The Sunday News
THIS issue of mileage fraud is a very contentious issue. 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 what they need to do 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’s our thinking. But, how real is this mileage that’s being advertised on these cars? The odds now are that you can get an overall better car with 120 000km on it and a worse car with 60 000km on it. Now how can you know what’s real and what’s fake?
Thousands of people buy cars every day. A lot of unsuspecting first 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 tempering with 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. Have you ever seen some cars that are always conveniently to the nearest round number like 60 000km or 92 000km online? Yeah, there you have it, it’s rather too convenient isn’t it?
People roll back odometers for different reasons. Sometimes someone may have replaced a faulty one or someone may be trying to over value their car. To an unsuspecting buyer it may be a costly buy. A rolled back odometer will prove very costly in a bit of a while. For example, you may buy a car with 50 000km and 50 000km was knocked off. If you followed from last week, at 100 000km that’s when you need to do a major service and if you don’t, well, your timing belt might just snap or something catastrophic will happen when you least expect. Having said that, you see how suddenly a new priced possession can become a nightmare or a deathtrap when it shouldn’t be. It’s called odometer fraud for a reason, it’s illegal and all those that practice it should be well aware of it. Zimbabwe may not really be that motivated to police such issues but it’s something bodies like the National Traffic Safety Board or the relevant ministry should look into because it is well above a lot of things that matter and does contribute much to traffic safety.
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 inquiries the owner said it didn’t work . . . hmmm red flag! The mechanical odometer is meant to turn in one direction only and once you temper 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 tempered 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 usually stuck on the inside of the driver’s door. A lot of mechanics and service centers no-longer do this though; very few of them still maintain a level or professionalism when they go about their business. Some Japanese car dealers offer odometer inspection services to try and counter this issue of mileage fraud.
Digital odometers are supposed to be more temper proof than the older mechanical ones but as we all know technology makes everything computerised easier to temper with. It’s a lot easier now for people to temper with digital odometers without having to open anything. You just need the proper tools and voila! You’ve committed a crime. I won’t go into detail in case I motivate some creative minds. It’s wiser to look out for the mentioned signs especially on these newer cars with digital odometers. It’s been noted by some researchers that an average car runs 20-30 000km a year. This is relative of course; it depends on where the car comes from. The Japanese are well known to rely on their efficient public transport system and most of their cars truly have low mileage but then like I always say you will always find some bad apples in every basket. Have that car thoroughly checked before commitment. It’s like marriage, you have to know the next person before you commit or else all hell will break loose.
People also need to be careful when buying diesel engines from Japan. They are usually used as commercial vehicles and then wound back or clocked when it’s time to sell them. Diesel engines are strong and if maintained well do last way longer than petrol engines but can be a nightmare when they start whining. Thanks to Japanese’s sense of tidiness, a car can have more than 500 000km on the odometer but still have clean carpets and shiny paint but with hundreds of thousands of miles and will be hellishly expensive to fix when the time comes.
Unconfirmed reports estimate about 80% of grey imports to have had their odometers wound back. Buying such a car can cost you money or your life. With a number of recorded accidents involving Japanese cars being driven from Tanzania, one can see that a lot can go wrong with cars from Japan that may not always be what the seller says they are, not to rule them all out as unfit as accidents are always caused a myriad of other things. Always check for such, most of the times you may never know, it takes an experienced eye 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. Eat Sleep JDM.
Feedback from Readers
Sir, thank you for the insightful article in the Sunday Leisure. I have a problem with my MPV Mazda car. It just started to have high rev counts but moving at lower speeds eg 7 000 to 60km/hr. May this have something to do with gearbox? — 0713737847.
Thank you for your feedback, always glad to be of service. Mazda MPVs are notorious. Their transmissions have a reputation of failing. One would need to check your car but from what you have told me, the gearbox is not changing gears and using low gears only and yes it’s something to do with the gearbox.
Hi, Sir I missed your article on gearboxes — what is the difference between CVT and ATF on gearboxes. I drive a Mitsubishi Challenger does it use CVT or ATF? — 0712594263.
CVT fluid is specially formulated for Continuously Variable Transmissions and ATF for Automatic Transmissions. Mitsubishi Challenger has an automatic transmission and you should use ATF.
How are you Sir, I was very impressed by your knowledge on motor vehicles, I have little knowledge in mechanics with class 1 certificate but I do not know how to diagnose these latest vehicles. — 0772322816.
Thank you Sir for your feedback it means a lot. Always happy to help and share what I know with others, hoping it helps in a big way.
Lovert Mafukure is a Japanese Imports consultant. For comments or questions regarding all Japanese imports and all Japanese motoring concerns. You can contact him on whatsapp +263772339938 or email [email protected] or follow his blog www.jdmpetrolhead.blogspot.com
