Knowing How to Find Out Mileage on a Car is More Important Than You Think

You may have been wondering how to find mileage on a car at least once when you were going to purchase a second-hand car, but even though you get information about that, you never know how accurate it was. Take a deep breath and calm down; it is too late to change things; however, from now on, you will be well-trained to take a closer look at the mileage of the automobile and discover the absolute truth when documents and numbers displayed on the odometer do not match with the general condition of auto. 

A simple Google search will give you an indication of how to find out mileage on a car. The first article concerns fuel efficiency and calculating the miles a particular vehicle can cover with a specific amount of fuel. However, it is more significant to learn general odometer reading. The more miles the car has gone, the more the chance of damaged parts and repair costs increased. 

Look, getting incorrect information about the mileage can be the worst-case scenario. You may ask why, because in this case, you may miss the time you need to replace some components. So, driving may include danger in this case. This is only one of the problems you may come across. 

How to find out car mileage? Keep reading the blog and dig deeper. We will learn where the system keeps it and the reasons which lead to misinterpreting and misreading of distance traveled. 

Where is mileage stored?

The mileage data in modern automobiles are stored in multiple control units. They are central systems that manage various operations in cars. To put it simply, they are a significant part of the central processing unit (CPU). Older vehicles had only a few units, on the contrary, newer models may have much more than that. Those little brains play significant roles. ECU (engine control unit) is one of the most important units, which directly holds mileage data. With the help of CAN ( control area networking) , it transmits data quickly. So it is easy to determine how to find out mileage on a car if you use a diagnostic scanner to access information from this unit. 

However, there are other places where you can find the information; automobile total mileage can be stored in other units, such as the seat memory or the park assist control unit. To put it simply, removing existing information from the instrument cluster does not guarantee that it won’t be found in another place if someone tries to detect it with relevant equipment. Learning how to find out actual mileage on a car starts from perceiving you should not trust only odometer figures, you also should check other control units. If you come across discrepancies between data, you must investigate the reasons behind that. 

Reasons why my mileage data may not be genuine

It varies. Inaccurate figures do not automatically mean that someone tampered with them. However, it is one of the reasons. The following are scenarios you may come across:

• Odometer was broken, the owner repaired it and reset it to zero. 
• The owner replaces the old unit with a new one and does not calibrate accordingly. 
• It exceeds its limits – it means that the odometer showed 99,999 miles and turned to zero, because only 6-digit odometers can record more than 100,000 miles. However, most modern automobiles have digital odometers that can record 6-digit values.
• Odometer fraud is a widely common practice of resetting or altering a vehicle’s odometer. The intention is to change the number of miles indicated. 

It is pivotal to avoid lying about mileage if you do not want to face legal issues. On the other hand, knowing how to find out car mileage includes requesting an odometer disclosure statement. If the reason for incorrect data is not fraud, the seller has this document which provides all the necessary details to help you identify what caused inaccuracy.

So, it is not easy to determine how to find out mileage on a car. There are various possible ways depending on the motives for altering mileage. If the motive for alteration and resetting is dishonest, it’s like a challenge to discover the truth. 

How to find out actual mileage on a car when it is impossible to get an odometer reading?  

If your odometer stops, breaks or it’s just impossible to retrieve mileage data, there are still several ways to retrieve data from your automobile. the most common method for discovering actual data is a diagnostic scanner which has connection to the Onboard Diagnostics Port (OBD) and figures are displayed on the device’s screen. Another method is addressing online telematics, Telematics systems keep mileage records on the manufacturer’s servers. You can access this information through your manufacturer’s phone app or website.

It is easy to determine how to find out car mileage in other popular ways. You can obtain mileage from Vehicle History Report, you should ensure VIN, and most insurance companies can generate reports on a particular automobile online. 

Maintenance records are another great way to calculate driven miles. Repair shops and tire shops always record the current mileage at the time of change and repair. So, you can ask for this information and then make calculations based on your driving habits. 

How to find out mileage on a car when you suspect fraud?

It is not easy but it is possible to detect possible odometer tampering. The following tips and tricks will help you as a car buyer avoid becoming a victim and help you determine how to find out mileage on a car .

• Check the car title and make comparisons, take a closer look at this document, and make sure that numbers are readable
• Check maintenance records, for example, check maintenance stickers for an oil change, 
• Examine the tires. They speak volumes. If the odometer shows 20,000 or less, it should have the original tires
• Look at the wear and tear on the vehicle—especially the gas, brake and clutch pedals—they should be appropriate for the number of miles on the odometer
• Do not leave out minimal scratches on the instrument cluster, if someone has used tools to change figures, it may leave a trace.
• Check MOT history – it comes very first when asking how to find out actual mileage on a car. Mileage discrepancies on this certificate can also indicate that odometer tampering has taken place.

What do sellers use to change odometer data? 

The most popular tools for altering miles displayed on the odometer are rollback devices. They are everywhere on sale and it is not hard to purchase for any individual. The principle of working is very similar for most of them. They roll back figures on the odometer, and it shows much less than the actual numbers. The main drawback of that kind of tools is that they can remove or correct information from the instrument cluster, but it is not enough when it comes to modern automobiles. Knowing how to find out car mileage means considering that this information can be found in other parts of the vehicle, namely in other control units and anyone can retrieve it with the help of proper equipment.

It is pivotal to avoid detecting mileage correction for wrongdoers, they do their best to mask all possible answers to the question – how to find out mileage on a car? Dishonest people also pick tools that will be reliable and remove data unconditionally. A mileage stopper is a good alternative. It does not roll back, it halts the mileage recording process in the automobile. You may come across many companies that produce such products, but the Mileage blocker from Super kilometer Filter is the one that does not leave any trace. It stops the recording process from all control units. That is the reason why dishonest sellers choose the product for fraudulent purposes and it is impossible to determine how to find out actual mileage on a car . 

Is a Mileage blocker legal?

Yes, the usage of a Mileage stopper is legal in most countries. However, at Super kilometer filter, we do not recommend to use it for dishonest purposes, such as deceiving potential buyers of your used car The initial purpose of the module is to test the performance of your automobile in a controlled environment. Unfortunately, dishonest individuals use such advanced tools to mask real mileage and make it impossible to answer how to find out car mileage. 

If you buy a Mileage blocker, you can avoid the exhausting process of installation. The point is that you can do it yourself if you follow the instructions. If you have issues, our support team is ready to answer your questions anytime.

Takeaway 

As you can see, learning how to find out mileage on a car is crucial for any individual. There are several possible situations when the odometer shows incorrect numbers. Surely, sometimes it has technical problems but in most cases, it is part of the fraud. When you know how to reveal such discrepancies, you are not at risk of becoming a victim of this crime.