Several ways: how to check whether the mileage on a car is twisted

What are we seeing these days?

Upon arrival at the nearest car dealership that sells used cars, you can see a unique beauty: all the cars, as if selected, are clean, mirror-like and ready to meet their new owner. And where, and most importantly, who to look in the mouth? Unfortunately, not everything is so simple in our life. Otherwise, I could, with a great degree of confidence, rely on the speedometer readings, which actually show how far our horse has traveled, and not think about how to check whether the mileage is twisted. But, in our time, they have learned to fake horse teeth, let alone iron horses.
Want to check it out? Hurry up to place an advertisement for the sale of your car, and you will immediately be bombarded with calls with offers to reduce the mileage of your car for a certain price. How do you like this? So, it's time to move on to the main topic of our conversation. The so-called corrective actions regarding the mileage of a car are taken through special intervention using a specialized tool or existing equipment in the vehicle components. This is done in order to change the readings of the on-board computer or instrument board in the direction you need.

Not so long ago, when speedometers were mechanical and, accordingly, correction methods were applied to them. During the whole process, the speedometer assembly itself was disassembled and the required numbers were manually set or operated using an electric drill. The chuck of an electric drill was carefully placed on the cable of the device, after which the required mileage was screwed on. Today, most automobile components have become electronic, i.e., mileage is adjusted electronically. It happens like this: specialized equipment is connected to the car’s diagnostic connector and new numbers are flashed. Just five minutes of work and your car can, with extraordinary ease for its owner, transform from a pensioner with considerable experience into a middle-aged man who travels only on weekends. What should you do and what should you do to avoid being deceived?

You can't trust anyone nowadays

Muller-Bronevoy, as always, was right: you can’t trust anyone. Including the odometer. However, it is quite possible to do without it. For starters, let us hint that even on budget cars, odometer readings are often duplicated in other control units (engine, gearbox, etc.). Examples - Daewoo Matiz, Chevrolet Lacetti, Opel Astra N, Zafira B, Corsa D, Ford Focus 3, etc.

So where to look? Hooves, teeth, tail - where? There are only two ways to determine mileage: the so-called expert method and computer diagnostics.

The expert method is based on indirect signs of age. A person’s age is always revealed by his hands: an experienced doctor will tell you his age to the nearest year... A car has different signs.

— Excessive wear of brake discs. Of course, they could have been replaced with new ones specifically for selling the car. But in some cases, such repairs are not economically feasible. Brake discs, depending on the car model, can cost a pretty penny. Therefore, you need to look at their condition.

— Wired windshield. It's also expensive to change. It is unlikely that anyone will do this just for sale. Scratches and numerous chips indicate a high mileage of the car. Branded glass or not is important. This does not affect the degree of wear and number of chips.

— Worn armrests and window buttons. However, the components necessary for their restoration (and very cheap) can be found on a well-known Chinese Internet site.

- A dirty keychain. Again: the Internet is full of offers: replacing the key fob with a new one is not a problem. But if the owner didn’t bother to do even this, most likely he doesn’t want to hide the car’s shortcomings.

Everything is clear, right? You, my friend, are far from the first freshness...

Everything is clear, right? You, my friend, are far from the first freshness...

- Shabby steering wheel. Re-tightening the steering wheel will cost a little more than the previous operations. As a rule, they are limited to a steering wheel cover. If there is one, be sure to look under such a cover.

— Worn side bolsters of the seats.

— Cloudy polycarbonate headlights.

— Worn pedal pads. Today it is possible to restore their original condition inexpensively. It is enough to replace the pedal pads with new ones. Issue price: from 500 to 3000 rubles, unless, of course, we are talking about a premium car.

— Sagging doors (in 99% of cases this is the driver’s door). On the other hand, an adjusted door will reveal itself by characteristic marks on the paintwork of the door opening in the area of ​​the hinges or on the door mounting bolts.

— Worn seat belts (by the way, they also have the date of manufacture on them!). It also happens that the condition of the belt is much better than the condition of the car. This does not mean that it was changed. Most likely, the owner of the car simply did not fasten his seat belt, and so that the audible alarm of an unfastened seat belt would not annoy him, he passed the belt behind the back of the driver’s seat and inserted it into the lock. As a result, when you try to unfasten the belt, the stretched spring is no longer able to independently tighten it into the depths of the B-pillar.

— Type of radiators: “sandblasting” immediately reveals seasoned products.

— Camshaft wear (if this is visible through the oil filler neck).

— Tire markings.

We study the tires: the release date is indicated there. In this case, you can check the age of the spare tire - will it match or not? Of course, before selling, you can also install fresh tires, but if it turns out that the owner for some reason installed brand new tires on a car with only 20 thousand mileage, then the question arises: why?

We study the tires: the release date is indicated there. In this case, you can check the age of the spare tire - will it match or not? Of course, before selling, you can also install fresh tires, but if it turns out that the owner for some reason installed brand new tires on a car with only 20 thousand mileage, then the question arises: why?

— The color of the exhaust pipe.

— General condition of the car, etc.

Let us note right away: in order to feel “in the know,” you need to “look at” at least 10–15 cars of the same model. Otherwise, the conclusions will be subjective and, most likely, erroneous.

In some cases, specialized sites can help. In particular, for cars in Moscow and the Moscow region, on the website avtokod.mos.ru you can find the dates of inspection - and for each car its mileage will be indicated. Another useful resource is gibdd.ru. Sometimes service books help. If, for example, the instrument cluster was changed on a car, then a record should be made about this. But in practice, unfortunately, there are numerous cases where such books are not just counterfeited - they are made from scratch! And sometimes the stamps are not worth it. Work orders for specific work with service details are somewhat more trustworthy.

Not everyone knows that the mileage of many cars is remembered by various control modules. And if you connect to the diagnostic connector, a lot of interesting things will appear on the screen. In particular, each recorded failure in the program is tied to the corresponding mileage. It can be funny: the owner sells a car with a mileage of 50 thousand, and his error is recorded at the 190 thousand...

Not everyone knows that the mileage of many cars is remembered by various control modules. And if you connect to the diagnostic connector, a lot of interesting things will appear on the screen. In particular, each recorded failure in the program is tied to the corresponding mileage. It can be funny: the owner sells a car with a mileage of 50 thousand, and his error is recorded at the 190 thousand...

How to find out if a car's mileage is incorrect?

It’s clear that buying a car with a huge mileage is tantamount to buying an elderly horse that is unlikely to pull a heavy load, and if it does, it won’t be for long. Nobody wants to buy a beat-up car that's been driven through hills and dales for countless hours. This does not make any mechanism stronger or better; any iron, even the strongest and most powerful motor, will sooner or later become unusable.

When buying a used car, the question is always asked: “what actually made its owner offer it for sale?” And here the task is to find out: were the readings on the odometer changed? As many people know, within 12 months a car travels on average about twenty-five thousand kilometers. This, of course, does not update the mechanism and leads to various types of breakdown and wear of certain parts that carry the heaviest load. Buying a car with enormous mileage is like throwing money away, because repairing it can cost a large sum. And this is not at all profitable.

What does car mileage affect?

In the used car market, managers often assert that the number of kilometers traveled essentially does not affect anything - it’s just a number. Only beginners will believe this phrase, because the mileage of a car affects all the vital mechanisms of the car, in particular:

• Motor condition. Leaving the gates of the car dealership, the new car begins its journey to a major overhaul. The more kilometers she walked, the closer he was, accordingly. Valves, belts, and generators become unusable.
• Brakes. The pads fail especially quickly - they are changed every 20 thousand kilometers. The timing belt lasts two and a half times longer.
• Body.

Important: most often you cannot tell by eye how much the car has already driven. However, a number of characteristic abrasions may, upon external inspection, indicate that the kilometers have been twisted.

How to check whether the mileage is correct on a VAZ 2114, Renault Logan, Ford Focus? On Kalina? On Prior?

You can check for incorrect mileage on a VAZ in the following ways:

You can check Renault Logan for fraud if you pay attention to the following points:

• The steering wheel should not be jammed; you can check the condition by removing the braid;
• the gear shift lever should be in ideal condition;
• The brake disc flange must be normal;
• determine how worn the steering wheel cushion is;
• It is also important what condition the knitting needles have.

We check the Ford Focus for mileage compliance. It is possible (to be convincing) with the help of an experienced diagnostician. We independently assess the condition:

• steering wheel;
• pens;
• gearboxes;
• wear on brake discs;
• windshield.

In order not to make a mistake when buying a Klina, you should carefully inspect the car and exclude excessive wear on the windshields. With low mileage, they will be “original” (check the year of manufacture). There should be no cracks or gaps between the panels. Excessively crooked gaps indicate that the car is very worn. It is necessary to pay attention to the seams under the hood. If the seams are uneven, there is putty or putty, most likely the car is very old or has high mileage.

On a Priori, you can check the mileage compliance by assessing the condition of the interior. The more flaws and abrasions, the higher the mileage. You also need to inspect the brake discs, pedals and steering wheel. If such parts are in poor condition, you should refrain from purchasing. Only the right choice and attentiveness will allow you to avoid deception and become the owner of an excellent car.

Avtopoisk74 › Blog › Priora MILEAGE NATIVE. See condition

It so happened that we need to look for Priors. My problem is that I can’t fully understand their mileage in the cabin... And all because I compare them with foreign cars, which is absolutely forbidden to do, as the mechanic told me! The quality of materials doesn’t really vary, it’s not even close...

For comparison, I took my friend’s Lada Priora, it’s December 2011, purchased in 2012, with a Conder and all the stuff! His mileage is 100% honest, and today I saw him! I didn’t take many EVENING photos... Not super quality, but you’ll see everything!

NOW SEE THE PHOTO, COME UP WITH THE MILEAGE AND THE ANSWER IS BELOW.

Let me remind you that the cars were inspected with photographs. The second Lada Priora. Inspection of the Lada Priora. What you need to know about the VAZ is written here. For those who are improving the VAZ and trying to overtake foreign cars that are eating buttbrod at this moment and do not know about the race, you can see here About the turbo Taz with horses horses written here And you try to guess the real horses and look at the price of the car A post to think about the Taz also My attitude towards the VAZ in general

In the last photo, in the place where there is light, it’s already smooth! Everything you need to know.

The headlights also have some wear, I specifically marked it with a marker.

Pedals. Clutch with little wear. The rest are fine.

Power window buttons. The quality of the photo leaves much to be desired... But it is clear that they are white, and the central lock has begun to fumble, which means it will continue to look worse, much faster!

Everything is fine here

Brake discs. Their wear and tear is enormous. Replacement in the near future. HAVE YOU COME UP WITH A MILEAGE? ATTENTION CORRECT ANSWER!

A man weighing 55 kg, in 3 years, turned his seat into a sagging one! He loves the car, blows off specks of dust, washes it, polishes it, looks like new! But if you compare the mileage with a foreign car, you can easily talk about 100,000 km, for some cars even 200,000 km.

Works that have been done

-Bearing left rear -Coils 2 pcs. After that, the new BOSCH coil died * only lasted 5 days) and was replaced with another - The upper ICE airbags and the lower one were replaced. -The CV joint boots have been replaced -The stove is broken. The price for repairs is not humane! Found information on the Internet and soldered it on my own. Soon to change the daisies. Brake discs.

Everything that looks bad on a VAZ on a mileage of 50-100,000 km, sometimes on a foreign car it starts to look like that only after 200 km. And it’s really difficult for me to understand what mileage is in the cabin on the same Priora...

Now look, on this Priora I said that the mileage is higher! It is quite likely that this is the case, since the engine is not working well.

But on this Priora, I thought that the mileage was gone, but my mechanic convinced me otherwise. Why did I write all this? I laid out the Priora with HONEST 60,000 km, and you can see its condition, although the driver’s weight is 55 kg! With one loving owner (no one else drives it) and there is already wear and tear on everything... And if its mileage of 60,000 km is multiplied by 2 = then we get 120,000 km. And this Priora has a mileage of 129,000 km. Yes, this will be the condition)) The seat will sag even more, the pedals will wear out even more, the glass buttons will finally look even worse, perhaps only the steering wheel will be better)

That's all the arithmetic... That's the quality... So understand the mileage on Priors... Even in the most budget foreign cars, the interior is much more durable, and the foreign cars that have been laid out are not all from the same owner! So the cans are constantly being passed around from hand to hand... A little bit of a rush to sell, a little bit of wear and tear, I thought about selling right away... So you drive around and look at this rubbish...

Source

What should you be afraid of?

Odometer readings are adjusted on absolutely all cars.

Even 2-3 year old cars are subject to adjustments to their readings. This is usually done by greedy sellers who want to hide all the shortcomings of the car, trying to “sell” it at an inflated price. Inexperienced drivers often fall for this.

How to check if a car's mileage is wrong? Anyone can do this, you just need to carefully inspect the car. What should you be afraid of when buying a car with low mileage? When buying a car with low mileage, you run the risk of buying real junk cars, which will require a lot of money from you for maintenance. Thus, the odometer is often adjusted at mileage from 90 to 110 thousand. And this is due to the fact that during this period of time the car is undergoing the largest scheduled maintenance. In order not to spend money on repairs, unscrupulous sellers inflate the odometer numbers and put the vehicle up for sale, convincing the buyer that the car has already passed all the necessary maintenance.

Why do they twist the mileage?

Most often, the odometer readings are changed in order to sell the car at a higher price. However, there are a number of other reasons why sellers resort to this procedure. Twisting of readings may be caused by the need to:

You may be faced with the fact that the mileage of used cars imported into Russia from those countries where the amount of transport tax is calculated depending on the kilometers traveled by the car over a certain period of time is increased.

For example, such a system has been in operation for several years in the Netherlands, where a car’s mileage is tracked using GPS. In some US states, car owners have to pay $0.012 per mile.

Computer diagnostics

This is perhaps the most accurate and fastest way to verify the authenticity of odometer readings. This requires a laptop and an OBD-2 cord. By connecting to the electronic control unit, you can see the actual mileage of the car. Be careful! Some sellers make adjustments by resetting the data in the electronic unit.

How to check the mileage of a car (wound or not)? To verify the authenticity of the kilometers traveled by the car, we look at individual components. The mileage is recorded not only in the engine and gearbox, but also in small systems (for example, the light control unit). And they are most often protected from overwriting. Here we can catch the seller “on the hook” by pointing him to the correct mileage. But there are other ways to find out the real mileage of a car. Let's look at them further.

Rolling up the electronic odometer

The operation of devices of this type is based on reading the readings of special sensors (they can be optical or magnetic), which are installed on the gearbox shaft or directly on the vehicle wheel. The readings go into the on-board computer, which records them and transmits them to the electronic display.

On expensive car models (Toyota, Audi, etc.), mileage data can be stored in several memory blocks at once. According to experts, it is most difficult to change the mileage traveled on a BMW (the car can have up to 10 backup storage points). However, experts unanimously claim that if you have the appropriate equipment, you can check the mileage of absolutely any vehicle.

Several tricks are used to manipulate electronic odometers.

Method number 1. Designed for fraud with budget cars. To implement it, it is enough to remove the dashboard and connect the car’s on-board computer to a laptop on which the appropriate software is installed, or to a special device - a programmer. After this, the actual readings change.

Method number 2. Used for fraud with expensive cars that have several backup data storage units. In its principle it is almost identical to the first. However, it is very important for the fraudster to detect all information storages, otherwise during further operation the car computer can restore data from the backup storage, then the real mileage will again be displayed on the display.

The cost of the service depends on the complexity of the work and can vary from 2.5 to 10-12 thousand rubles.

How do you know if the mileage is twisted? Dashboard

Pay attention to how the front dashboard and the instrument panel itself were assembled. If it had signs of disassembly (and these are scratches and places pryed with a screwdriver), then there is reason to think about it. By the way, the instrument panel itself is covered with a thin layer of varnish on the reverse side. If the mileage has been twisted, it will be immediately visible. But to do this you will have to completely remove the shield out.

If it is a classic drum-type odometer, pay attention to the gaps between the numbers. They should not stand crookedly or at different distances from each other. Otherwise, there is every reason to confirm the mileage adjustment.

How to set the required mileage values?

For cars belonging to the budget price category, it is enough to remove the electronic meter panel shield and connect to the diagnostic output. Connect the other end of the cable to a computer with previously installed software.

After which it will be possible to enter new mileage indicators. Moreover, it is very difficult to identify such interference only if the owner carelessly unscrewed the panel cover and left mechanical damage. In this case, a twist in the values ​​is quite likely, but the owner can inform about diagnostics or replacement of lighting elements.

If there are several memory blocks, this process becomes somewhat more complicated, but not dramatically. How to change mileage on an electronic speedometer if there are 6-8 points of backup information storage? Here you need to connect to the car computer and use special programs to work with all the blocks - you cannot miss a single one. Otherwise, there is a possibility that the previous indicators will appear on the display. In rare cases, the ignition switch is re-flashed, or a new microcircuit is soldered into the control unit.

How to check mileage on an electronic speedometer yourself? Technical support and good knowledge of electronic systems will be required. With specialized services, this manipulation will not take much time (up to 2 hours).

Interior details

We continue to tell you how to check the mileage of a car (twisted or not). An important detail during inspection is the steering wheel. Based on its condition, you can determine how accurate the odometer readings are. How to find out the real mileage of a car? The steering wheel begins to wear out at 250 thousand kilometers or more. Moreover, early wear cannot be attributed to poor build quality.

A car with a steering wheel like the one in the photo definitely cannot have a mileage of less than 100-150 thousand kilometers. Also note that sellers reupholster the steering wheel, and often use cheap materials for this. If there is a non-factory stitch on it, then the element has been restored.

Don't neglect the seats either.

It will be quite difficult to change them. Yes, you can do this, but it won’t pay off when you sell it. Some people install disassembled seats taken from cars with less mileage. In this case, pay attention to the adjacent seats and the back row.

If there is more wear on them than on the driver's seat, it means the seat has been replaced. Some sellers attach “T-shirts” or covers to hide wear. Don't be afraid to look underneath them. Perhaps the owner was trying to hide signs of wear in this way.

Another factor is the door trim. Few sellers deal with this little detail. Often their deception ends with adjusting the odometer readings and resetting basic data from the ECU. No one “bothers” with the condition of the door trim and handles. When purchasing, pay attention to these details.

Also inspect the condition of the gear lever and the parking brake handle boot. Noticeable signs of wear appear on them no earlier than after 200 thousand kilometers.

Ways to twist mileage

Fraudsters have several techniques in their arsenal to deceive gullible customers. The choice of one method or another primarily depends on the type of device installed on the machine, which is responsible for calculating the distance traveled.

Here it is necessary to clarify and talk about the fact that many inexperienced car owners mistakenly associate the increase in mileage with adjusting the speedometer readings. In fact, it shows the speed of movement, and the number of kilometers traveled by the vehicle is recorded by another device - odometer .

The device works in close connection with the speedometer. And the panels that display the readings of these two devices are usually located next to each other. Apparently this is where some confusion in concepts arose. In order not to confuse the reader even more, we agree that the use of both definitions is acceptable.

A car can be equipped with one of three types of odometers:

• mechanical;
• electromechanical;
• electronic.

Mechanical and electromechanical devices were used in the automotive industry until the end of the last century. They are distinguished by a rather primitive device: the speed of the gearbox gearbox is transmitted through a special cable to a meter, the readings of which are displayed on the dashboard. It is easiest to check the mileage of such a device.

Method number 1. The odometer is disassembled, and the necessary readings are set on the meter manually.

Method number 2. To implement it, you will need to disassemble the dashboard and attach any power tool with high rotation speed (screwdriver, drill, etc.) to the speedometer cable using a special attachment. After this, the readings are twisted to the desired value. Of course, this can be done manually, but using a power tool speeds up the process many times over.

For an electromechanical odometer, twisting is carried out in a similar way. The only difference is that if, when taking readings from a mechanical device, the on-board power of the car is turned off (the terminals from the battery are removed), then when carrying out manipulations with an electromechanical device, the power cannot be turned off (otherwise the meter wheels will not rotate). Therefore, there is a high probability of a short circuit occurring.

The cost of the work is quite affordable and ranges from 1 to 1.5 thousand rubles. It’s quite easy to find advertisements in newspapers or on the Internet for companies willing to provide such a service. They are usually hidden under signs like this: “Speedometer adjustment and repair.”

Quite a few home-grown “Kulibins” in their own garages make a living by turning mileage. Usually people find out about them through word of mouth.

Don't be fooled by the pretty wrapper

To make the car seem as attractive as possible, its body is tinted. However, do not rush to determine the integrity of the mileage by the quality of the paintwork. If the body repair was carried out with high quality, even an experienced motorist cannot determine this. The only thing that can be done is to check the thickness of the paintwork using a thickness gauge. It also determines how much putty was applied to the body (if the car was after an accident). The mechanism “breaks” the distance from the top of the paintwork to the metal.

However, it makes no sense to look at the quality of the paint by checking the rolled mileage. After all, an accident can happen at any mileage. Here everything depends on how well the repair was carried out. Well, if you are buying a car that is 20+ years old, inspect the hidden places - sills and technological plugs on the bottom. Corrosion does not depend on mileage, but rust is a significant reason to reduce the price.

How to determine a corrected motor rally

In order to determine that the mileage adjustment has taken place, it is first necessary to establish the fact of this, and it differs in the following ways:

1. Odometer and its type.
2. How old is the car?
3. Availability of documents and technical skills that are involved in verification.
4. As a rule, there are only three types of checks:
5. Analytical.
6. Computer.
7. Technical.

Method 1

The analytical verification method is based on a detailed inspection of the car at the time of its purchase, as a result of which certain conclusions are drawn about how realistic the indicated mileage is. According to statistics, cars travel approximately 10-15 thousand. km in one year. And if such indicators are compared with the year in which the car was produced, then it is possible to determine whether the odometer was adjusted.

ATTENTION . Also, it is possible to identify the fact of mileage adjustment by resorting to indirect conclusions about the condition of the vehicle. So, for example, if a car has very worn seats, a sanded steering wheel and worn pedal pads, and its mileage is less than 100 thousand km, then it is logical to assume that the mileage was specially changed.

They also indicate changed mileage and new interior parts. As a rule, if the car “ran” only 100 thousand km, then the linings and steering wheel could not have worn out so much, and their replacement would not be required.

Checking mileage at a car service center

If you like the car, but have doubts about the reality of the mileage, you can use the services of professionals by visiting a service station. Car service technicians will conduct a thorough computer diagnostic that will show the actual mileage (as well as whether third-party devices were connected to the ECU) and other important indicators of the vehicle.