The Expert Podcast

What is Odometer Tampering?
  • Odometer tampering is the act of rolling back the mileage of a vehicle to make it appear newer and in better condition than it is. This misleads buyers into thinking the car has fewer miles, often leading them to pay more.
How Common Is Odometer Tampering?
  • According to a researcher at Carfax, over 28,000 vehicles in Wisconsin alone have tampered odometers.
History of Odometer Tampering:
  • In the past, odometer tampering was easy to do. In the 70s and 80s, you could manually roll back the odometer with simple tools like a dental pick.
  • Digital odometers came next, which were harder to tamper with, but now technology has made it easier to roll back digital odometers using devices available for purchase online.
How Does Odometer Tampering Work Today?
  • Today, you can buy a small device (e.g., on eBay) to plug into your car and roll back the odometer. However, when the car undergoes service, emissions testing, or is sold again, the mileage gets recorded, and if it doesn’t match the tampered reading, it raises red flags.
How to Protect Yourself from Buying a Tampered Vehicle:
  • Always ensure that you get detailed mileage history before purchasing a vehicle.
  • CARFAX is a reliable source for this, but it’s also recommended to check the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) for a more complete history of mileage and other important vehicle records.
Key Takeaway:
  • Double-check all available records to confirm the vehicle's true mileage and avoid falling victim to odometer fraud.

What is The Expert Podcast?

The Expert Podcast brings you firsthand narratives from experts across diverse industries, including private investigators, general contractors and builders, insurance agencies, vehicle specialists, lawyers, and many others.

How bad is odometer tampering? Well, according to one researcher, Carfax, 28,000 vehicles just in one state in Wisconsin have tampered odometers. Tampered odometers occur when the mileage on a car is altered. For example, a car might show 990,000 miles, but the odometer is rolled back to maybe 40,000 or 50,000 miles. This makes the buyer think the car is in better shape than it actually is, because it appears to have fewer miles, and can be sold for more money.

Back in the 70s and 80s, tampering with the odometer was actually very easy. You could simply roll the little dial on the dashboard back manually with a dental pick or some other type of tool. Then, they moved to digital odometers, which were more difficult to change. But now, you can buy a little box on eBay, plug it into your car, and roll the odometer back.

The problem is, every time you bring your car in for service, or when it’s sold or there’s some other record for emissions or smog, they record the mileage. So, if the mileage on the vehicle changes, it won’t match the previous records, and that’s going to be a red flag when somebody goes to transfer it.

A lot of these cars are flipped based on the mileage. Make sure, if you're purchasing a vehicle, that you get good mileage history documentation to ensure you're not buying a car that has more miles than you think. CARFAX is one source, but you really want to go to the horse’s mouth—the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), which has all the records for mileage recordings. This will help ensure that what’s on the vehicle matches up with what is shown in the historical observations and records for that particular car.