Odometer Fraud |
||||
|
If you are considering buying a used car, one of the most important things you will look at is how many miles are showing on the odometer. Because of this, the Federal government has made it a crime to commit any type of odometer fraud. Many years back, some unscrupulous dealers would actually wind back the number of miles on a vehicle several thousand miles so they could ask for a higher price for the vehicle. Some would use a drill and roll back the miles, tens of thousands. Then an unsuspecting buyer would come along and see how few miles the car had and would often be told about a little old lady or man who had parked the car for most of the time they owned it and that this car is a steal. Soon after, the vehicle would break down and the poor consumer would be left without recourse, because he would not know what had happened. To prevent problems like this and others from happening, the Federal government implemented laws to make any type of odometer fraud a serious offense. Dealers that were caught engaging in this unethical practice could lose their entire stock of vehicles, be fined tens of thousands of dollars for each violation, and spend a very long time in jail. Today, odometer fraud is almost obsolete because of changes in technology that have made it almost impossible to do. However, people still find a way to beat any system so you should use care when making a used car purchase. 
One of the best things you can do is to conduct an odometer search on the vehicle you are interested in. Many companies exist today that can provide you with the entire history of the vehicle identification number (VIN). Every time someone gets the oil changed, has any major repairs made on the vehicle, or live in an area that may have been subjected to severe weather conditions such as flooding, an entry is made in the VIN database system. By comparing the information found in these reports with the current odometer reading, you can often determine if anyone has tampered with the odometer and may be attempting odometer fraud. One type of car that is often involved in odometer fraud is a retired fleet vehicle. Companies will sell the fleet to a dealer and the dealer will use computer software to adjust the odometer reading. They will clean up the car and try to sell it as a much more expensive vehicle because it only has a few years on it. This is odometer fraud and is a serious crime. Use common sense and services that can tell you the entire history of a vehicle before you make a decision on buying a used car. If you suspect odometer fraud, you should report it to prevent someone else from falling prey to the unethical person committing the odometer fraud. |
CorrectOdometer.com Odometer Fraud Odometer Correction Odometer Repair Odometer Calibration 
|
|||