How to Check Mileage and Odometer Fraud?

If you are planning to buy a used car, you probably have many questions and doubts. You must have heard the story about the German or Swiss "grandmother" who drove that car only to the market. And is it really so? Probably not!

VinCheckExpert is an application for checking the mileage and history of used vehicles. All you need is the vehicle's chassis number (VIN number).

The first doubt you have when looking for and looking at a used car ad is whether the mileage of the vehicle you intend to buy is real or clocked. Although this activity is illegal, mileage rollbacks are still the most common scam in the used car market. Sellers can earn hundreds of euros just by returning the mileage. And here's how!

Mileage Fraud and Odometer Rollback

Mileage correction is still common among used car sellers, although this activity is illegal in many countries. Editing odometer readings to fake the mileage is often called "odometer fraud".

This action is illegal in most countries. Odometer fraud is the changing of the odometer to make the car appear to have lower mileage. It leads the used car buyer to believe it is worth more than its actual price.

Clocking mileage is very easy. Today, modern software allows the odometer to be rolled back in a few seconds. There are several places (modules) in the vehicle where the mileage is registered. These are ABS system, Airbag system, dashboard, key, locks, fuel injection computer, engine computer.

The most difficult is to correct the mileage in the engine computer, and the easiest is on the dashboard. When we talk about manufacturers, it is the easiest to correct the mileage on Volkswagen, Audi, Fiat, while the most difficult is to change the mileage on Mercedes and BMW.

French manufacturers Peugeot, Citroen have more complex protocols, so clocking the mileage is more difficult. However, today's modern software makes it possible to easily change the mileage of all vehicle manufacturers and models.

The largest number of vehicles coming from Western Europe, primarily from Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland to Eastern Europe, have clocked mileage. Often these vehicles, which have more than 250,000 to even 750,000 or more kilometers, are tampered with odometers from 100,000 to 500,000 kilometers.

An estimated 30-50% of used cars in Eastern Europe have tampered odometers. Our reports show that there is no clear rule. Mileage returns from 10,000 to more than 300,000.

When you buy a used car with mileage fraud, you are overpaying about 25-35% of the real price and probably you will have costly repairs. Also, when you decide to sell your car it will be very difficult unless you significantly drop the price.

How to recognize a car with odometer rollback?

The development of the auto industry led to the use of more and more electronic components in the car instead of mechanical ones. It's the same with odometers.

To roll back the odometer on old cars, it was necessary to remove the instrument panel and put in a little more effort. Modern electronic odometers can be rolled back very quickly with one click.

You should know that cars in Europe travel about 20,000 to 30,000 kilometers per year. However, some cars, especially high-class station wagons, can cover 70,000 to 100,000 kilometers per year.

Although vehicle history is the best way to check mileage, this is not always possible, so it is good to know other ways to check odometer tampering.

What are the signs that the mileage has been rollbacked?

There are signs in the vehicle to look out for, which indicate that the mileage is corrected.

Brake pedal pad

The brake pedal is regularly used while driving. In cars with high mileage, the brake pedal is very worn. If you're buying a car that the seller claims has been lightly driven, check the brake pedal. If it is worn, know that something is wrong.

On the other hand, if you are buying a used car that has covered up to 200,000 kilometers, and the brake pedal is almost new, know that it must have been replaced. This inconsistency tells you that the mileage must have been corrected too.

Steering wheel and the driver’s seat

The first thing when checking out a used car is to look at the steering wheel and the driver's seat. If the leather on the steering wheel or fabric is tattered you can be sure that the car has more than 200,000 kilometers.

However, as you know this, so do the sellers. Often, sellers buy used steering wheels, seats and seat belts from used cars that have had damage and replace them to make it look like the car has passed fewer kilometers. It's the same with the floor mats and gear lever.

Door hinges

Car doors are used every day. Opening and closing the door affects the condition of the hinges. Open the door and move it up and down. If you feel that they are loose and wobble, you should know that the car must have passed many kilometers. If the mileage on the dashboard is low, you should know that it is fake.

Maintenance records

The service book is the best proof that the car has been regularly maintained. This gives you security when checking the car. If the car has been maintained in an authorized service center that maintains an electronic service book, manipulation of the mileage, damage and history of the vehicle is minimal.

However, most vehicles are maintained in service centers that do not have this record, so manipulations with the vehicle's history are very common. A particular problem is that sellers can buy a complete service history for any vehicle on the black market for €20 to €50.

Why is mileage rollback a common scam?

By rolling back the mileage, the used car seller illegally increases the price of the vehicle that the customer pays. Thus, the customer can pay from 300 to more than 5000 euros as a result of odometer fraud. This is a very easy way for the seller to earn more by selling the vehicle above market value.

Used vehicle maintenance problems start to occur when the car has more than 200,000 kilometers. That's why sellers try to "make up" the car before selling it and return the mileage below this value. When you buy this car, you soon start having additional problems, and expensive repairs that you didn't plan for.

How can I check the correct mileage of the car?

There are several ways to roughly check whether a car's mileage is real.

Production year

On average, used cars accumulate between 20,000 and 40,000 kilometers annually. Our research shows that used cars accumulate more kilometers in the first years, while the average mileage decreases with the age of the car. If the car is 15 years old and the dashboard shows only 150,000 kilometers, this is a sign of suspicion and further inspection.

Vehicle condition

If you check the interior and see that the steering wheel is worn, the seats are worn, the gear lever is worn, and the car has only 100,000 kilometers, you should know that something is wrong. There is a high probability that the mileage has been clocked.

Service history

If the owner has a service book, check the service dates and mileage interval. There should be a clear maintenance history of the vehicle that is consistent with the passage of time. Regular servicing of the vehicle is performed once a year or usually at 15,000 to 20,000 kilometers. If the owner does not have a service book, it will be very difficult for you to check the actual condition of the vehicle.

Authorized service

Take the car to an authorized service center and check the condition of the vehicle, the inconsistencies you suspect and the service history. If the car has a digital service book, you can easily access vehicle maintenance data. However, be careful, hidden defects and repairs were not recorded in the service book, because the vehicle owner deliberately wants to hide them.

How do I check the vehicle history and correct (real) mileage?

The best way to check the mileage and history of a used vehicle is to obtain a Used Vehicle History Report. The VinCheckExpert car history report can help you check the actual (realistic) mileage of a used vehicle. By checking the chassis number (VIN) of a used vehicle for free, you can see how its mileage has changed over time.

The VinCheckExpert report shows you if there has been mileage rollback and odometer fraud. This will help you avoid fraudsters and choose only cars with real mileage readings. In addition to mileage data, the VinCheckExpert report provides you with additional data on legality, accidents and damage, defects and recalls, previous owners.

We collect data from a large number of sources, such as manufacturers' databases, reports from the police and insurance companies, auction houses, certification houses such as SGS, Dekra, Macadam, etc.

If the car does not have a mileage record, based on the algorithm, you will get an estimated mileage. It is the value of the mileage that the car could currently have based on data on vehicles of the same make, model, year of manufacture, body type, fuel and engine type.

How to use VinCheckExpert Report to detect odometer clocking?

The best way to find out the mileage of a used car is to check the vehicle history report. VINCheckExpert is a valuable resource that allows you to free-decode VIN number and check real mileage or odometer frauds.

In the graphic below you can see an example of mileage fraud for a used vehicle available in our database.

It is interesting that the seller tampered with the odometer twice. This vehicle is an Audi A4 wagon, 2006. There are thousands of such reports in our database, so checking a used car before buying is becoming a necessity.

In this example, the mileage was rolled back by almost 70,000 kilometers from 05/2018 to 04/2019. It is ironic that from 05/2020 to 05/2021 it was rolled back again for an additional 20,000 kilometers.

What can I do if I find a mileage rollback?

If you find out that the car has fake mileage, don't buy it. But if the car you bought has fake mileage, you should know that it is an illegal activity. Although you can call the police, it is very difficult to prove who tampered with the odometer and when.

In such a situation, it is better to buy a used car with a higher mileage that is real and that the car has been regularly maintained, than a car with returned mileage and a questionable service history.

The advantage of buying a car with high mileage is a lower price. If that car has been regularly maintained, it doesn't have to be a bad option at all. Second-hand cars of medium and high class with regular service and maintenance can travel up to 700,000 kilometers without any problems.

How to create a used vehicle history report by chassis number (VIN)?

All you need to do is enter the 17-digit VIN number in the "Enter VIN" field and click the Search button. After a few seconds, VIN Decoder will provide a free VIN check and some basic information. This info should be enough to check whether the VIN is valid or not.

To create a complete report about the vehicle, such as mileage records, odometer fraud, estimate mileage, accidents and damages, theft check, market value, and previous images, you should download a VinCheckExpert vehicle history report.

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