Can Digital Odometers Be Tampered And How To Detect It?

According to federal estimates, of the millions of cars sold each year, nearly half a million have their mileage illegally altered.

The switch from analog to digital odometers was reassuring to used car buyers as it was believed that rolling back is not possible on these odometers. 

However, there have been reports that some new devices plug into the car's computer system and easily roll back the digital odometers. 

In this article, we look at how to lower the miles on digital odometers, which can explain how illegal tampering is done on vehicles.

How To Change Mileage On Odometers

Before we look into how digital odometers are rolled back, we need to understand how they work. When the car is in motion, the speedometer gear spins a cable connected to a set of gears. Those gears rotate a numbered dial that displays mileage using gear reduction calculation. 

The odometer's output depends on several factors, such as speed of rotation and diameter of the transmission output shaft and spline gear, the diameter of the speedometer gear, and the diameter of the car's tires. 

There are two ways a mechanical odometer can be tampered with.

Disabling The Odometer: Removing the odometer from the instrument cluster prevents the vehicle from reading the mileage.  

Disconnecting the Dash Unit: Removal of the dash unit disables the reading of the distance covered. When you reinstall the unit, the reading resumes from that point onwards, showing lower mileage.

In modern digital odometers, `magnetic sensors record the number of times that rotation of the transmission output shaft occurs. The information goes to the car's onboard computer, where it is processed, and you get the details you need. 

In digital odometers, the instrument console of the car is removed. It is then hooked up to a laptop, and the chipset that controls the odometer is flashed to reset it. Sometimes just replacing the chipset and re-soldering them can reverse the reading.

How To Check For The Digital Odometer Tampering?

There is no foolproof way to check whether a digital odometer has been tampered with. It would be best if you could have a pre-purchase inspection. Procure the vehicle's history report before buying them. 

The history report will alert you to any damage history, lien status, and more, along with a registration history, including odometer readings. While comparing those you see on the odometer, make sure there is a logical pattern.

To conclude, odometer tampering is one of the most common frauds encountered when purchasing used cars. Be sure to check the vehicle's history report and always buy from reputable dealers. If you have been a victim of odometer fraud, reach out to the attorneys at Allen Stewart. 

Andrew Richardson is the author of this Article. To know more about Returning a buy here pay here Car please visit our website: allenstewart.com

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Created on Dec 29th 2021 04:56. Viewed 61 times.

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