Expert’s guide to identifying a wound back odometer

Car dashboard displaying an odometer

Odometers serve a very certain purpose in our cars.  We need to know how far we’ve travelled, as this gives us an indication of where a car is at in its lifecycle and what servicing requirements there are at any given moment.

Many cars were equipped with the mechanical Auto-Meter gadget in the early 1900s, and mechanical odometers were utilised until the turn of the century.  Quite obviously, electronically operated odometers are now commonplace.

How do odometers work?

Most odometers work by counting the rotation of the wheel on a car. A sensor transmits this data to a computer that calculates the distance travelled based on the specified tyre circumference for that vehicle.

Given these specs, if you decide to change the wheel and tyre on a vehicle, the odometer reading will be affected, so the sizing should remain the same.  Pro tip alert!

What exactly is odometer fraud?

I remember odometer fraud was a really hot issue in the 1990s, I was moving through my early adolescence so not really sure how this stuck, but anyway…

So, a vehicle with a few thousand kilometres on the clock is clearly more desirable to a buyer than one with hundreds of thousands of kilometres on the clock, which pretty much explains why odometer fraud – the illegal act of changing the odometer reading to make it appear a vehicle has travelled fewer kilometres – is committed.

So, how do people wind back odometers?  Not that I’m thinking about it!

Just so we’re on the same page, this used be known as ‘rolling back’ the odometer. The odometer would be physically removed from the car and then mechanically wound backwards by the crims.

These days, they can still physically adjust, reset, or alter the numbers nowadays, but some will actually detach the odometer, drive the vehicle, and then reconnect the odometer when it’s time to sell.  Super shifty!

Another option is to use an odometer from another car to replace the original.  Bear in mind, odometers can be legally deleted or replaced, but the procedure must be registered with the government and approved.

How to identify a wound back odometer

  • Compare odometer readings with service history records
  • Check if the car’s interior condition reflects the number of km’s on the dash
  • Check the odometer numbers on the display are neatly aligned (for analog odo’s)
  • Compare the average km’s on similar vehicles of the same year, give or take
  • If the car has under 20,000km on the odometer, you’d expect a pretty-much pristine vehicle with all its original factory equipment, including the tears.
  • Check to see if the dash has been removed – scratch marks from screwdrivers, etc.

If something doesn’t seem right about a vehicle with low mileage for its age, have a mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection and ask the mechanic for their opinion on the odometer reading.  My Auto Shop can help!  Head over to the service area and we’ll get you started with a Pre-Purchase Vehicle Inspection.