Tampering with car mileage

Motoring @ AsiaOne How not to get cheated when buying a used car Buyer discovers second-hand car has travelled 18,000km more than advertised. -TNP  Mon, Dec 13, 2010 The New Paper By Benson Ang HE SENT his second-hand car for servicing a few days after he bought it. To his surprise, he was told that the Honda Accord's odometer, which records the distance travelled, had been tampered with. The car's actual mileage was at least 18,000km more than the advertised mileage, said the owner, who wanted to be known only as Mr Kan. The employee in an IT company is one of seven consumers who have filed complaints with or have given feedback to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) after suspecting that their cars' odometer had been tampered with. Case had four such cases in the previous three years. All the cases involved consumers who bought second-hand cars. A different second- hand dealer was involved in each case. The discrepancy between the advertised odometer reading and the actual reading ranged from about 20,000km to 75,000km. In most cases, the consumers discovered the tampering and found that a higher mileage had been recorded after they sent their cars for servicing. Only two dealers were known to have taken the car back after the tampering was discovered. Some of the car owners have also asked the dealers for compensation or partial refunds. Mr Kan said he bought the second- hand car, which was less than two years old, in July for $82,000. He claimed the car dealer told him then that the car had travelled only 32,000km. But when he sent the car for servicing at a Kah Motor service centre a few days later, he was told that - according to the service centre's records - the previous owner had submitted the car's mileage as over 50,000km during a round of servicing in December last year. Mr Kan said: "I was shocked. I would not have bought the car if I knew it had been tampered with." When he confronted the dealer, Mr Kan claimed the latter said he "didn't know anything". Mr Kan then filed a complaint with Case. He said: "Dealers should just come clean about the mileage of their cars. Some buyers don't mind cars with a high mileage as long as it has been properly maintained." Mr Seah Seng Choon, Case's executive director, advises used car buyers to check where the car was last serviced and the records with the authorised agents. They can also check the records on the car's service log book. "However, consumers must note that such instances of tampered odometers would be difficult to detect if the servicing centre does not keep proper records, or if the consumers do not send the car to authorised agents for servicing," he added. Mr Malcolm Tan, manager of Providence Motor, a car dealer which also provides car repair services, said he had uncovered several tampered odometers in his 10 years in the industry.Unreported He added: "Many such instances go unrecorded and unreported." But he and other car experts said there are tell-tale signs consumers can look out for to check if the odometer has been tampered with. Mr Seah said consumers can take car dealers, whom they suspect to have made misleading claims, to court under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. Lawyer A P Thirumurthy said that tampering with odometers is not a criminal offence unless it can be proven that a particular dealer had done the tampering to deceive buyers. Multiple buyers would also have to be involved. Another lawyer, Mr Luke Lee, said that tampering with odometers may be an offence if the acts have elements of cheating or false representation. "But it's difficult to prove and they have not been tested in the courts," he added. Worn-out brake padsTell-tale signs that odometer has been tampered with A car mechanic with 27 years' experience said: "A normal brake pad can last a car for up to 60,000km. So if the car is said to have a low mileage, but the brake pad appears worn out, then something is not right." Age of car does not tally with mileage reportedThe mechanic said: "Cars in Singapore are driven for about 20,000km a year on average. If I come across a car that is three years old, but is said to have travelled only 30,000km, I'll be suspicious." Scratches on the odometer, or if parts of it are looseMadam Kuah Lay Hoon, manager of Lee Sheng Motor Works, a car repair company, said: "It'll suggest that someone might have previously tried to take the odometer apart." But she pointed out that digital odometers are tampered with using software, which doesn't leave any traces. Madam Kuah said that the only sure way to determine if any tampering has been done is to send the car to a mechanic. Bumpy ride Mr Malcolm of Tan Providence Motor said: "Buyers might also be able to hear a rattling sound during test drives. If so, they might want to think twice before buying the car."Look out for excessive bumpiness while driving because the car's engine and shock absorber would have experienced wear and tear. This article was first published in The New Paper.