have become electronic, i.e., mileage is adjusted electronically. It happens like this: specialized equipment is connected to the car’s diagnostic connector and new numbers are flashed. Just five minutes of work and your car can, with extraordinary ease for its owner, transform from a pensioner with considerable experience into a middle-aged man who travels only on weekends. What should you do and what should you do to avoid being deceived?
How to find out if the mileage is twisted
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It was a good thing in the old days that people did not face the question “How to find out if the mileage is twisted” when the buyer was faced with the question of purchasing a particular vehicle.
I woke up early in the morning to go to the fair, walked through the rows, looked in the teeth and began bidding for the stallion I liked. And after the long-awaited purchase, there is no shame in returning home. If anyone doesn’t understand why they should look at their teeth, I’ll explain: teeth have always been a reliable indicator of age.
No matter how good a horse looked based on its external characteristics, it was its teeth that always gave away its age.
What are we seeing these days?
Upon arrival at the nearest car dealership that sells used cars, you can see a unique beauty: all the cars, as if selected, are clean, mirror-like and ready to meet their new owner. And where, and most importantly, who to look in the mouth? Unfortunately, not everything is so simple in our life.
Otherwise, I could, with a great degree of confidence, rely on the speedometer readings, which actually show how far our horse has traveled, and not think about how to check whether the mileage is twisted. But, in our time, they have learned to fake horse teeth, let alone iron horses.
Want to check it out? Hurry up to place an advertisement for the sale of your car, and you will immediately be bombarded with calls with offers to reduce the mileage of your car for a certain price. How do you like this?
So, it's time to move on to the main topic of our conversation. The so-called corrective actions regarding the mileage of a car are taken through special intervention using a specialized tool or existing equipment in the vehicle components. This is done in order to change the readings of the on-board computer or instrument board in the direction you need.
Not so long ago, when speedometers were mechanical and, accordingly, correction methods were applied to them. During the whole process, the speedometer assembly itself was disassembled and the required numbers were manually set or operated using an electric drill. The chuck of an electric drill was carefully placed on the cable of the device, after which the required mileage was screwed on. Today, most automotive components have become electronic, i.e.
and the mileage is adjusted electronically. It happens like this: specialized equipment is connected to the car’s diagnostic connector and new numbers are flashed. Just five minutes of work and your car can, with extraordinary ease for its owner, transform from a pensioner with considerable experience into a middle-aged man who travels only on weekends.
What should you do and what should you do to avoid being deceived?
An application for smartphones and tablets that detects tampering with the odometer.
The problem of mileage creep in used cars is known all over the world. Moreover, despite the fact that in a number of developed Western countries there is criminal liability for inflating mileage, this does not stop attackers from adjusting mileage. In our country, there is no liability at all for mileage inaccuracy. You can imagine how many cars are sold in Russia after the odometer has been adjusted.
But why is mileage tracking the most popular service all over the world? The thing is that adding up the mileage of a car allows you to get significantly more money when selling it. You understand that the lower the mileage of the car, the greater its potential resource. Also, the prevalence of adjusting the odometer reading is facilitated by the rather simple procedure of twisting the mileage from the speedometer. Today, most modern cars have a digital odometer that tracks the mileage.
In old cars, let us remember, they used predominantly analog mechanical mileage counters, which, in order to be corrected, had to be actually twisted using a special mechanism in the opposite direction. In modern cars, everything is much simpler. Mileage is usually adjusted using equipment specially connected to the car's computer. By connecting a special wire through the OBD II connector to a computer or tablet on which a special program is installed, attackers gain access to the car’s computer memory section where the car’s mileage is stored.
Having gained access to this memory section, you just need to erase the old mileage indicator and set the value that is necessary. In principle, this is the whole process of rolling up the mileage, which is most often resorted to by many car owners and resellers.
As a result, according to many studies, in the world currently one third of used cars on the secondary market are sold with reduced mileage.
So when you buy a used car from the market, be extremely careful not to buy a car with high mileage that has been totaled. Moreover, the mileage can be twisted more than once. For example, several times the mileage could be reduced by several owners of the car.
We know that there are many ways to determine whether a car's mileage matches its appearance. It’s no secret that if a car has a lot of mileage, then by external signs the car should also show a lot of mileage. But, alas, there is no absolute protection against such manipulations with the odometer, since some cunning sellers not only cheat the mileage of the car, but also carry out thorough pre-sale preparation to give the car an appearance that would correspond to the mileage set after the adjustment.
For example, if the car has high mileage, then most likely this will also show the condition of the clutch, brake and gas pedals. There should also be some wear on the steering wheel and gear knob. Including, the more mileage a car has, the more chips there will be on the hood, radiator grille and front bumper. In addition, in cars with high mileage, the headlights become cloudy. But all these signs can be easily removed with the help of pre-sale preparation of the car. As a result, it is not so easy for an ordinary person to find out whether a car’s mileage is incorrect.
Is the mileage twisted, how to find out? — Is it possible to reduce the mileage?
Every third report from the Autocode service shows that the car’s mileage is incorrect. On average, each car travels about 20 thousand km per year. However, on sale you can find many 5-7 year old vehicles with mileage of 50-60 thousand km, or even less. Owners of such cars may claim that they only used the car “on major holidays.” But, most likely, the actual mileage is much higher than that indicated on the dashboard. Let's figure out what methods fraudsters use and how to determine the twisted mileage.
Why do they twist the mileage?
Most often, the odometer readings are changed in order to sell the car at a higher price. However, there are a number of other reasons why sellers resort to this procedure. Twisting of readings may be caused by the need to:
You may be faced with the fact that the mileage of used cars imported into Russia from those countries where the amount of transport tax is calculated depending on the kilometers traveled by the car over a certain period of time is increased.
For example, such a system has been in operation for several years in the Netherlands, where a car’s mileage is tracked using GPS. In some US states, car owners have to pay $0.012 per mile.
By the way, under American law, mileage abuse is a criminal offense. Serious liability for such actions is provided for in Germany and France (up to 1 year and up to 2 years of imprisonment, respectively). Russian legislation does not provide for punishment for mileage inaccuracy.
Ways to twist mileage
Fraudsters have several techniques in their arsenal to deceive gullible customers. The choice of one method or another primarily depends on the type of device installed on the machine, which is responsible for calculating the distance traveled.
Here it is necessary to clarify and talk about the fact that many inexperienced car owners mistakenly associate the increase in mileage with adjusting the speedometer readings. In fact, it shows the speed of movement, and the number of kilometers traveled by the vehicle is recorded by another device - odometer .
The device works in close connection with the speedometer. And the panels that display the readings of these two devices are usually located next to each other. Apparently this is where some confusion in concepts arose. In order not to confuse the reader even more, we agree that the use of both definitions is acceptable.
A car can be equipped with one of three types of odometers:
- mechanical;
- electromechanical;
- electronic.
Mechanical and electromechanical devices were used in the automotive industry until the end of the last century. They are distinguished by a rather primitive device: the speed of the gearbox gearbox is transmitted through a special cable to a meter, the readings of which are displayed on the dashboard. It is easiest to check the mileage of such a device.
Method number 1. The odometer is disassembled, and the necessary readings are set on the meter manually.
Method number 2. To implement it, you will need to disassemble the dashboard and attach any power tool with high rotation speed (screwdriver, drill, etc.) to the speedometer cable using a special attachment. After this, the readings are twisted to the desired value. Of course, this can be done manually, but using a power tool speeds up the process many times over.
How do you check your car's mileage using the Carly app?
Checking your car with the Carly app only takes half a minute. So, even before concluding a car purchase and sale transaction, you can easily independently check on the spot the veracity of the odometer reading. Here's how it works:
Step 1: The Bluetooth adapter that is sold with the Carly app connects to your vehicle's OBD II port. In most cars this connector is located in the steering column or at the bottom of the dashboard. On some vehicles, the diagnostic connector is located in or under the glove compartment. In some cars, access to connect to the engine control unit is located in the engine compartment. If you don't know where the OBD II connector is located in your car, check your car's manual.
Step 2: The Carly program wirelessly connects to the Bluetooth adapter that you installed in the OBD II port. With just a few clicks on your smartphone or tablet, you can launch the used car mileage check feature.
Step 3: Reading the data only takes about 20-30 seconds.
Step 4: If the car's mileage has been previously adjusted in a simple way, the Carly app will alert you by showing an exclamation mark on the screen.
How accurately does the app detect mileage fraud?
Even your smartphone can become a serious diagnostic equipment for checking a car not only for malfunctions, but also for checking whether the mileage is incorrect.
It depends on how professionally the mileage on the car's odometer was adjusted. If an expensive manipulation was carried out, as part of which many car blocks containing the original mileage were replaced, then, of course, such an application will not be able to detect mileage falsification. But don’t worry, such mileage adjustments are very rare, because they are very expensive, because in order to cover up the tracks with the original mileage, you need to change many expensive electronic components in the car.
How to find out if a car's mileage is incorrect?
It’s clear that buying a car with a huge mileage is tantamount to buying an elderly horse that is unlikely to pull a heavy load, and if it does, it won’t be for long. Nobody wants to buy a beat-up car that's been driven through hills and dales for countless hours. This does not make any mechanism stronger or better; any iron, even the strongest and most powerful motor, will sooner or later become unusable.
When buying a used car, the question is always asked: “what actually made its owner offer it for sale?” And here the task is to find out: were the readings on the odometer changed? As many people know, within 12 months a car travels on average about twenty-five thousand kilometers. This, of course, does not update the mechanism and leads to various types of breakdown and wear of certain parts that carry the heaviest load. Buying a car with enormous mileage is like throwing money away, because repairing it can cost a large sum. And this is not at all profitable.
To sell a car, many car owners resort to a well-known trick, twisting the data on the odometer, and thereby deceiving buyers. In order not to feel like a victim of scammers, it is better to take care of revealing such a secret in advance. The easiest way to adjust the data is on a mechanical odometer.
It is important to know that the process of removing the speedometer cable is very simple. For this purpose, unscrew the nut on the bottom. A few movements of the drill and the deceivers set the required numbers on the odometer. And if you have patience and delve into the dashboard, you will be able to trick buyers manually by setting the required numbers.
When it comes to electronic odometer samples, crafty people have to show special talents to achieve the desired results. If you can get to the computer's memory, the seller will have a whole field for imagination. True, in this case you will need to find the board responsible for the readings on the device. The necessary numbers are set using electricity.
Rebooting the on-board computer is possible using special programs offered by hackers. And if the deceiving car owner has enough experience and ability to install a clever microcircuit, he will be able to reset the data with one click on a button.
Usually, any service center can easily find out whether a data change has occurred. You can independently draw certain conclusions if you evaluate the condition and appearance of the car, comparing the general impression with the data on the odometer. With low mileage, the driver's seat, interior and pedals will not be shabby. If there is a hint on the instrument panel that it has been opened, it is better not to buy such a car. Some electronic models give their owner away by the presence of asterisks. In the case where there was an autopsy or intervention, such stars will appear and will not disappear.
What else can the application do?
The Carly application is not a special program specifically for checking car mileage. In fact, the mileage adjustment check function is implemented within the diagnostic application, with which you can diagnose vehicle problems. Using the application, you can also see various engine parameters (including temperature and pressure).
What cars can be checked using the Carly app?
If the application finds a discrepancy between the mileage on the odometer and the recorded mileage in various electronic components, a warning exclamation mark will appear on the screen.
The Carly app is currently available for BMW, Mercedes, VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Renault, Porsche and Toyota.
But the mileage verification feature is currently only available for BMW (also Mini), VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat and Mercedes cars.
How much does the Carly app cost along with the adapter?
The average cost of an original Bluetooth adapter and Carly program in Germany ranges from 45-50 euros. You can also order an adapter in Germany. You can also buy it in our market. However, we draw your attention to the fact that there is a lot of Chinese junk on our market, among which, as a rule, non-original adapters are sold. Attention! The Carly program may not work correctly with these Chinese adapters.
Why is it so difficult to reverse the mileage completely?
Modern cars contain many small computers that control various equipment. For example, a separate electronic unit has a gearbox and even climate control. In many modern cars, the original mileage is recorded in these blocks.
In most cases, in order to increase mileage, many turn to specialists, who usually correct only the odometer readings. As a result, real mileage data is stored in many other units of the car.
You can download applications for smartphones and tablets running on the Android system | here |
You can download the application for iPhone smartphones | here |
Most car enthusiasts prefer to buy cars on the secondary market. This way you can save a lot and buy a decent car for little money. But this is not always possible. Trying to inflate the price, unscrupulous sellers deliberately inflate the mileage of the car. You need to know how to identify it visually and using technology. In the article we will look at how to check the mileage of a car (wound or not) and what nuances you should pay attention to.
How to find out if the mileage on a car with an electronic odometer is wrong
To establish the fact of fraud, you will need to conduct computer diagnostics. If you have the appropriate software, equipment and knowledge, you can check the car for twisted mileage yourself. But it is better to contact a trustworthy service center.
The ideas of many car enthusiasts about the wonders of computer diagnostics are too exaggerated. Those who think that there is a special item in the memory of the on-board computer, by looking into which you can check the real mileage, are mistaken. Most often, you can find out about the fact of interference in the electronic filling of a vehicle only by indirect signs.
Usually this is a discrepancy in data, for example, about the time of an event recorded by the on-board computer. For example, if during a check the car’s odometer shows 75 thousand km, and the memory contains information about an error recorded after 150 thousand km. Or the owner swears that his “iron horse” has run no more than 50 thousand km, but when dividing the kilometers traveled by the number of engine hours, the average speed of movement is 4-5 km/h.
The more such oddities revealed by checking the car’s speedometer, the more reason the buyer has to wonder whether he needs such a “dark horse”.
Determining whether the mileage is twisted: how much is it being deceived?
Mileage is often reduced by a quarter. Thus, a car that, according to the seller, has covered 200 thousand kilometers, has a real mileage of 240 thousand. But there are other values, because when adjusting, you can set any number, even 6 units.
It all depends on the conscience of the seller. Although in fact this action is fraud and is subject to punishment, every second car on the secondary market has a twisted “meter”. Under no circumstances should you trust the numbers on the instrument panel and the seller’s words. A famous proverb says: “Trust, but verify.”
Computer diagnostics
This is perhaps the most accurate and fastest way to verify the authenticity of odometer readings. This requires a laptop and an OBD-2 cord. By connecting to the electronic control unit, you can see the actual mileage of the car. Be careful! Some sellers make adjustments by resetting the data in the electronic unit.
How to check the mileage of a car (wound or not)? To verify the authenticity of the kilometers traveled by the car, we look at individual components. The mileage is recorded not only in the engine and gearbox, but also in small systems (for example, the light control unit). And they are most often protected from overwriting. Here we can catch the seller “on the hook” by pointing him to the correct mileage. But there are other ways to find out the real mileage of a car. Let's look at them further.
How do you know if the mileage is twisted? Dashboard
Pay attention to how the front dashboard and the instrument panel itself were assembled. If it had signs of disassembly (and these are scratches and places pryed with a screwdriver), then there is reason to think about it. By the way, the instrument panel itself is covered with a thin layer of varnish on the reverse side. If the mileage has been twisted, it will be immediately visible. But to do this you will have to completely remove the shield out.
If it is a classic drum-type odometer, pay attention to the gaps between the numbers. They should not stand crookedly or at different distances from each other. Otherwise, there is every reason to confirm the mileage adjustment.
How to find out if the mileage on a car is incorrect
When buying a used car, it is very important for the buyer to know whether the mileage on the car was checked before selling it or not. If you don’t understand anything about cars, then the best option in this situation would be to hire a selector from a normal company who will find you the car you need according to the desired parameters. It is worth considering that you only need to contact a trusted company, and not the first one you come across with the lowest selection price, as this is fraught with consequences.
I would also like to immediately say that in all cases it is not possible to find out 100% correctly about the total mileage, since there are completely different situations.
But in this article I will try to talk as much as possible about the signs of a missed mileage.
Interior details
We continue to tell you how to check the mileage of a car (twisted or not). An important detail during inspection is the steering wheel. Based on its condition, you can determine how accurate the odometer readings are. How to find out the real mileage of a car? The steering wheel begins to wear out at 250 thousand kilometers or more. Moreover, early wear cannot be attributed to poor build quality.
A car with a steering wheel like the one in the photo definitely cannot have a mileage of less than 100-150 thousand kilometers. Also note that sellers reupholster the steering wheel, and often use cheap materials for this. If there is a non-factory stitch on it, then the element has been restored.
Don't neglect the seats either.
It will be quite difficult to change them. Yes, you can do this, but it won’t pay off when you sell it. Some people install disassembled seats taken from cars with less mileage. In this case, pay attention to the adjacent seats and the back row.
If there is more wear on them than on the driver's seat, it means the seat has been replaced. Some sellers attach “T-shirts” or covers to hide wear. Don't be afraid to look underneath them. Perhaps the owner was trying to hide signs of wear in this way.
Another factor is the door trim. Few sellers deal with this little detail. Often their deception ends with adjusting the odometer readings and resetting basic data from the ECU. No one “bothers” with the condition of the door trim and handles. When purchasing, pay attention to these details.
Also inspect the condition of the gear lever and the parking brake handle boot. Noticeable signs of wear appear on them no earlier than after 200 thousand kilometers.
The main evidence of twisting that you can notice for yourself
It is important to be able to independently evaluate artificially rejuvenated transport. There are many criteria that indicate the real age of a car.
Salon
Pedals
During use, the rubber pads wear out. The polished metal of the pedals indicates that the mileage is about 100,000 km.
There is also a possibility that the pads have already been replaced and worn a second time. The newest overlays should also raise suspicion.
Sheathing
The dirtiest place in a car is the plastic/carpet in the driver's tunnel. During cleaning, this place is rarely reached, and replacing the coating is too expensive. In this case, either the tunnel is too clean or there are cracks and falling panels.
It is quite difficult to bring the interior to a bad condition over 10,000 km, but over 200,000 km it’s a different matter.
A salon in unsatisfactory condition can be considered an objective reason for refusal. Since there are either high mileage numbers, or there is a fact of poor handling of the vehicle.
Plastic
The driver constantly touches the handles and buttons, which causes their inevitable wear and tear.
These items are, for the most part, very cheap, but can often be quite difficult to obtain. In this regard, the presence of non-original parts can be a good reason for at least starting a profitable bargain.
Steering wheel
The best option to determine mileage is a leather steering wheel. Its complete replacement is expensive and does not make sense.
Remaking it “into the original” is an almost impossible task. The condition of the steering wheel, its buttons and the surface itself is an excellent indicator of the age of the car.
However, if we are talking about an expensive car, spending on replacing the steering wheel pays off. If it is replaced, the condition of the seats can also serve as an indicator.
Levers
The “skirt” on the gear lever, if present, is assessed. It is worth paying attention to the parking brake lever. After starting the car, you should evaluate whether the ignition switch is loose, as this is a sign of prolonged use.
Brake discs and tires
By looking at the edge of the brake disc, in addition to assessing the distance traveled, you can learn about the driving style of the previous owner. If the edge between the disc and the tire exceeds 2 mm, it can be said that the mileage was approximately 100,000 km.
However, these data differ for cars with automatic transmission and manual transmission. Don't forget that the disks could have been replaced even more than once.
When looking at the tread, you need to evaluate whether it has worn evenly.
Uneven wear may indicate the following:
- incorrect camber and toe adjustment;
- problems with the suspension;
- defects in machine geometry due to an accident.
VIN code and documents
Using the VIN code, for a fee, the buyer can gain access to information about the probable criminal history, possible accidents and the start of operation of a particular car.
The disadvantage of this system is that car data is updated only when visiting official service centers.
You can also contact the official dealer sales point for information. By showing the necessary documents and serial number, you can obtain information about the mileage and previous maintenance.
Don't be fooled by the pretty wrapper
To make the car seem as attractive as possible, its body is tinted. However, do not rush to determine the integrity of the mileage by the quality of the paintwork. If the body repair was carried out with high quality, even an experienced motorist cannot determine this. The only thing that can be done is to check the thickness of the paintwork using a thickness gauge. It also determines how much putty was applied to the body (if the car was after an accident). The mechanism “breaks” the distance from the top of the paintwork to the metal.
However, it makes no sense to look at the quality of the paint by checking the rolled mileage. After all, an accident can happen at any mileage. Here everything depends on how well the repair was carried out. Well, if you are buying a car that is 20+ years old, inspect the hidden places - sills and technological plugs on the bottom. Corrosion does not depend on mileage, but rust is a significant reason to reduce the price.
