Manipulating a car's odometer reading is easy to do. Particularly Used car buyers should be careful.
Odometer manipulation of new vehicles can be determined after investigations of the ADAC continue to do it easily, although an EU regulation since 2017 stipulates that the mileage in the car must be protected. The automobile club is therefore calling for an amendment to the regulation that clearly defines how effective the protection must be and how it is checked. In addition, the club is calling for the protection against manipulation to be checked by a neutral body, such as the Federal Office for Security.
Odometer manipulation is not magic
In its test, the ADAC manipulated three vehicles (Ford Kuga and Peugeot 208 from 2019, an Opel Grandland X from 2020) with a device that was freely available in stores. After just a few minutes, the mileage could be falsified as required without the speedometer having to be removed or other parts adjusted. In this way, the mileage of used cars, but also of leased vehicles, can be easily changed.
According to ADAC, police estimates assume that the speedometer of every third used car sold in Germany has been tampered with. The ADAC advises you to check the history of the vehicle when buying a used car. Repair invoices, AU and TÜV reports as well as oil change labels help to check whether the stated mileage is realistic.
