Long story short, is there a way to roll back the odometer? I've been accused by the dealership that my odometer has been rolled back, and I don't think it's possible with our digital odometers....

I'll tell the full story in my next post....

 

The setup:
So I've got my '03 s2000 in the shop, 78k on the odometer, and according to this honda dealership (Gunn), the block is busted due to low oil. My last four oil changes were at a different honda dealership (Benson), and they never told me about extremely low oil. Regardless....

Initially, I thought this knock I was getting in my engine was due to the TCT and timing chain, so I drove it over to Gunn Honda to have them look at it. They tell me I probably spun a bearing, and suggest $5500 for an engine with 160k+install, $9000+labor for a full rebuild, or try my luck elsewhere.

For shits and grins, I ask for an appraisal because maybe it's cheaper to trade in instead of repair.

They call me back and tell me the odometer has been rolled back.

I bought the car 3 years ago from another Gunn dealership (Gunn Acura, to be exact).

I'm a bit taken back by the suggestion that I would falsify mileage, and frankly, I'm insulted.

Any ideas about this?

 

I've seen it done on newer Mercedes and BMWs, but you really have to know what you're doing. Nothing is unhackable.

Can't you get get all of your service records? That should pretty much establish your mileage progression.

 

Tell him that you've seen "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and you are no idiot. You know how "rolling back" the mileage will turn out.

 

Yes its possible, just needa $200-300 tool.

 

Dang I didn't know there was a tool to be able to do it. I still don't get why they suspect it has been rolled back though..

 

first off, here's my first post regarding all these shenanigans, started in the CenTex forum:
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/857...ain-tensioner/

now then...

I bought the car used from Gunn Acura with ~23k on the odometer.

I had the rear dif fluid changed out at Gunn Honda maybe 30k or so, and they should have records of that. I think I should still have the receipt filled away at my parents.

For a while, I would buy s2000 filters and have the oil changed at quick lube shops around my house, so no real records there.

However, there were a few accidents (people hitting my car while it was parked) that I should have the paperwork filed, along with odometer readings.

Plus, the last four oil changes (since May 2010) have been done at another Honda Dealership, and this dealership that's doing the work has already seen the milage records.

Shit, I had an extended warranty on this car, so you figure if I was gonna change the mileage, I would have rolled it back so it could cover this engine bullshit.

From what the dealership told me when I bought the car used, it was a 4-year lease car, so unless the previous owner did something to keep their mileage down, I have no idea how this could happen. But still, when the dealer appraised the car before trade-in and before I bought it, you'd think they would have determined that the odometer was messed with back then (unless they weren't looking/ignored the fact).

bullshit....

haha, if I wasn't so pissed off, I would.

 

Ok, so now that we know it CAN be done, how would the dealership know it HAS been done?

 

I'm past this, and I'm biting the bullet and changing out the engine. I don't care about that anymore. $6000 lesson learned.

back to topic.

 

Yeah I think you read my post wrong, I deleted it anyways. I was just stating that between oil changes, I have to add about a quart to keep it topped off. I check my oil once a week but only have to add a little maybe once a month. Never said don't check the oil between changes.

Anyways back on topic. Just after a good search it looks like it's almost impossible to detect a digital odometer rollback. Here is the quick article I read.

"Unfortunately, digital odometer tampering is even harder to detect than tampering of a traditional mechanical odometer (since digital odometers have no visible moving parts). A vehicle's condition and a CARFAX Vehicle History Report are the best clues a buyer has for determining whether clocking has occurred.

Auto manufacturers developed the digital odometer, in large part, to alleviate the problem of odometer tampering. However, just as quickly as the technology is developed, scam artists learn how to use it for the wrong reasons. In this case, they are using the very tools meant to correct mileage on digital odometers to rollback odometers. And it is as easy as surfing the Internet.

Digital odometer calibrators are being purchased online, and despite "disclaimers" from sellers, are being used to perpetrate odometer fraud.

Says Goss, "Just like a hacker can do damage to a computer, someone with the right software and hardware can make a digital odometer read whatever number they want. There are all kinds of problems that used cars have which are virtually undetectable to the untrained person. Digital odometer fraud is one that's becoming more common.”

"People mistakenly think digital odometers can't be rolled back, but this scam has gone high-tech. Foreign companies are selling software on the Internet, so that anyone who wants to roll back even a digital odometer can do it," Gillis explains."