Odometer fraud is the illegal practice of rolling
back odometers to make it appear that vehicles have lower mileage than
they actually do so that the seller can obtain an artificially high
price. Any vehicle sold on the used car market could potentially have
had the odometer rolled back, however the highest incidents usually
occur among late model vehicles that have accumulated high mileage in
a short period of time. Vehicles that typically fall into this category
are those that are privately sold but were originally leased vehicles,
rental cars and business company fleets.
How can you tell if the odometer has been altered?
Here are a few suggestions to help you recognize a potential odometer
rollback:
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- Check the condition
of the car. Is it consistent with the mileage shown?
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- Check the following
high wear points on the vehicle:
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- Does the vehicle show high level
wear on the brake pedal?
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- Does the brake pedal look
brand new, suggesting that the seller is covering up high wear areas of
the vehicle?
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- Do any of the following
seem to be more worn out than the mileage suggests?
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- Carpets
- Seats
- Steering wheel
- Seatbelts (are they frayed at the edges?)
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- Are there any marks on the odometer,
or are the numbers misaligned?
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- Check the mileage
entered on oil change stickers, inspection stickers, tire warranties or
repair invoices.
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- Check the AirCare
website for vehicles in the lower mainland — the inspection data shows
a record of the vehicle mileage.
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- When looking to purchase a car, take note of
the condition of other vehicles that appear to have consistent mileage
with the age of the vehicle in question. Where possible, take photos,
then make a comparison.
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- When test driving, look at the odometer to see if the digits are moving or mileage has changed. The speedometer and odometer should be working together.
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