Odometer inspections

dbest, Jul 19, 9:11am
Hi all,

Just want to get your thoughts about the odometer inspections. So many cars we can see come with that AA/Jevic inspection sticker saying the odometer was not tampered. How reliable is this ? I read on their info page what they do and doesn't sound convincing. Thing is I know with many cars, if you simply swap out the gauge cluster with one with lower mileage, you'd be none the wiser.

But if we talk about the actual odometer being tampered, I agree that with some quite detailed inspection of the module it self it may be possible to check if its been tampered, but I don't think this would be a simple quick job. Especially with electronic odometers, you can get in circuit programmers to modify the EEPROM data. You wouldn't see any evidence of it. It's not like the meters have anti tamper seals.

The reason I ask this is because, I have come across a couple of cars that exhibit symptoms of high mileage yet they have quite low mileage on the odometer. I am more concerned about this on the Japanese used imports, as I think in Japan the domestic used market is not really that much of a target for shoddy dealing and odometer hacking, so i reckon its not really the automakers concern to implement any protection. I know many other countries have lot of measures in place to prevent this due to the practice in their markets and some governments legislate the automakers to do this.
budgel, Jul 19, 1:47pm
I would always buy a car on its condition first. Any indication an odometer gives as to expected condition is only a starting point. Low K's in start stop traffic has to be worse than higher K's from highway use.
kazbanz, Jul 19, 2:09pm
You are totally forgetting about the passive inspection process.
Jap imports have (in simple terms) WOF inspections which like ours are recorded. But also servicing history is also recorded.
That information is readily available to the odometer cert guys in Japan.
Guys in Japan selling used cars through the auction system face being expelled from the auctions for selling odo fiddled cars (unless the fiddling is disclosed which would make it a fail straight away).
There is also the NZ law which means a car will be seized at the border.if the odo reading is false.
-Im not for a second going to say there are not imports with tampered ODO's but its very rare.
What ISN'T rare is the spiral to the bottom when it comes to car pricing.
in japan you can buy genuine total piles of faeces. cars that have been destroyed inside and out. Never been serviced etc. As you post--they look like they have done a million miles even though the odo says 50000km for example.
Those cars are cheap to buy -for a good reason.
As long as kiwi buyers continue to have red shed mentality with cars those piles of rubbish will continue to come in.
dbest, Jul 19, 3:05pm
I'm aware of the passive processes, I saw that on their website and thats great. I thought maybe its possible somewhere in between the car leaving the auction house and arriving on our shores it could be done.

Agreed with the pieces of s*** coming here. I've test driven 20000kms car that felt like 200000kms and vice versa. Worst are those pseudo-commercial vehicles like succeed, wingroad, partner etc.

One good thing though is that at least compliance and safety regulation makes it incredibly hard to get accident cars through. Many other countries buy serious crashed cars where there is structural damage and airbag blown. They do shoddy repairs, outside looks great but inside it will never withstand the same crash again, airbag warning lights removed/bypassed etc
dbest, Jul 19, 3:07pm
Agreed, that's my rationale too. I have purchased higher mileage cars from owners who have used them on regular highway use over lower mileage from grandpa/grandma using it for the shopping run down the road. What a difference in many cases./
kazbanz, Jul 20, 4:45am
except then the miles on the clock wouldn't match the deregistration sheet. pretty loud alarm bells would be going off at the compliance centre.
Also you still have to get past NZ customs.
socram, Jul 20, 4:51am
What about those naughty people who simply disconnect the odometer for a while? No tampering.
theo35, Jul 20, 5:41am
What I've noticed is with LandCruisers for example. The older (90s, 00s) ones with low mileage are all imports, and cheap, and look worse for wear (steering wheel wear etc. etc.). The older NZ new ones are expensive, high mileage, with less visable wear and tear, and generally better order.
New Zealanders are prepared to pay twice as much for a 'Cruiser with twice as many ks, that is NZ new. This tells me that the perception is that with a NZ new vehicle you are getting something that is, what it is, i.e. a genuine vehicle that has been mostly looked after. It also tells me that Jap imports are odometer tampered, and generally not looked after as well.
kazbanz, Jul 20, 5:45am
Not so simple. In a lot of cases the car just won't drive.
beno, Jul 20, 7:11am
you have to be very careful when buying a NZ or Jap new diesel.
to wind back the odometer is as easy as this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKXn_EcZblY

theres a guy i've heard of in Auckland who will do it for $250
its only a 1 hour job
martin11, Jul 20, 7:25am
Lots of vehicle have a switch fitted to stop the odometer . There is a notice in the VIRM about keeping an eye out for a modified vehicle odometer .
dbest, Jul 20, 7:27am
Yes and just to my point back earlier. Some of the electronic ones are really easy to change too, apparently there are some devices out there that can even do it through the OBD port.
budgel, Jul 20, 7:30am
I've had the problem from the other direction. I bought a motorbike with an aftermarket speedo on it. I was able to buy an original speedo online. Unfortunately the replacement speedo had about 10K more on it. I just shrugged my shoulders and decided to live with it.
Only later, I realised that the aftermarket speedo probably had lower K's than the one it replaced, so the real distance travelled is a mystery as there is no indication on Carjam of a decline since it was brought into the country.
kazbanz, Jul 20, 8:15am
Odo fraud in NZ is far FAR worse than anywhere we import from. With the exception of Euro's from Singapore a few years back that is.
There is no incentive/reason to wind the ODO on a car in Japan but a LOT of incentive to do so in NZ where diesels pay per mile.
kazbanz, Jul 20, 8:21am
Yep and I have NO doubt whatsoever it gets done by people with Diesels in NZ.
But hey you are a big boy so either you can accept that what I post is true or not. But I personally trust "kiwi new" vehicles a LOT less than jap imports. Especially diesels.
marte, Jul 20, 8:47pm
Someone told me about how in Japan in cold areas, at winter I guess, they just leave the car where they park it, idling all night.
" there's like streets of cars just sitting there idling continuously all thru the night, then they get up to a warm car & drive to work. Nobody steals cars there".
True or not?
gammelvind, Jul 21, 2:30am
That really sounds like one of “those”tales, like Japanese cars spend a lot of time idling in traffic when those who spend time in Japan say their traffic is similar to Auckland. Therefore don’t buy Auckland cars as they spend too much time idling in traffic lol.
kazbanz, Jul 21, 5:10am
You have 100% shown what is wrong with peoples knowledge of Japan and car ownership there.
You are quoting a variation on the urban legend about the japs that left their diesel vans running all day to keep the AC cool.
Funny thing is in all the times ive visited japan not once have I seen cars sitting idling with no one in them.
For awhile there was a gimmick where you could start your car remotely to warm it up in the AM but I haven't seen that lately.
Not attacking you personally but its darn frustrating people who hear things third hand -and the first person is quoting legend from 20 years ago.
next-to-normal, Nov 17, 6:41am
please get rid of RUC for small vehicles and add it to the cost off fuel,it is so unnecessary