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Are your odometers accurate? Former viper owner says odometer fraud is common..

6K views 53 replies 24 participants last post by  Whitebeard 
#1 ·
A gen 1 owner I know says that he disconnects his odometer to keep mileage from accruing. He says it's very easy, and while I find it immoral, he felt is was ok because he kept his car so nice that it was just as good as a 20k mile car.

So this makes me think... just how many people are doing something like this? Obviously no one is going to admit it, but maybe we need to think twice when looking at these low mileage cars, and start looking for signs that perhaps there are really more miles on them than we think.

Should we look close at seat bolster wear? Carpet wear? Rock chips?

I'm not accusing anyone, and I'm sure the majority are honest, but it sounds like something worth thinking about. Mine already has 55k miles so I doubt I'm a victim, but it seems like something we need to keep an eye out for.

Im curious to hear opinions..
 
#2 ·
Ah, no. 1. it's fraud. 2. If you are that worried about resale, go by paintings or maybe a sculpture.

I personally don't care about mileage as long as I put it one the car and enjoy every mile.
 
#7 ·
Well, I'm not doing it, or looking how to do it, I'm just curious if this is something people have caught others doing with these cars. It seems there are so many low mileage cars, and I know most are legit, but the mileages really are pretty damn low.

I can't tell you when it started but I am sure others will know. The computer circa OBDll records the mileage electronically on many newer cars. This is in addition to the odometer reading. When someone goes to buy the car and the two don't match it is a big red flag.

And yes it is immoral.
I've never plugged a $1000 diagnostic tool into an obd port when buying a car, have you? I can't imagine most people do

Mileage never bothered me. Condition is more important. I've seen some beat up cars with 30k miles, and some pristine ones with over 150k.

A compression/leak down test will give you a fairly decent indicator mileage, a thorough inspection will give more signs.

Ultimately he runs the risk of throwing red flags during an inspection. If the inspector is a dickhead then his VIN could end up on the e-interwebs with a red mark for all of eternity. NSX owners are beyond fanatical on mileage, condition and documentation. You'd think a leaking clutch "subordinate" cylinder is the end of the world over there.
I agree that condition is important, but I still wouldn't want someone selling me a car with fraudulent mileage.

And... NSX's are slow :) they must have nothing better to worry about than clutch cylinders

hes a douche, punch your friend in the mouth
I didn't want to start an argument with him, but i told him i didn't think it was appropriate to do

Time for an illustrated DIY?
Probably not a good thing to post
 
#3 ·
I can't tell you when it started but I am sure others will know. The computer circa OBDll records the mileage electronically on many newer cars. This is in addition to the odometer reading. When someone goes to buy the car and the two don't match it is a big red flag.

And yes it is immoral.
 
#4 ·
Mileage never bothered me. Condition is more important. I've seen some beat up cars with 30k miles, and some pristine ones with over 150k.

A compression/leak down test will give you a fairly decent indicator mileage, a thorough inspection will give more signs.

Ultimately he runs the risk of throwing red flags during an inspection. If the inspector is a dickhead then his VIN could end up on the e-interwebs with a red mark for all of eternity. NSX owners are beyond fanatical on mileage, condition and documentation. You'd think a leaking clutch "subordinate" cylinder is the end of the world over there.
 
#9 ·
Your friend must have been a Supra owner before.

Thats the first "mod" they do.....disconnecting the odo. I think its just a fuse, iirc. Whatever the odo states on those things, just place a "1" in front of it for good measure.:D
 
#10 ·
That's good to know.. I wish cars didn't track mileage but instead total revolutions and hours. Wouldn't that be a better thing to gauge use?
 
#16 ·
Okay, WHY would I have a friend that does this as a friend? The answer to me is I would not do it. hell, I am no saint, but defrauding people is not okay with me on any level. Deliberately hiding something for personal gain is not okay and if they will do it to other folks, they will do it to you as their friend. Same as fucking other women while married-if they do it to their wife, they will fuck you over too. My $.02
 
#21 ·
I don't disagree with you guys, I was just curious if you all had spotted this type of thing occurring.
 
#27 ·

I've put 5k on mine since January and it's my 2nd car. lol
 
#29 ·
You sir, shall have your viper confiscated.

j/k, i have a strict 'only i can fart in the car, not you' policy for mine.
 
#30 · (Edited)
I had to charge my battery for about 2 days because I haven't driven it since about September of last year. It took almost 10 minutes of throttling in the garage and driveway until it would settle down and idle properly. Then, we rolled out for a short spin and a fresh tank of gas. GTS #200098 will be 19 years old next Wednesday. It has 36,070 miles on the clock, runs great, and still blows cold air.

 
#31 ·
I had to charge my battery for about 2 days because I haven't driven it since about September of last year. It took almost 10 minutes of throttling in the garage and driveway until it would settle down and idle properly. Then, we rolled out for a short spin and a fresh tank of gas. GTS #200098 will be 19 years old next Wednesday. It has 36,070 miles on the clock, runs great, and still blows cold air.
10 minutes? holy crap man. maybe I'm fortunate, but i can start mine up and just drive away in 3 seconds. Of course I keep it at low revs until the oil is warm.
 
#36 ·
I think Dean is referring to the tendency Vipers have to 'forget 'how to idle if the PCM loses all power as in a dead or disconnected battery. It usually takes a few minutes of driving (and a few restarts at stop lights) to relearn.
 
#37 ·
Weird, didn't know that. My battery died once from leaving the headlights on, and it did take 30 minutes of being connected to 2 cars with jumper cables @ 1500rpm and a jump pack for it to finally fire up. Once it started it was good to go though. I felt like I was jump starting a semi though.
 
#41 ·
I don't recall the exact mechanism, but the Gen 2's for sure set a coarse mileage value in the computer that should be within a couple hundred miles of the odo. If it isn't, that should be a tip-off that something is amiss.
 
#49 ·
viper speedo has the analog ticker, but the "drill method" wouldnt work, it uses a electric motor inside to spin the ticker, and the housing has a crimped on metal band that tears/dents easy. the one from my car had smoke damage to the glass, was going to change the glass but you cant put it back together after pulling it apart.
 
#54 ·
As a former repair station for Huntsville electronics (AKA Chrysler, Dodge, Ram) and worked on Environment, dash assembly and audio systems under warranty from 1982 to 1999, yes the dash will be electronic even if it shows as analogue masking. (We taught the VT and NH state police how to ID a rolled back odo in the day).

The scan tool will show the correct mileage as the computer "tracks" it and should be withing 100 to 200 miles of the car's life.

We could set any miles to a dash when it came into the office. The small electronic motor used to crap out constantly and need to be replaced. As long as we got a certified (Notary) document attesting to the miles as well as a copy of the tool's display we could set anything to any Chrysler (Or GM) dash assembly.

Much harder to do now, without the right tools and hardware.
 
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