When planning to buy a used car, you must first check its technical condition and the serviceability of important components and systems. It is also important to determine the exact mileage, since many unscrupulous sellers often roll it up in order to raise the price. How to understand that the mileage of the car indicated on the dashboard is not true?
1. Why twist the mileage
In most cases, odometer adjustments are made to increase the value of the vehicle. But there are other factors that motivate sellers to resort to such manipulations. Among them:
- The desire to eliminate the need for expensive maintenance of the car. In modern car models from foreign manufacturers, data on maintenance intervals is recorded in the on-board computer. If you ignore them, errors and alarms will constantly appear on the screen;
- Hide signs of installing a new dashboard (after a traffic accident, mechanical damage and other problems);
- Keep silent about serious defects in the nodes, which manifest themselves in the form of malfunctioning of the speedometer and affect more important nodes - for example, the battery or generator.
Often, cars with twisted mileage come to Russia from other countries, where the amount of taxes on a vehicle directly depends on the period of its operation. For example, similar principles have long been working in the Netherlands, where the relevant services monitor mileage via GPS. In some US states, car owners pay a tax of $0.012 for every mile driven.
It is important to note that in America the fact of twisting the mileage in a car is considered a crime, followed by criminal liability. In Germany and France, such manipulations can be imprisoned for 1-2 years.
2. How mileage is twisted
Unscrupulous sellers use a number of methods to deceive buyers. They select them based on the characteristics of the system that registers the distance traveled. Many drivers mistakenly compare a device for recording mileage with a speedometer, but here a completely different device is used - an odometer.
The system closely interacts with the speedometer, and the dashboard displays data from two devices, which in most cases are side by side. Maybe. this has caused confusion in terms.
There are three types of odometers in total:
- mechanical;
- electromechanical;
- electronic.
The first two types were in demand until the end of the last century. They have a primitive structure and a simple principle of operation: the rotation of the gearbox gearbox is transmitted to the meter using a cable, and the measurement results are displayed on the instrument board.
It is very simple to twist the mileage of such an odometer. There are several tricks for this:
- the odometer is disassembled and the readings on the meter are manually adjusted;
- complete disassembly of the instrument panel with subsequent attachment to the speedometer cable of a special power tool with a high rotation speed (electric drill, screwdriver, etc.).
Electromechanical odometers are twisted in a similar way, but in the case of a mechanical device, the car is first de-energized (the terminals are removed from the battery). It is impossible to turn off the power supply in a machine with an electromechanical device, since the counter wheels will stop rotating and there will be a risk of a short circuit.
For the service of twisting the mileage, they request from 1 to 1.5 thousand rubles. rub., so unscrupulous sellers often resort to the help of such "specialists".
The principle of operation of electronic odometers is slightly different. It is based on the analysis of readings from magnetic or optical sensors installed on the gearbox shaft or car wheels. The values are recorded by the on-board computer and then displayed on the information board.
On elite car models (Audi, BMW, Toyota, etc.), mileage information is recorded in several memory elements. Experts note that it is most difficult to twist the mileage of BMW cars, since they have about 10 backup data points.
3. How to check the authenticity of the mileage
In order not to be in an awkward situation and not overpay for the purchase of a “practically new car”, it is important to learn how to determine whether the mileage is twisted or not. But at the moment there are no technical methods to check the accuracy of the readings. And this applies to both mechanical and electromechanical devices.
In this case, you will need to follow the general recommendations and rules. Usually, a thorough external examination for wear of individual elements of the skin or body, etc., helps in checking the mileage.
To establish the fact of fraud on a device with an electronic odometer, it is enough to perform computer diagnostics. If you have special software and skills at your disposal, you can do the verification yourself. But it is more expedient to do this in a certified car repair shop.
However, one should not exaggerate the capabilities of modern diagnostic systems. After all, some inexperienced car owners believe that there is an item in the memory of the on-board computer where the real mileage is displayed. But it's not.
Usually, it is possible to determine the fact of penetration into the electronic equipment of a car only by indirect manifestations. Among them are incorrect data on the time of any actions associated with any intervention in the electronic or mechanical components of the vehicle.
So, if during the diagnosis on the odometer a value of 75 thousand km was displayed. km, while the memory contains information about the error that appeared after 150,000 km of run. Either the current owner of the car claims that he has driven no more than 50,000 km and the car is practically new, but with dividing the mileage by the number of engine hours, the result appears that the average speed does not exceed 4-5 km/h
The more such moments can be identified when checking the speedometer, the more reasons there will be to refuse a purchase.
4. Helpful Tips
There are several signs and tips that will help you assess the authenticity of the mileage of the car of interest.
Examine the odometer. The average car owner covers about 20,000 km per year, taking into account his lifestyle and place of residence. If the car is about 7 years old and the gauge only shows 90,000 km, there is a possibility of twisting the mileage.
Carefully study the signal indication. Many electronic sensors report twisting mileage. An asterisk icon may appear on the instrument panel display to alert you to serious malfunctions.
Check out the divisions. In some mechanical type odometers, the distance between divisions after twisting the run takes on a different color.
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Perform a thorough inspection of the instrument panel. Any gaps and fasteners must be perfectly even with no signs of twisting. Mechanical defects indicate a possible disassembly of the panel. If you are assured that the repair was not carried out, then such signs may indicate twisting of the mileage.
Request a service book. The more kilometers a driver drives in a year, the more often he needs to contact a service center for preventive maintenance or repair of parts. If we are talking about certified workshops, then the facts of the appeal are recorded in the service book. If there are any erasures or edits, there is cause for concern.
Assess the condition of the steering wheel and pedals. If the odometer shows a small mileage, but the condition of the pedals leaves much to be desired, then it has been twisted. By the same rules, you should check the steering wheel and floor mats.
Look at the tire tread height. If the tires have not been changed since the purchase of the vehicle, then it is easy to find out the approximate wear from the tread height.
Check parts. We are talking about nodes that wear out naturally. If a car with low mileage has a large number of parts replaced, the mileage may have been curled up.
Get professional help. Independent experts from proven auto repair shops will accurately and accurately determine the mileage, as well as assess the condition of the components and parts of the car after 30, 70 or 100 thousand km. km of run.
In addition to the twisted mileage, the car may have other shortcomings that can only be eliminated at the service station.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/161121/61286/