When choosing an old car, you immediately have many questions about how to check its functionality and real condition. There are many tricks used by dishonest sellers to raise the price. Among them there is the reduced mileage.
This problem is common all over the world. It is popular with the commercial vehicles to save on taxes and payments related to mileage. But first of all, it is widely observed on the market of used cars that are sold by former owners.
According to statistics, almost 50% of old cars that are on sale have a rolled back mileage. On average, it is reduced by 30-50 thousand kilometers. Without knowing this, the buyer risks buying a much more worn out vehicle than he anticipates and at an overpriced cost.
Here are the tips that you should keep in mind if you want to avoid troubles later on:
- Use the odometer. It is a device for measuring the number of rotations of a wheel. The average driver travels about 20,000 miles a year, depending on the city and lifestyle. If the car is about 7 years old, and you see the odometer for less than 90 thousand kilometers, it is likely that the mileage was reduced.
- Be attentive to the indicators. Some electronic sensors show that the mileage has been reduced. A warning star icon appears on the screen. The scheme is designed for such a purpose that the buyer is not aware of this opportunity or will not pay attention to it .
- Study the division. In some mechanical odometers, the distance between the sections after reducing the mileage changes color.
- Have a look at the dashboard. All gaps and mountings must be smooth and uniform, with no traces of rolling back. Mechanical damage indicates that the panel has been disassembled. If the owner claims that no repair work has been done, he is likely to reduced the mileage.
- Ask for a service book. The more a driver drives a year, the more often he or she has to go to a car service for the prevention and replacement of worn parts. Each visit is noted in the service book. If you see any edits or cleansing in it, it should be an alarm for you.
- Check the pedals and steering wheel. If the mileage on the odometer is small, but the brake pedal is too worn out, then it is likely that it rolled back too. By the same principle, pay attention to the condition of the steering wheel and the mats.
- Measure tread height. If the tires on the car have not changed since the purchase, the tread height can be used to calculate their real wear and tear, which means real mileage.
- Check the spare parts. This applies to nodes prone to natural wear and tear. If some of them have already been replaced in a low-mileage vehicle, the mileage may have been reduced.
- Consult a specialist. A car service specialists will be able to accurately diagnose the car since they know the state of the major nodes after 30, 70 or 100 thousand kilometers.
Don’t want to worry about such little things? You can always rent a car on time, because all the cars in our fleet are regularly inspected. You will know exactly in what condition you rent a car in Lviv. To do this, please contact us at Ukr-Prokat!
