ANSWERS TO YOUR CAR QUESTIONS
QUESTION
Re: last week’s column on Used Car Dealers turning back odometers. I am speaking on behalf of the Used Car Dealers. How about going after the people who have traded their car or truck into us and swear on the bible that the mileage is correct, only for us to find out that it is not?
Just last year, I have had no fewer than four such vehicles. You seem to stick it to the used car dealers all the time. I have spoken to many used car dealers and they are all aware of your bias when it comes to looking after the general public but you are more than willing to jump all over us whenever the case arises.
Most used car dealers.
ANSWER
Your ill-informed, offensive email to me was altered to make it printable. I did not in last week’s column say that the used car dealer did anything wrong other than that they had sold a car to their customer and the customer found that the mileage had been turned back.
I am sorry that “most used car dealers” feel that way but the same goes for anyone that is fraudulently trying to alter or change the actual mileage on a vehicle for resale purposes. If that is happening to you frequently, as a result of buying or accepting questionable traded-in vehicles, then I suggest that you first have to establish when the mileage was altered and who did it. You cannot just blame the person who traded in the vehicle because he/she may not have any knowledge of the odometer change. They will however, eventually have to answer if the mileage has been altered.
If you have any doubt about the mileage on a used car being traded in, then I would start by doing a ministry history check on the vehicle to see if the information signed by the customer is correct. If you find that the odometer has been altered then confront the customer on your findings or if you find out after the fact then use the courts to get redress.
I must say, however, that I am surprised that you get that many altered odometers since you will find that most used car dealers are very diligent and will only accept trade ins or buy used cars that they feel confident about, when selling to their customers.
QUESTION
In last week’s column, Don from Mississauga complained about his used car having the incorrect odometer reading. A simple cause may be a result of some digital odometers having the ability to toggle between metric and imperial measurement.
My 2006 Buick Allure can display either kilometers or miles with the touch of a button. For example, 160,000 kms can be displayed as 100,000 miles quite easily.
Earlier this year on a local automotive phone-in show, a lady complained of a problem with her odometer and the auto tech experts were suggesting all sorts of reasons for the problem but did not clue into the fact that she had inadvertently changed her settings from metric to Imperial. She even complained that her car seemed to go too fast. She was actually attempting to drive 70 miles per hour in a 70-kilometer per hour zone.
Don from Kitchener
ANSWER
Thanks, Don, for taking the time to let the readers know that a simple push of a button will change the odometer reading quite drastically.
I speak occasionally to police officers and found out that there has been incidents where drivers were using the miles display rather than the kilometers and consequently received speeding tickets.
QUESTION
I had the oil changed on my car about four weeks ago and just this week, the oil indicator said that the oil needs changing again. Do you have any idea as to why?
Bob from Ancaster
ANSWER
I suspect that on the last oil change, the car’s oil maintenance light had not been set to indicate that the oil had been changed.
If you had told me the type of vehicle that you have, I could have told you how to set it but for now just go back to where you had the oil changed and ask them to reset it for you.