Used car buyers factor in a vehicle's mileage when they're deciding the condition and value of the used vehicle. Odometer readings and disclosures are therefore a very important part in determining a vehicle's condition and value.
For these reasons, state and federal law prohibit not only odometer tampering, but also inaccurate odometer disclosures. Under federal law, a seller is required to provide an odometer disclosure statement certifying that:
(a) the odometer reflects the actual mileage,
(b) the odometer reflects the amount of miles beyond the mechanical limit of the odometer, or
(c) the number on the odometer is incorrect.
In the past there was a rolling back of odometer readings or other methods of modifying the display. Used vehicle dealers, unconcerned about integrity, may also ignore evidence of discrepancies in a vehicle's history. The vehicles repaired history or its title history may show inconsistencies yet be purposely overlooked.
That is, a vehicle's title history may show lower mileage in 2007 than in 2006. Additionally, there may be signs of possible odometer tampering that the seller should have noticed such as missing screws around the odometer casing or evidence that the casing and trim around the odometer were removed at one time.
Such signs would put the seller on notice that the odometer may have been tampered with and would require the seller to investigate the odometer's accuracy further. If the seller ignored these signs, it would not have a solid basis for certifying that "the odometer reflects the actual mileage."
Car buyers who are concerned about the accuracy of odometer readings on a used vehicle can check the services such as Autocheck that gather background information on used vehicles. sometimes even these background reports are not accurate so. Another option is to take your car to a specialty garage where they can check for signs of tampering.
If a seller does tamper with the odometer or fails to provide accurate odometer disclosures, it does so at its own peril, because the federal law imposes severe penalties on violators. Buyers should be aware, however, that the federal law does not require odometer disclosures for vehicles over ten years old.
About the Author:
Karl O. Heil is a top professional on Lemon Law litigation At Romano, Stancroff & Mikhov PC. For top results you need lemon law attorneys. southern California is unique. Getting lemon law lawyers in southern California is like cash in the bank
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