Fraudulent sellers, especially those who sell used cars on a regular basis, can falsify a car’s true mileage. This is a crime, but the threat of fraud is still very high. Why do fraudulent sellers falsify a car’s mileage? How can you verify the real mileage of a used car without leaving your home? How do you find important information about a used car, so that you can check it thoroughly before buying it? The CrashStatus website can help you.
Every car is equipped with an odometer. The mileage of a car runs from the moment it leaves the factory. The mileage of a car is one of the criteria that allows you to more or less assess the wear and tear of a used car.
Normally, the odometer is located on the dashboard of the car. Older cars used mechanical counters, with plastic, rotating dials with imprinted numbers. For more than 20 years now, manufacturers have been providing most cars with electronic odometers that display a car’s mileage on a special small LCD or LED screen, or in a designated section of the on-board computer screen.
A standard odometer has 6 digits. Over the years, there have been humorous situations, as exemplified by the Suzuki Swift Mk2, produced in Hungary, in which the manufacturer installed an analog odometer with 5 dials. When the limit of 99999 kilometers was reached, the counter reset itself. Unfortunately, the car did not rejuvenate itself because of this, although its seller could say with his hand on his heart that the car he was selling had a mileage of 39950 kilometers (although the actual mileage was 239950 kilometers).
Nevertheless, the actual mileage of a car still representsone of the decisive indicators of its technical condition. And a new buyer should have the knowledge of such mileage.
Below in the photo is the nameplate of an Audi car, mounted on the bulkhead between the engine compartment and the passenger compartment. The VIN number is embossed at the top of the plate.
The actual car mileage – one of the indicators of a car’s technical condition
Why is the mileage of a car one of the indicators and not the most important indicator of its technical condition? You must always remember that the technical condition of the car is affected by many things.
If a car has been poorly serviced, then despite having a low mileage it will still be in very poor technical condition.
If one car has 100,000 kilometers of mileage but has been driven only in the city, while another car has 200,000 kilometers on the clock, but has been driven mostly on longer routes, the latter will usually be in a better technical condition (if it has been properly serviced).
What can we predict by knowing the true mileage of a car? First of all, the degree of wear and tear on individual components. A new buyer can more or less predict when he will need to make investments, often quite serious ones.
For example, if the car has a mileage of 100 to 150 thousand kilometers, the new buyer must be prepared to replace such components as the clutch, turbocharger, shock absorbers, suspension arms, brake discs, LPG injectors and gas tank (if the car is gas-powered).
If the car has more than 200,000 kilometers of mileage, the driver must be prepared to replace the very expensive direct injection injectors, the dual mass flywheel along with the clutch (if it doesn’t break down sooner), the starter and alternator in cars with a start-stop system (they are very expensive), other parts of the suspension system, parts of the ignition system, glow plugs in diesels as well as the three-way catalytic converter and FAP particulate filter and some sensors and drive joints.
In cars that have more than 300,000 kilometers of mileage, you need to be prepared to replace alternators and starters, DPF catalytic converters, injection pumps, fuel pumps, radiator, other sensors. On top of that, there will be the problem of corrosion, and who knows, maybe the need to overhaul the engine, transmission and drivetrain (such as the Haldex clutch, if present), windshield wiper mechanism and motor, or electric window motors.
Below in the picture – where do car manufacturers install the VIN number?
Why does a fraudulent seller falsify the mileage of a car?
The answer to this question is very simple. It is because you are more likely to buy a car of the same vintage that has 150,000 kilometers of mileage than a car that has 300,000 kilometers of mileage. To put it simply, you will think that a car with less mileage has less wear. You will think that an 8-year-old car that has 150 thousand kilometers on the clock was not used as a cab or a sales representative’s car.
The truth may be quite different. Falsifying mechanical odometers on older cars was much more difficult than falsifying mileage on newer cars that use electronic meters. A dishonest seller hires a specialist to connect the appropriate electronic device and change the displayed mileage of the car.
Check the car thoroughly before you buy it – use the CrashStatus website.
Our CrashStatus site gives you what other such sites do not.
You don’t have to pay to find out if a car has any damage recorded. This means that our site lets you check the VIN for free. You enter the VIN number, wait a few moments and get an answer. If the car in question has some damage recorded (which means that it has had an accident or has been flooded) you refuse to consider it. And you pay nothing for this verification, which takes a few minutes.
What next? All you need to do is check the car with a car appraiser or mechanic. And you can then enjoy a great used car!
Don’t take the risk! It’s not worth it! Start checking your dream car with the CrashStatus website!
