How to Check If the Mileage Has Been Tampered with on a Used Car?
2 Answers
An adjusted odometer cannot be detected directly; you can only determine if the mileage has been altered by examining the wear and aging of the vehicle itself. Check the following components: 1. Steering wheel: Daily use leaves deep marks on the steering wheel, and since it is rarely replaced, it best reflects the frequency of use. 2. Surface of controls: If the central armrest or gear shift knob shows signs of peeling, this level of wear does not occur within just 30,000 to 50,000 kilometers. 3. Seats: Prolonged sitting causes the seats to lose elasticity and show obvious aging. Leather seats may become shiny and stiff. If the seats appear to have been replaced, the car's mileage is certainly high.
When checking if a used car's mileage has been tampered with, I particularly focus on daily wear and tear. Seats and steering wheels that feel smooth and cracked clearly indicate significant usage; brake and accelerator pedals with noticeable depressions from heavy use are dead giveaways. The gear shift lever and handbrake handle also reveal usage levels—peeling or polished surfaces are good indicators. Also, inspect the tires: they typically need replacement every 40,000–50,000 km. If a 5-year-old car still has brand-new tires, the mileage might be suspicious. Additionally, check the maintenance log—each service record includes mileage entries, so calculate the historical mileage differences. Vehicle history report apps are quite useful, like certain car-check apps where you input the VIN to compare past data. If a 3-year-old car has only 10,000 km on it, the interior shouldn’t show excessive wear—normal annual mileage ranges between 10,000 and 20,000 km. For extra certainty, consider using an OBD scanner plugged into the car’s port to read the actual data from the onboard computer—this method is more accurate but requires additional equipment. Finally, don’t forget to ask the seller about the car’s past usage, as urban and highway driving result in different wear patterns.
