Modern Collision Of Burlington proudly serves the city of Burlington and its surrounding areas with outstanding customer service and collision repairs. Our highly knowledgeable technicians have the skill set to tackle any collision repair and deliver you... Read More
How To Avoid Dangerous Vehicle Rollovers
How to Avoid Dangerous Vehicle Rollovers
A vehicle rollover is among the worst things that can happen to you on the road. Although rollovers occur...
Is Your Child Safe On A School Bus?
It's the same concern that any parent has about their school-age children. Every weekday, we send our kids to school via a school bus o...
Seatbelt Safety
It’s a MUST and Not an Option: Fasten Your Seatbelt
It’s like closing and locking your car doors when you leave your home in Burlington, o...
5 Great Muscle Automotive Gifts
An exciting time in automotive history was the era of the muscle car and many of us here at Modern Collision Of Burlington were able to experience it....
When we want to know the mileage of a vehicle, we obviously rely on what the odometer tells us and then we trust that information, especially when we are looking to buy a used car. But, what if unscrupulous individuals tamper with an odometer and make it look like a younger car with fewer miles? It used to be commonplace back in the 1960s and 1970s, when shady people could easily alter odometer readings, but today it’s a little more difficult to do.
But even then, it still happens every single day all over the world. At Modern Collision Of Burlington in Burlington, NC, we don’t want you to fall prey to odometer fraud. It’s a national epidemic and getting worse, so please read this information and avoid being a victim to these unethical and highly illegal practices.
What Exactly is Odometer Fraud?
Odometer fraud, also referred to as "busting miles" is the illegal practice of rolling back odometers to make it appear that vehicles have lower mileage than they actually do. Odometer fraud occurs when the seller of a vehicle falsely represents the actual mileage of a vehicle to the buyer.
According to the Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation at the US Department of Transportation, odometer fraud is a serious crime and something every driver should be aware of. In the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) 2002 odometer fraud study, they determined that 450,000 vehicles were sold each year with false odometer readings, resulting in a cost of over $1 billion annually to car buyers in the United States. Thousands of people are driving cars right now with odometers that were manipulated and they won’t ever know.
According to the NHTSA, common examples of odometer fraud include situations where someone tampers with the odometer by rolling it back or replacing the odometer and failing to provide the required notice on the vehicle. According to AIM Mobile Inspections, an evaluator of new and used vehicles, the incidence of odometer rollback for the purpose of misrepresenting the mileage of off-lease used vehicles had increased by 30 percent since the beginning of 2011. The cheaters have become more sophisticated and the organizations chasing them can’t keep up!
Contrary to popular belief, suspending a (modern) running vehicle and running it in reverse will not reduce the odometer count. Late-model used vehicles that are leased and rental fleets that accumulate mileage quickly are generally believed to be more susceptible to odometer fraud than newer vehicles.
How Can Consumers Be Protected?
There are a number of ways in which a vehicle buyer can use to establish the existence of possible odometer fraud. In the US, states require vehicle purchasers to obtain a title or certificate of registration due to federal laws. These titles contain information about a vehicle's odometer history. The information can be accessed through each state's Department of Motor Vehicles. Other alternatives to detect odometer fraud include contacting the vehicle's former owners, performing a mechanical inspection of the vehicle with special attention to normal but harmless wear and tear such as to floor-mats and the rubber on pedals (or to suspiciously new such items), and checking the vehicle's history report.
Modern cars often employ digital odometers specially designed to be unalterable. These odometers are considered to be more secure than mechanical odometers, due to the greater amount of technical knowledge required to manipulate them. Recently however, dishonest high-tech types have also figured out a way to alter even these newer digital odometers.
Think, Observe and Be Wary
Don’t be a victim of an odometer that isn’t giving you an accurate report. Do your research and be wary and you’ll get a vehicle with an honest odometer, thereby allowing you to get a car that truly has the accurate mileage listed. At Modern Collision Of Burlington, we love fixing cars and that’s why we want you to have yours for many years to come
Body Shop Specials
Body Shop Photos
Body Shop Videos
Body Shop About
Body Shop Contact
Body Shop Cs Thanks
Body Shop Apt Thanks
Body Shop How It Works
Body Shop Listen
Body Shop Review Sort
Body Shop Certifications
We use cookies to personalise content and ads and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of other services.
Social