One of the biggest fears that arise when deciding on buying a used car is that of manipulated miles. Yes, even more than the fear of buying faulty parts, which has not been an issue recently thanks to buycarparts.co.uk – starter. In our experience the fear is quite unfounded and although there are no statistics on this I would venture to say that at least 35% of used cars for sale do not show the actual miles on the odometer.
Mileage Modification
In general the reduction of miles in cars is conducted by professionals, which as said by the word are professionals of their craft and are usually good at trace manipulation. Some will have read on car forums and even in some magazines that doing a self-test can tell if the miles in the car have been changed. Unfortunately this is not true in most cases, although some promise and charge for it. However, do not forget that the mere possession of the machines to reduce miles is not a crime, unless it is proved to have been used to reduce miles in order to obtain illegal profits by hiding information on actual miles of the vehicle to the buyer.
Mileage
How can you know if the miles of a used car you are buying are real? It’s not easy to know, especially for someone who is not a professional mechanic related to the sale of used cars. However, on our own and as not experts, we can take a number of precautions to prevent such occurrence. Tips to avoid buying a second hand car with modified miles:
If you are buying the car from a dealer, workshop or professional purchase, whatever the label put on the car is: Premium, Excellent, Selection, Management and regardless of the warranty they give you, if the car has less than 10,000-15,000 miles per year of seniority then it’s very suspicious. If in addition the car has less than 4 years, then you should suspect even more. If they do not accept the proposal that an independent expert selected professional mechanic checks the car then DO NOT BUY! A check is necessary to also make sure that the engine is in good shape. In general, use your eyes to judge. If the car looks old/worn out but the mileage is low, then something is definitely wrong.
