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Odometer Fraud – Everything You Need To Know About It

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December 26, 2022

Odometer Fraud, also known as “clocking”, is any form of illegal activity that makes an odometer show incorrect miles or km. It has different variations such as resetting, altering, spinning and rolling back odometers. The main goal of these kinds of actions is to display fewer miles on a dashboard. To make it clear imagine a vehicle that covered 150 000 miles from which 50 000 were altered. In this case, you would only see 100 000 miles and the remaining 50 000 would be invisible. Therefore, you would never know the correct data of it.

Tampering an odometer is more than just changing the correct numbers and digits. It is something that a lot of dealerships and private individual companies use nowadays. And this is exactly what costs customers in the U.S. more than $1 billion. Even though manipulations like this are a federal offence, they are widespread and extremely difficult to detect. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 1.6 million cars are likely to have misleading odometers.

Hence, when someone changes the mileage stated on a gauge this means that system cannot correctly measure the distance anymore. The “secret” behind this is in the system itself. More precisely, once someone deletes the correct data or resets the actual distance, the system in our automobile continues counting the distance from the already updated information. As a result, the original statistics are no longer available and trackable.

Why are miles important?

The importance of miles

It is not a secret that while buying a vehicle everyone checks the distance that it has covered. Even more, it plays a huge role in making the final decision. And still, why mileage is that important?

First of all, people believe that higher numbers on the odometer necessarily mean more costs for its maintenance. Plus, such automobiles are considered old, not being in good condition and therefore, their resale price is much lower. In reality, things are a little bit different. The meaning of “low” and “high” are constantly changing. Due to technological advancements what was high in the past is no longer the same today. Modern cars can cover way more distance without an issue. Of course, mileage is important, but there are more important factors that we should focus on instead.

To clarify let’s imagine two different cases. In the first scenario, the owner always drives long distances, but he/she only uses free highways. On the other hand, the second driver covers less distance but drives on rocky and bad terrain. At the end of the day, the first driver would have higher mileage shown odometer than the second one, however, his/her car will be in a way better condition. This is the reason why we should pay attention to the larger picture and NOT dramatize. There are the tips for buying a used car.

To sum up, people directly look at the miles or km and make decisions without even considering more important aspects. To avoid “mistakes” and get the best possible result try to be mindful and always check as much as possible.

Increased practice of the Odometer Fraud 

Odometer Fraud is becoming a major problem in the United States. It is usually common on old, high mileage, used cars. On average, people rollback 30 000 miles which causes the loss of billions of US dollars every year. For example, the price difference between vehicles with a distance from 30 000 to 70 000 goes up to $4 000. If added the insurance costs, it would easily exceed $4 000. Moreover, these types of cars need more expenses for repair and maintenance purposes.

The important fact is that anyone can buy an odometer correction tool for about $300. Because of such availability, 5 to 15 per cent of customers in the European Union experience altering odometers. As the European Parliament states, the commonplace for fraud is across border places. In 2016 Poland became the biggest used car importer in the whole EU. 80% out of 1 million imported vehicles had altered mileage. Compare to the European Union, the numbers are even higher in the US with a half-million cases a year.

Because of the increasing number of fraudulent actions, you should always be attentive to every detail. These aspects are important not because of the financial loss or profit, but they could also lead you to a legal issue.

Is it legal to reset the odometer?

Odometer Fraud is an important reason for financial loss that amounts to billions of dollars each year. Except for finances, always remember that resetting miles in any auto is unethical and will trigger a legal dispute. The law prohibits the followings:

  • Changing mileage by disconnecting or replacing an odometer.
  • Using your vehicle with a nonfunctional/misleading odometer. This implies that you know about the issue, but you still continue using it because of the fraudulent purposes.
  • It is illegal to use, sell, or even advertise a device that makes an odometer function incorrectly.
  • It is prohibited to accept an incomplete disclosure statement regarding the odometer mileage.
  • Forging an odometer mileage disclosure statement. 
  • Planning any type of odometer altering with any other person.

Instead, keep in mind that there are several essential steps that the law requires from everybody. So, you have to know exactly what each of them means.

  • Disclosure – this is a written statement about the mileage. The law requires you this statement whenever you sell or buy a car. Dealers and individuals are equally bound by this law. Note that disclosure is not necessary for heavy trucks or automobiles older than 10 years.
  • Records – auctions and dealers must keep copies of the original documents (regarding the mileage) for 5 years.
  • Legal right to repair – if the odometer is replaced, reprogrammed and the correct distance cannot be restored, the odometer must be set to 0. However, it is mandatory to put the sticker that shows the true mileage before the replacement. Any other method of altering the odometer (except annulling it) is illegal. 

Based on all the above-mentioned information you can conclude that any interference with the system’s normal functioning causes legal issues. Odometer fraud is very common nowadays, but it also has heavy consequences. That is why while buying a new vehicle you should always check all the details to protect yourself from fraud.

How to protect against Odometer Fraud?

How to fight against the Odometer Fraud?

Mileage altering is a common practice in today’s world. People try to somehow change the digits on the odometer and make their cars worth more money. Ever-evolving technological development created many affordable gadgets that made it possible to use these tools unethically and interfere with the system’s proper functioning. In most cases, they are untraceable and hard to detect. However, if we are cautious, it is not impossible. Here are tips that help you maintain safety.

The first thing that is always more obvious is physical conditions. Examine its tires. If the odometer shows low numbers but the tires does not look new, this can be a sign of alert. The more distance a vehicle covers, the worse its tires become. Hence, it is impossible for a new car to have old tires. Also, look at the gas, brake and clutch pedals. Make sure that their condition is appropriate to the numbers shown on the odometer. Check every record and compare the distance written in the documents to the one that is shown on the dashboard. In addition, request all history reports or VIN (to check it online) and look for a discrepancy.

Odometer Fraud is massively used in pre-owned cars and it is essential to guarantee your safety. following and checking these steps will help you avoid legal disputes or any complications. 

Mileage blocker – a legal way to freeze an odometer

A mileage blocker is a device that halts the mileage/kilometers while a car is in motion. It uses modern technologies that allow it to stop the recording process. Hence the system will not add any miles to the original distance. Furthermore, the mileage blocker has a unique feature – it does not store data to control units. This guarantees that the information is untraceable and nobody (not even you) detects the correct mileage. 

Besides, the device is made of heat-resistance and premium quality parts to make sure that the mileage blocker works flawlessly under any weather condition. Additionally, mileage blockers from SKF are the only ones that have their own mobile application. Thanks to it now you can control and change different modes with a single finger touch on your mobile phone or tablet. 

We know how frustrating and tiring can installation process can be. To guarantee your comfort it has easy do-it-yourself DIY installation instructions. By following a few steps as shown in the guidance and you will be able to start and finish the whole process by yourself without going to a technician or a special center. Fortunately, mileage blockers are widely available online and you can purchase them from its official SKF website.

It is essential to clarify that mileage blocker was not invented to break the law, but for testing purposes. New cars, motors and other parts have to be checked multiple times before it appears on the market. That is why car manufacturers, dealers and companies use them. Imagine consumers’ disappointment when they buy brand new cars with several thousand miles already shown on the odometer. This device does not break the law and delete the existing data. It simply stops further adding up new miles/km. That is why you should always remember that using mileage blockers on a free highway is unethical and will trigger a legal dispute.

If you have got any questions please feel free to check the support and customer center pages.

Takeaway

Odometer Fraud is an illegal practice of rollback and disconnection odometers. It has become extremely common nowadays and there is no automotive response to the challenge. People are constantly trying to somehow modify the numbers displayed on the dashboard. Such actions are not only frequent but also difficult to control.

German team from SKF has created an innovative device that does not reset or delete digits from the odometer. Mileage Blocker simply stops counting up miles once you install the device. It has several modules that you can control through your mobile application. It has high-quality materials and works in any condition. Plus, it has simple DIY installation instructions to make it even more comfortable for customers. Great thing is that the device is available online and you can buy it anytime, but always remember that it was created for testing purposes and using it on highways is unethical and can cause legal issues.

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