How to Check if the Odometer Has Been Tampered With?
1 Answers
Checking the odometer is quite simple. Just review the maintenance records or use a diagnostic computer to read the transmission mileage. Some experienced appraisers can directly tell if a car's odometer has been tampered with just by looking. If you want to visually assess whether the odometer has been altered, you can check the wear and tear on the interior. While driving, components that the driver frequently interacts with include the main driver's door handle, the main driver's seat, pedals, steering wheel, and gear shift lever. By examining the wear on these parts, you can roughly determine if the vehicle's odometer has been tampered with. If a car shows very low mileage but has significant wear on the seats, steering wheel, gear shift lever, and pedals, it's highly likely that the odometer has been adjusted. Of course, visual judgment alone isn't entirely accurate. It's also necessary to rely on data to determine if the odometer has been tampered with. The most reliable method is to use a diagnostic computer to check the maintenance records or read the transmission mileage. Note that for manual transmission cars, you cannot read the transmission mileage because manual transmissions don't have a computer—only automatic transmissions do. Additionally, some automatic transmission computers don't record transmission mileage, so drivers need to be cautious when inspecting the car.
