Tampered odometers: five checks that dismantle the trick
Odometer fraud is alive and well. How to cross-check inspection history, wear and electronics to spot a clocked car.
Rolling back a digital odometer costs little and pays well: every 10,000 km erased becomes hundreds of euros of overprice. The good news: the trick almost always leaves seams.
1. The inspection history
The DGT report records the odometer at every roadworthiness test. That's the official timeline: if the car shows fewer kilometres today than at its last test, conversation over. If it did 30,000 km a year between tests and suddenly 3,000 — ask why.
2. The service book and workshop invoices
Services record mileage. An “80,000 km car” whose two-year-old invoice reads 110,000 exposes itself. A modern car with zero paper history is information too.
3. Wear doesn't lie
Steering wheel, gear knob, pedals and the driver’s seat bolster. A 60,000 km car with a wheel polished like a river stone has lived another life.
4. The electronics
Many control units store mileage in several modules. An OBD diagnostic at an independent workshop finds discrepancies the dashboard hides.
5. The price
A car clearly cheaper than its low-mileage equivalents isn't a bargain: it's an unanswered question. At Autamo, declared mileage is cross-checked against the inspection history before a listing goes live — the number on the page is the verified one.