Watching your mileage in Ontario

If you are considering the purchase of a used car, one of the standard pieces of advice you will receive is to check the mileage. It is ideal if the mileage is low, but an excessively large figure on the mileage clock, particularly if the car is less then 5 years old, is a sign of negative things to come. You also need to be aware that less scrupulous used car dealers, not necessarily in Ontario, can find ways to tamper with the mileage counter, although this can usually only be done successfully with the older vehicles. There are two ways of doing this. The first is to disconnect the mileage counter cable so that the mileage stops. Car owners usually do this themselves so that the excessive mileage is not visible on the counter when they sell the car. The second is when used car dealers tamper with the mileage counter to reduce the mileage on the car.

This sort of tampering is much harder to do in newer models of cars, particularly if they have a computerized system. Therefore, when checking mileage, it is not only about the number on the mileage counter, but also about the age of the car, the make and model and just about your gut instinct. If you are not sure about whether you would be able to tell the difference, considering taking someone with you who can.

Jun 17th, 2011