Odometer Fraud: Don't Believe Your Eyes

When does one plus one not add up to two? Answer: when there is odometer fraud. If you’ve ever shopped for a used car and thought the low mileage odometer reading was too good to be true, you might’ve been right. According to the National Traffic and Safety Administration, each year some 3,000 cars have their odometers rolled back an average of 30,000 miles each. That's fraud, and the difference can cost an unsuspecting consumer several thousand dollars. 

Unscrupulous sellers know all the tricks for commiting fraud.  And so should you. Finding the truth takes a little detective work, but it’s not hard. 

What to Look for on the Odometer Itself: 

•  Scratches or marks on the odometer dial.
  


•  Misaligned numbers on the odometer.
  


•  Correct spaces between the numbers.
  


• General Motors cars with a mechanical odometer should have black spaces between the numbers. If there has been tampering the spaces will be silver or white.
  


• Electronic odometers have been designed to show an asterisk or other sign as a result of tampering. Check the owner’s manual.
  

What Else Suggests Possible Odometer Fraud? 

Notice the tires. AAA says that many tires are made to last up to 60,000 miles, so new tires on a car whose odometer reads 30,000 should raise questions. 

Fleet cars: These are unlikely to have low miles. They are driven an average of 32,000 miles per year, and are rarely taken out of service early. By the time a fleet vehicle is sold, most of its useful life is over. 

Stickers: Stickers on the door or window will indicate the mileage at the time of the last oil change. But don’t rely only on that alone since the oil change may have been done after the rollback. 

Maintenance records: These may be in the glove box. Do they make chronological sense compared to the current odometer? If the last maintenance record says 80,000 and the odometer says 50,000... run, don’t walk away.  But don't let the fraudster go free, see below to find out how to contact the authorities in charge of odometer fraud.