Genuine mileage on cars? - is it easy to wind the clock back on cars 00 and newer ?

worded

Genuine mileage on cars – is it easy to wind the clock back on cars 00 and newer ?

Concerned about getting a second hand jalopy

colm_mcm

just get a car with a verifiable main dealer service history and you should be fine!

Seth Brundle

If you are getting it from a dealer rather than a private seller then ask to contact the previous owner and ask them about the car (without giving any details of what its at now).

E92

worded wrote:

Genuine mileage on cars – is it easy to wind the clock back on cars 00 and newer ?

Concerned about getting a second hand jalopy

Its very easy to 'wind' back the clock on any car. As far as I know, on cars with manual milometers you remove the part of the dash near the speedometer, and you will find the mechanisms of the milometer and you can get a 'drill' and wind back the clock. When finished, refit the instrument cluster, and hey presto, job done. The 'problem' with this method is that usually the digits won't line up properly, and the panels won't line up properly either, so it should be quite obvious if the mileage is tampered. To combat this problem(the problem of unauthorised modification of the car's mileage), practically every car since 2000(well premium badged cars like BMW, Merc introduced this in the very early 90s) boasts a digital milometer.
Unfortunately, this actually made it easier, as what you do now to modify the car's mileage is plug in a computer into the car's engine, unlock a few codes, press a few buttons here and there, and instantly you can have any mileage you want displayed on the car's milometer. And of course, its faster, and theres no clues left, if you dont 'correct' the mileage too much.

The only way to prove that a cars mileage is genuine is to have the car's Full Service History.

worded

Im almost def buying from a main dealer.
Its just too much of a gamble other wise.

Anan1

worded wrote:

Im almost def buying from a main dealer.
Its just too much of a gamble other wise.

The key is not where you buy, it's the car itself. As has been said, a full, verified SH is the only way to be sure the car hasn't been clocked.

worded

Is threre a way to find out how many owners a car had and who they are?

Anan1

worded wrote:

Is threre a way to find out how many owners a car had and who they are?

The number of recorded owners since first registration here will be on the VLC. You can't find out who they are, but the first owners' details are sometimes in the service book.

colm_mcm

there's a link on the Merlin auctions site that tells you for free, alternatively the number of owners is on the registration cert/VLC. No real way of finding out previous owners names though. unless the old style original registration cert is with the car. This will have the original registered owers name and address.

Lpfsox

just noticed something recently though - had my car serviced by a main dealer 2 weeks ago and they recorded a mileage of 35,000 on the service record (the car has only 22,500 on it). Genuine mistake - the sticker advising of the next service is also filled out to get the job done at 35,000 or next July.

Rang the garage and they said that they'll correct it if I drop back in, but how do I prove to any future buyer that I've just not been messing about with the mileage?

Bored-Stupid

My mate has an old Polo and her father took out her old speedo with 70,000 miles on it and put on a different speedo and when she comes to selling it,out comes the new, in goes the old,hey presto!A 10 year old polo with 70,000!Having said that you should realise by the rattles,holes,age etc!!

zilog_jones

With mechanical odometers there's also the trick of unplugging the speedo for a while.

rebel.ranter

I know with BMWs the mileage is stored in 3 locations, the clocks themselves, the ECU & finally the key.
It is possible to get all locations clocked back from what I hear but normally the clockers don't get the keys done. So you can take the key to a dealer & it can be read from this.

axer

zilog_jones wrote:

With mechanical odometers there's also the trick of unplugging the speedo for a while.

or replace the odometer with a second hand one with lower milage.