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Falsification!
Oct. 11th, 2004 03:20 pmAdvert: "1996 BMW 528i, 58,000km, leather, all options, FSH. Great condition"
Dealer: "She's in great condition, service history up to 51000km, now only 58000km, certified mileage! a lovely car..."
Car on the yard: "Kill me now, put me out of my misery I beg of you!"
Even the most un-loved car does not;
-need a leather recolouring treatment on the drivers seat
-have faded, yellowed, stone-pocked headlamps
-require new door seals because they've worn out
-have so much black brake dust on the wheels it cant be shifted
-have a non-original spare tyre
-or cheap 2nd hand taiwanese tyres on the other 4 wheels
-have a worn-to-the-metal brake pedal pad
in a mere 58,000km.
"But digital odometers cant be tickled!" you say. The technician at BMW was in agreement- "the mileage is stored in both the instrument cluster and the transmission control module. Any discrepancy will show up when the car is serviced."
Surely if its so easy to reprogram the instrument cluster, its equally easy to reprogram the control module? Or obtain both from a wrecked car? Anything can be altered, and digital data is easier to change undetectably than physical data.
Altering the odometer on a car thats in this bad a condition does it no favours whatsoever- if I'm looking for a low-mileage car, I'm looking for something in good condition, and wasting my time isnt likely to make me in a purchasing mood. Better to leave the mileage at a realistic level and sell it to someone who's looking for, and expecting, a cheap hack.
Dealer: "She's in great condition, service history up to 51000km, now only 58000km, certified mileage! a lovely car..."
Car on the yard: "Kill me now, put me out of my misery I beg of you!"
Even the most un-loved car does not;
-need a leather recolouring treatment on the drivers seat
-have faded, yellowed, stone-pocked headlamps
-require new door seals because they've worn out
-have so much black brake dust on the wheels it cant be shifted
-have a non-original spare tyre
-or cheap 2nd hand taiwanese tyres on the other 4 wheels
-have a worn-to-the-metal brake pedal pad
in a mere 58,000km.
"But digital odometers cant be tickled!" you say. The technician at BMW was in agreement- "the mileage is stored in both the instrument cluster and the transmission control module. Any discrepancy will show up when the car is serviced."
Surely if its so easy to reprogram the instrument cluster, its equally easy to reprogram the control module? Or obtain both from a wrecked car? Anything can be altered, and digital data is easier to change undetectably than physical data.
Altering the odometer on a car thats in this bad a condition does it no favours whatsoever- if I'm looking for a low-mileage car, I'm looking for something in good condition, and wasting my time isnt likely to make me in a purchasing mood. Better to leave the mileage at a realistic level and sell it to someone who's looking for, and expecting, a cheap hack.
