Car Mileage Check – How Can We Verify Mileage?

Car mileage check is one of the outstanding topics for any driver. How to verify the mileage? – people ask this question quite frequently. As the market for mileage-related tools grows bigger, potential customers try harder to learn as much as they can about the vehicles. Odometer fraud has turned into a prevalent issue. You might encounter deception even with trustworthy sellers and manufacturers.

Luckily, it’s possible to learn how to check mileage of car. You just have to know what to look for and how to detect any signs that might reveal the truth. Keep on reading, pay attention to what I say and I promise, you’ll be able to discover mileage discrepancy with ease! 

What is odometer rollback?

If you’re wondering how to change mileage on car, then odometer rollback would be an answer. Odometer rollback is a concept which implies quite a simple process. On the one hand, it’s an answer to the question of how to change mileage on car. On the other hand, it means that we’re attempting to reverse or reset the mileage to reduce the total amount of miles / kilometrage while we are driving. There are many different reasons behind it, turning it into common practice.

Regardless of the reason, it’s undeniable that odometer correction is a tricky business and isn’t always the most ethical and genuine thing to do. In other words, odometer rollback causes changes in the calculator unit that is responsible for counting covered mileage correctly. If changing the mileage was acceptable, we’d certainly have that feature built in the car itself. Trust me, manufacturers wouldn’t miss the chance to add another selling point to their vehicles.

How do people change mileage?

Nowadays, people have given up on manual ways of odometer rollback, therefore, they use specific tools for the task. Namely, they use the mileage correction device or the kilometre stopper.

The mileage correction tool can alter the driven distance completely. It enables the users to dial in any number they want. Even though it can make dramatic changes, it doesn’t access the internal computers of the vehicle. In other words, the odometer correction tool can’t erase the mileage from control units.

The kilometer stopper, on the other hand, prevents your car from counting miles as you drive. Even though it was designed for testing, people still use it for mileage correction. The reason is simple – this module offers superior performance compared to the odometer rollback tool. It accesses control units and hinders the process of counting additional mileage i.e. it offers untraceable performance.

That’s the main reason why people consider it to be the best odometer correction tool. If you buy the mileage blocker from a trustworthy manufacturer,  you’ll see that they recommend using this tool only in a controlled environment.

How to check if car odometer has been rolled back?

It’s crucially important to understand vehicle mileage check. Though it might seem overwhelming, it’s the information that will come in handy any time you decide to purchase a used car. I know that sometimes the problem is exaggerated to the point where the solution becomes distant and inaccessible. But trust me, there’s nothing complicated about this process. We just need to know which steps to take and what signs to look out for.

VIN Mileage Check

The easiest checker of the odometer is the VIN mileage check. It allows you to compare the mileage on the odometer with the numbers that are indicated in the inspection records. You could even turn to an online Carfax vehicle history report. These documents will have true information about any changes in the mileage. If those numbers don’t match with the ones you see on the trip meter, then you might be dealing with odometer fraud.

MOT Certificate Check

Another way of odometer rollback verification can be done with the help of MOT certificate. The certificate can tell you if the car met the minimum environmental and road safety standards. At the same time, the document can provide information on mileage data. The mileage data is always recorded in the MOT document and you can review it to check the reliability of the odometer figures.

If you’re buying an older car, then the whole process is way easier. You can examine the analog odometer carefully. Even though it’s easier to change, it can easily reveal fraud. You should look at the numbers – if they aren’t aligned correctly or if they are harder to make out, then the chances are you’ve discovered odometer tampering.

If you want to learn car mileage check, then you should remember that it’s not a task for lazy people. The final step you can take for checking odometer discrepancy is to contact previous owners. I know, it can be quite a headache, but it will help you find out the previous mileage and compare it to the newer one. If those numbers don’t make sense, then you’ll know that something sketchy is going on.

How to know if mileage has been changed?

If you don’t want to go through the process I have just described, then we can examine other methods of how to check mileage of car. Even though it’s impossible to detect mileage correction by a single glance, it’s possible to discover the signs of deception by careful examination.

A lot of factors can affect the mileage, including changing the odometer on a car. However, people most likely do it for deception if they are trying to hide that information from you. When technical reasons require changing the odometer reading, it’s always indicated. The manufacturer or the seller will reveal that information to you. If they don’t do so, then you can suspect that they are trying to take you on.

Moreover, the wear and tear can unveil way more information than you might think. For instance, the cars that have traveled less than 20,000 miles will have their original tires. If you see brand new tires and the odometer shows 15,000 miles, you’ll have a good reason to be dubious.
You should also check the condition of the steering wheel, safety belt, chairs, handles, gear lever, and pedals. If they are quite worn out, then the mileage might be higher than it is indicated on the odometer. You can look at the date of the oil change to figure out the previous mileage.

As you can see, it’s not as difficult to learn how to verify if mileage has been changed. Despite the fact that the topic of how to change mileage on car is quite active, there are superficial methods that can reveal the truth. By combining all of them, you’ll see a clear picture of the condition of the car. But before we wrap this up, let’s figure out if changing the odometer affects the mileage.

Does changing the odometer on a car affect mileage?

To answer shortly, changing the odometer doesn’t affect mileage (engine replacement doesn’t reset the odometer either). To understand this concept better, let’s talk about the connection between the mileage and the odometer.

If we’re talking about the digital odometer, we should always remember that it’s not the only part of your vehicle that stores the information about the mileage. The data about the miles / kilometrage you travel is also sent to the control units, such as ECU. If your odometer breaks and you decide to change it, the mileage won’t be affected. You’ll need to take the new odometer to the professional so that they can match those numbers to the actual mileage. You’ll need to do the same thing even if you purchase a used odometer.

The reason is simple – you shouldn’t attempt to match those miles yourself. Specific services have to be notified if you want to remain ethical and avoid unfair accusations. Though your reasons might not be fraudulent, there’s no way to prove your intentions.

Not only should you know how the vehicle mileage check is done, but you should also be notified if the odometer itself has been changed. When you see the signs of odometer removal you might assume right away that you were deceived. However, if the previous owner simply got the new odometer, you’d be accusing them of serious fraud unfairly.

Conclusion

All in all, it’s crucial to understand how to check if odometer has been rolled back. The methods may vary. It can be VIN mileage check, or visiting a mechanic. However, they all reveal the truth. You should always remember that you should be cautious and proactive if you don’t want to be taken on. It’s quite easy to fall for perfect lies, but why should you? You have all the information you need to figure out if the odometer has been rolled back or not. You just have to get rid of laziness and do thorough research. I’m sure I helped you in that process and clarified a few things for you. Hopefully, you won’t fall for deception anymore. Good luck!