The Sunday News
Lovert Mafukure
My Timing belt snapped and my car only has 70 000km! Valves are bent. Are they not supposed to last up to 100 000km?
Timing belts are not made to last up to 100 000km, they are supposed to last over 100 000km but manufacturers guarantee them up to 100 000km and you are supposed to change them there-after. This is a special case but not uncommon these days. It points to one thing and that one thing is mileage fraud!
Mileage fraud or odometer fraud is when people roll back their odometers to make it seem like their cars have less mileage than they actually do.
Sometimes it’s referred to as clocking or mileage correction. Used car business in Japan is big business as it is now in Zimbabwe and it’s affected by competition like any other business. Sellers will do anything to sell their cars, even if it means rolling back the odometer. A lot of us check mileage when we buy used cars, the lower the mileage the better the buy, that is our thinking, but, how real is the mileage that’s being advertised on these cars?
The odds now are that you can get an overally better car with 120 000km on it and a worse car with 60 000km on it.
Thousands of people buy cars every day. A lot of unsuspecting first time buyers may not know much about cars and buy over valued cars with “corrected” mileage. This always happens locally or worse when buying from Japan. Japan has a lot of notorious car dealers who are well known for tampering with the mileage. Some export dealers do indicate on their websites that mileage may have been “corrected” but others do not bother.
“Corrected” is a term they use to indicate that mileage has been reduced. Many of these cars coming now are well over 10 years of age but very low mileage, some have had as much as 100 000km shaved off for better resale value.
There are many ways to tell if mileage has been reduced but it’s not always easy. First allow me to tell you a story. A while back I was weighing up some options for a client. One car caught my eye. It was cheap and looking nice and I did take it for a spin. It had a mechanical odometer. Everything checked out except one thing. After a short drive of maybe 5km the trip counter still read zero. I wondered why. After some enquiries the owner said it doesn’t work . . . that is one of the red flags! The mechanical odometer is meant to turn in one direction only and once you tamper with it, it may stop working or start showing misaligned digits. If you see such telltale signs you should know the odometer may have been tampered with.
Low mileage cars also usually have their original parts in place. They do not need replacements that early. Tyres, batteries, hoses, brakes etc all should be in their original state for a low mileage car of say less than 40 000km. Sometimes, however, this may be difficult to use as a benchmark with cars from Japan that are generally in pristine condition. Always check tyre condition and wear and tear on the seats and interior and see if it corresponds with the said mileage.
Service records if available can be a good way to check for mileage inconsistencies. Stickers for next service intervals are usually stuck on the inside of the driver’s door. A lot of mechanics and service centres no longer do this though; very few of them still maintain a level of professionalism when they go about their business. Some Japanese car dealers offer odometer inspection services to try and counter this issue of mileage fraud.
Unconfirmed reports estimate about 80 percent of grey imports have had their odometers wound back. Buying such cars can and will eventually cost the end user money. Always check nicely before you buy knowing low mileage does not necessarily point to good condition. It takes an experienced eye to see a clocked car but whenever you suspect always negotiate a better price for a clocked car. If you can’t employ an expert, always use your sixth sense, high level of care and some tips mentioned above. Till next time. Happy motoring.
Feedback – [email protected] / www.facebook.com/automartzimbabwe <http://www.facebook.com/automartzimbabwe>
Disclaimer: This material has been prepared with the intent to provide reliable information; no warranty either expressed or implied is made to its accuracy or completeness. No liability is assumed for any loss, injury to persons, property or other damage resulting from either the use of or reliance on the material presented. Always consult the professionals.
