The practice of illegally altering odometer readings is at an all-time high for one big reason
Most people looking for the best used cars consider the mileage. This is because buyers want to know their investments will have a decent bit of life left. However, bad actors can change the odometer reading in a car to pass it off as being newer than it actually is, which is an illegal practice. Sadly, a new study says this deceptive trend has exploded in popularity recently. Luckily, auto mechanics can help buyers in this regard.
Changing the odometer reading in a car has gotten easier for 1 big reason
Several different essential components make up a vehicle. There’s the engine, the transmission, and the brakes, which are also necessary for stopping. However, the odometer is also a significant aspect of a car. Sadly, according to Fox 2 Now, the practice of altering the mileage reading on cars is on the rise. This is because it makes vehicles more appealing for those looking for the best used cars.
The report uses data from CARFAX and information from Josh Ingle, who owns Atlanta Speedometer, a vehicle instrument cluster repair company. He says that not only is it easy for bad actors to change the reading on a car odometer, but it is also less expensive. The lower cost is the main reason the practice has become so much more popular.
Josh says, “When I first started my business, most of the tools to be able to do this were $10,000 or above. That’s really come down.” The data from CARFAX says there are about 2.14 million vehicles on the road where someone has altered the odometer to decrease the mileage. This is up four percent from last year. It’s also an 18.6 percent increase from 2021. Regarding states, California had the most examples of car odometer rollbacks, with 484,500.
Of course, this is terrible news for people looking for used cars for multiple reasons. A CARFAX representative said, “Consumers lose an average of about $4,000 in value when they unknowingly buy a rolled-back car.”Luckily, getting inspections from auto mechanics can help buyers steer clear of a car with inaccurate odometer information.
