How To Register Tampered Car

Commissioner's blog: How to spot a car with odometer tampering

When deciding how much to pay for a second-hand motorcar, top of mind may exist the number of kilometres the vehicle has already travelled.

Your first pace may exist to check the vehicle's odometer reading, however a contempo courtroom case has illustrated why investigating further could be a smart move.

Late last year, a Ballajura motor vehicle repairer was fined $8,500 by the Perth Magistrate's Courtroom for winding back the odometer reading of a 2015 vehicle by about sixty,000 kilometres, before selling it to a car-thou, which then on-sold information technology to another buyer.

Winding back the odometer on a vehicle is the ultimate deception by car sellers and is a serious breach of consumer law.

Aside from misrepresenting a car'south value, if an odometer doesn't reflect the number of kilometres a vehicle has actually travelled, the necessary checks, services and repairs may not be carried out at the required times, potentially leaving unsuspecting consumers exposed to mechanical and safe issues.

Both digital and counterpart odometers can exist tampered with and changed. Many newer vehicles have digital control units or computers that may permit for the odometer to be replaced or re-programed using fraudulent software.

You can have the vehicle inspected by a third-party professional, who may be able to uncover inconsistencies between the condition of the vehicle and the odometer reading. For example, if the interior is worn, but the odometer reading is low, information technology could indicate tampering.

Ensure the car yous're ownership comes with a log-book and check the history for records of odometer readings to ensure they are correct and consistent. You can also contact the dealer or repairer and inquire them to check their records.

If you accept concerns that a postage or input in the logbook may exist incorrect, y'all can contact the mechanic in question to define if the vehicle has actually been there for a service.

A Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) check tin can tell you whether a car has been stolen, has coin attributable on it or has been a repairable write-off, and sometimes may include an odometer reading check.

Machine buyers who believe they have been misled can lodge a complaint on the Consumer Protection website:world wide web.consumerprotection.wa.gov.au

Gary Newcombe

Commissioner for Consumer Protection

Consumer Protection

Media release

xx Jan 2022

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Terminal modified: Thursday, January 20, 2022 - xiii:27