Consumer Watch with Kevin Collard: The signs to keep an eye out for that point to odometer tampering

Odometer tampering is a dangerous practice that puts the community at risk while lining the pockets of those who engage in it.

And it’s at the expense of the consumers they are ripping off.

Consumer Protection recently had a win in the courts against a couple of mates who rolled back the odometers on two vehicles by more than 200,000km each. What’s especially shocking is one of the men is a licensed motor vehicle salesperson.

Zoran Zozoli bought an Isuzu D-Max that had travelled 350,686km. He altered the odometer reading to 138,000km by replacing the car’s dashboard and instrument cluster. Two months later, he sold the vehicle without logbooks for double what he paid, making a profit of $12,500.

Around the same time, Zozoli’s friend Nikola Jarkovacki bought a Jeep Cherokee with an odometer reading of 251,642km. Within five months, he had replaced the licence plate and tampered with the odometer to show a reading of only 46,739km. He then sold it at a $24,500 profit.

Both were charged with altering and misrepresenting a vehicle’s odometer reading, in breach of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act. Zozoli pleaded guilty and received a $21,000 fine, while Jarkovacki was convicted in his absence and fined $30,000 plus costs.

Aside from misrepresenting a car’s value, if an odometer doesn’t reflect the number of kilometres a vehicle has travelled, the necessary checks, services and repairs may not be carried out at the required times, potentially leaving unsuspecting consumers exposed to mechanical and safety issues.

Both digital and analogue odometers can be tampered with and changed. Many newer vehicles have digital control units or computers that may allow for the odometer to be replaced or reprogramed using fraudulent software.

Selling vehicles without logbooks can be a deliberate tactic to hide the true mileage of a vehicle, so it is important consumers are alert to this and reconsider going through with the deal if a seller can’t provide this important documentation.

When inspecting logbooks, check the history for records of odometer readings to ensure they are correct and consistent. If you have any suspicions about an entry, contact the mechanic in question to ask if the vehicle has actually been there for a service.

To further protect yourself, consider arranging an inspection by a qualified mechanic, who may able to spot discrepancies between the vehicle’s condition and the odometer reading — such as a worn interior but low mileage — which can be a sign of tampering.

A Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) check can reveal whether a car has been stolen, has money owing on it or has been a repairable write-off, and sometimes may include an odometer reading check. These only costs $2 at ppsr.gov.au — do not use other sites that charge a lot more for the same service.

Consumer Protection’s “Don’t get taken for a ride — used car buyer’s checklist” at consumerprotection.wa.gov.au helps consumers ask all the right questions.

Suspected odometer tampering should be reported to Consumer Protection via consumerportection.wa.gov.au, or by calling 1300 30 40 54 or emailing consumer@demirs.wa.gov.au.

Kevin Collard is a senior regional officer for Consumer Protection