Odometer Tampering (2)

In the last issue, I wrote about the odometer reading administration system. This time, I am going to write how to detect odometer tampering on a car which has only had 1 owner and cannot be checked with the system.

Generally speaking, it is believed that you can easily track down the history of the car if it has only 1 owner so you can safely buy it. In most cases, this is true. However, because of the same reason, the only person who knows the history is the owner, which also means that he/she can hide inconvenient information without anyone else knowing about it.

Firstly, the easiest way to check the mileage is to have a look at the car’s “Shaken”/Warrant of Fitness certificate. Everytime the car goes in for a shaken/WOF, the mileage at the time is recorded on the bottom left corner of the certificate. From the date on the certificate you can check if there is anything suspicious by comparing the figure to the present odometer reading.

Secondly, you can also check it from the maintenance record. Manufacturers recommend maintenance at 1 month, 6 months and yearly after a new car is purchased and if it is done at a dealer, they record what they did to the car, the date, odometer reading and the name of the person who carried out the maintenance. Following the history, you can work out the possible current mileage.

When you cannot use the above two methods, you can take the car to a dealer and ask them to check it with a tester. They can check Mercedes Benz, BMWs, Chryslers and Peugeots though it depends on the grade and age. Unfortunately they can only check a few types of Japanese cars even of Toyota or Nissan. For your information, Lexus, Japan’s finest cars send the odometer reading to the dealer via radio wave everytime the engines are turned on, so they are safe; but most Japanese cars are not compatible with such a system yet.

Imagine something like this happens: Mr A buys a new Nissan Sylvia. He uses it for almost 3 years and the mileage reads 80,000Km. Before needing another Shaken/WOF, he decides to sell the car. Wanting to sell it for a high price, Mr A tampers with the odometer from 80,000Km to 30,000Km, takes it to an auction through a trader and sells it. If Mr A has not taken the car to a dealer for maintenance for the last 3 years and nothing has been recorded on the book, there is no way to check about odometer tampering. The auction place decides there is nothing wrong with the odometer reading because this is the first time for the car to be listed at an auction and it will not be caught with the odometer reading administration system. In a case like this, JPC check the condition of the car at the auction place and judge it from there. A preliminary examination, using all our experience and five senses, our grade AA staff check to see if the car is really in a condition of one with 30,000Km mileage. If a car does 80,000Km, it shows a certain level of wearing exterior & interior, steering wheels and brake & accelerator pedals, engine oil leaks, wearing of the seats, tyre & belt abrasion, etc. Getting a close look at the car, we decide if it matches to the alleged mileage. This is a skill which requires a lot of experience in examining cars but even when we cannot exactly say a car’s odometer was tampered with, we do tell the customer before the auction if there is a possibility of it happening and then in some cases advise him/her to reduce the bid.

However, please do not get the wrong idea. You do not have to worry about odometer tampering for all the cars with a sole owner. Most of the cars are OK. From our experience, depending on the age of the car, we say, if you see a sole owned sport car, especially with some alterations, with the average mileage (less than 10,000Km/year) and with the auction point 3.5, be careful. Usually when a sport car is altered, they have high mileage. But considering the age of the car, if the mileage seems incredibly low against the condition of the car, you should go and have a look at the car yourself and ask the reason for this. Or if it has lots of unfavourable comments from the inspector on the auction’s entry form, check the contents and if you have any doubt, do not place a bid. (We, at JPC, do the translation of the auction forms for free.)

In Japan, odometer tampering is a crime. Thanks to the odometer reading administration system, it is getting less and less. But there are always some heartless traders who still do this. We, at JPC do our best for our customers not to fall victim of this ugly activity.


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(Editor)
JPC TRADE CO.,LTD.
Kato building 4F, 1-1-2 Furuishiba, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association (JUMVEA)
TEL : +81-3-5245-7731
FAX : +81-3-3643-4955