zlacker

>>cwwc+(OP)
> When he sold the truck, his buyer hooked it up to a computer that told them the real mileage was around 400,000 miles.

I’m not knowledgeable about odometers at all, but if it’s as easy as “hooking up to a computer” to get the real mileage, why don’t people do that when they buy the trucks?

>>oefrha+l4
Living in a country with rampant odometer tampering: it often requires specialized diagnostics scanner and knowledge where to look (which is different for various vehicles).

For example, on a VAG car, most generic diagnostics scanners just report the mileage as it's recorded in non-volatile memory in ECU/odometer/transmission (which people know how to change).

But a specialized scanner (VAG COM, for example) also displays freeze-frame information of diagnostic faults (and this sometimes includes mileage, depending on the module).

If the people doing corrections change the mileage reported by major modules that contain this information but do not bother to erase diagnostic faults, you can sometimes find the real mileage, as recorded by electric seat module which detected undervoltage condition when the battery was removed, or headlight module when the bulb burned out.

>>fest+0w
Deleting the DTCs is really trivial. It's just a standard UDS command. The only way to avoid this kind of scam is buying vehicles that have done the official maintenance/inspection. That will report the odometer to the car maker.

>>fmntf+Ae1
> The only way to avoid this kind of scam is buying vehicles that have done the official maintenance/inspection.

Agree, but not everyone here can afford <5 year old vehicle, so people have to do with the means they have. As soon as warranty/lease ends, people generally go with cheaper, non-manufacturer maintenance shops.