zlacker

"It isn't illegal to replace odometers and it isn't even illegal to sell vehicles with odometers that have inaccurate mileage readouts. However, to do so, a disclaimer needs to be made by the seller, indicating to the buyer that its mileage readout is inaccurate and that the odometer was replaced."

How is it even legal? "You can lie but you have to admit to it".

>>mdrzn+(OP)
If your odemeter malfunctions and you don't realise you may legitimately have no idea what the true value is.

>>mdrzn+(OP)
Sometimes you need to replace the odometer (or the module it’s built into) and you can’t always update the new one with the correct value. Sometimes parts break and the odometer is no longer accurate, it’s reasonable to say you can still sell a car in that condition if you disclose the situation

>>mdrzn+(OP)
Because you're not lying at that point? You've just told them that the odometer reading is wrong, and unless you can find some other way to backup your mileage claim, they'll just be priced as if they were nearly maxed out?

>>mdrzn+(OP)
It’s called a True Mileage Unknown title brand. It significantly impacts the value of a vehicle.

>>mdrzn+(OP)
Odometers break and get replaced (and you can’t set the new one to the old value).

Sometimes they get stuck.

It isn’t lying if you say “this odometer is 40k low”.

>>mdrzn+(OP)
The alternative would be a broken odometer is a totaled car, right? That wouldn't make much sense

>>mdrzn+(OP)
> You can lie but you have to admit to it

That’s the difference between fraud and not-fraud right? “It’s not illegal to install a new odometer unless you lie about the odometer reading for money” doesn’t seem like a contradiction to me.

>>mdrzn+(OP)
If your odometer breaks and you need to replace it, what else are you supposed to do?

It has to be legal to have an incorrect odometer reading otherwise, unless the odometers are easily changed to display arbitrary readings, entire cars are scrapped as soon as they need replacements.

>>jnwats+M
> and you can’t set the new one to the old value

Perhaps this should be possible? If nothing else, it should technically be possible to hook it to a load and run the odometer up to what it should be. You'd have to be careful not to overshoot, since you can't reduce the value on an odometer if they're properly designed.

It'd still be useful to denote "this vehicle has had the odometer replaced, but care was taken to ensure the odometer value is within +/- 1% of the authentic value"

Of course, this is really only for mechanical-style odometers. Digital ones, I know almost nothing about, wouldn't surprise me if there is no "stored mileage" in such an odometer.

>>mdrzn+(OP)
Can gauges lie?

>>mdrzn+(OP)
As the previous paragraph to your quote states,

>odometers, as automotive components, do occasionally wear out or malfunction and need to be replaced

In many vehicles the mileage is stored in an engine control unit and the odometer is simply a digital display. In others it's stored electronically in the instrument cluster. What if you need to replace a faulty ECU or instrument cluster? There are ways to reflash that data so replacements are accurate.

If you're selling a vehicle at auction, typically it's as-is. So if the ECU or cluster are having problems and can't read out the mileage, it seems unfair to make it illegal to sell.

A disclaimer isn't admitting to lying. It's admitting that the reported value could be inaccurate. That seems to be the most fair requirement in an auction scenario.

>>thatgu+W
One alternative is to require that the new odometer is wound forward to match the old odometer's value. But I'm not sure if odometers have this capability.

>>LocalH+K1
If the replacement process is controlled (in the technical sense of the word) then yeah, you have room to make the case that your title should not have an asterisk next to it saying the true mileage is unknown.

>>planed+j3
Even if they do that would require you catch the error fairly quickly. I'm not sure how long it would take me to realize my odometer was broken, honestly.

>>postal+12
Gauges always tell the truth as they know it to be.

>>thatgu+C6
You can use the speedometer check zones on the Interstates to check this, Just note the value at the zero sign and when you pass the last sign note the value again and do the math.

>>jstanl+41
Particularly with company/fleet trucks or cars, you normally have an "own" paper log with all the repairs and maintenance performed, so, if you are in good faith, if the odometer breaks at (say) 190,000 miles and the new one reads 110,000, you can easily prove that the vehicle is at 300,000.

When you sell that vehicle only stating "odometer reads 110,000" you are inducing the buyer into error (lying by omission, and you are in bad faith as you have the documents that reveal the real mileage).

For those rare cases where there is no such documentation there is usually the formula "mileage unknown" or similar, but usually it draws the price down to the minimum.

>>throwa+y9
I believe the comment that you're replying to might mean that they wouldn't notice if their odometer was totally broken and didn't increase at all. I am the same. I assume the mechanics would notice when the yearly inspection showed the same odometer reading as the previous year.

>>jstanl+41
> If your odometer breaks and you need to replace it, what else are you supposed to do?

I honestly didn't even think about that. Thanks for broadening my vision. I legit was only thinking about the downside of it.