10psiMaxima

Ok...so I sell my 4Runner this past Tuesday...and the very next day the guy who bought calls me and tells me he ran a carfax on it and there was odometer fraud in 1998.


Is it even possible to get behind the dash of a 92 SR5?? The odometer RIGHT now says 81k.

Title shows 112k


Carfax shows:
October 1997 -- 58k miles (emission pass)
October 1998 -- 28k miles (emission pass)

Could it be something as simple as a type on the emission computer? I got the 4runner in December of 2002.


Any help??

sick4runner

yeah, its possible, i had the gauges out in my '90 and i was able to work back about 20 miles cuz i was turning the cable input backwards, but as far as turning back a solid 40k it would take a lot of effort dissasembling the gauges and the number dials. i would find out more about the past owners and stuff. be sure to check out that the vin and all that matches on the supposed carfax report.

4RUNR

Rolling back mechanical odometers is extremely easy. The gauge cluster glass comes off and the numbers can be turned to anything with a sharp tool. The numbers go in either direction by simply skipping a gear when force is applied.

amusement

It would been even easier to remove the cluster and add another one to replace the miles. Odometer fraud is still lives and breathes today. In Oregon, odometer doesn't count after 100,000 miles. So, you could be a car with 200,000 miles and a odometer showing 100,000, and that state wouldn't know or care.

EDIT: It is possible the cluster was replaced and it had over 100K and the local state doesn't care or didn't ketch it. To replace the cluster, legally, the vehicle should have mileage witnessed and notorized. And again, when the cluster was replaced. This would insure that it was documented correctly.

I wouldn't loose a moment of sleep unless the person who bought the car could prove you did it. Second, it sounds like buyer remorse more than an accusation of fraud. Why didn't the new owner run a check pryer to purchasing it? I hope you sold it "as is". With no implied warrenties. Since the emission testing missed the mileage I would rule "no fault" if I was a judge and this was a court.

Glenn

Yes, it's possible to turn back an odometer.

But the emissions station should have caught it.

BruceTS

Since you didn't own the vehicle at the time the speedo was changed, don't worry about it. What you didn't know you can't be blamed for.....

tenfourtyeight

You can also have the whole guage assembly unplugged, which will not log any miles on the odometer, but you will also not know how fast you're going.



I saw an 86 pickup today that was a full prerunner that had 147k on the odo, and I mentioned that it was less than my 91, and he said he had all the guages unhooked for 2 years, while the truck was offroad only. He's trying to get it street legal again, so he hooked it back up.

Highland Runner

Doesn't the computer still log the actual miles on 2nd gen and up?

amusement

No, but, there is a black box for crash info that might have some data prior to an accident.

A GPS could be used to determine speed. IMO, GPS systems are more accurate than a speedo.

foxtrapper

While the odometer could have been rolled back, it's more likely imo that carfax is wrong. I ran a check on all my cars once and was amazed at the giberish it reported on them. About half the information was flat wrong, and to my entertainment is reported that I'd rolled back my odometer on a car I owned. No reason for the claim, but it insisted I did it to myself.

justinh

if the odometer shows 81k and the title shows 121k then the purchaser should have noticed the discrepancy before purchasing the vehicle. Besides in almost every state after a vehicle is 10 years old the title will read exempt instead of the actual mileage.

customcruiser

there is also a way to just stop the odometer on all pre 95 toyota's without digital readouts. everything else works 100%
its just a simple push of a button that can easily be done on every single mile and then restarted without even changeing the trip odometer......for those that like to joyride

miket223

Why would anyone want to roll back the odometer on a Toyota? Toyotas are unlike any other manufacturer. The more mileage you have on a Toyota, the more it's worth. Toyotas are like a fine wine, whereas Fords are like modern day PCs that just get replaced entirely every several years. I would never roll back the odometer on my Toy Pickup, I'm proud of the mileage that reads on there. Every single time I drive it and put more miles on it I'm even prouder. Currently I'm at 242k miles and I know that's chump change compared to some even prouder Toyota owners out there.

Tacoma Dude

Boost KBB value and your gain when you sell it...

10psiMaxima

Well, the buyer returned it...(the 4runner). He THOUGHT I knew and tried to hide it from him. Oh well...shiat happens.

As far as selling it now...I've just got to let the potential buyer KNOW that it's there right?

AbramHart

My 1990 Toyota 4runner was odometer exempt when I purchased it. You may be able to check into that and see if you can do the same. Not sure what has to happen or how you get an exempt odometer reading. But the bank did not care it was odometer exempt.

Cebby

If the speedo head goes bad, it affects the transmission shifting. This happened to mine at 41K on the ticker. Result? Brand new speedo (with "0" miles). I now have 84K on the speedo, plus the 41K. The dealer only put some halfassed sticker in my glovebox (Nothing official looking, just a white mailing label with chicken scratch that could have been done by my 5 year old).

Maybe I should return to "0" again and install my Dakota Digital dash out of my Celica....

tango

Just because carfax says that there is a odometer fraud doesnt necessarily mean that it was rolled back. When the emmision tests were done the person typing in the mileage could have mistyped and therefore showing the inconsistancy on carfax. It wouldnt be the first time this happened. Somebody could of been having a bad day or been out late the previous night. What's the VIN#?

10psiMaxima

Tango...yea it could have been something as simple as that...but shiat...I cant make a promise to someone of how many miles it has.

rats...

EDGE

Carfax is BS, I would not put to much trust into them if the car has been maintained and well taken care of, several of the past cars i've owned when I looked them up on carfax looks as though the cars have been rolled back and I only say that cause I has service records that state higher or equal to the mileage then that on the cars several years later.

It could easily been a mistake, my friends car got towed cause the court house said he never paid his ticket.

The dude was probably pissed off he paid more then the truck was worth, is it possible to look up the vehicles past records.

I like how someone said the more mileage you have on a Toyota, the more it's worth