Piston Slap: Hacking the Unrollable Odometer?

Brian writes:

I had a conversation with someone the other day who claimed his mechanic rolled back the odometer on his car. This is a late-model car with a digital odometer. I always thought digital odometers were protected from this, but a quick Google search reveals that it’s actually quite common and easy to roll back a digital odometer. I guess this is now something a buyer has to worry about on top of everything else when buying a used car.

For example, how could you ever tell a car was rolled back — say, 10,000 miles — when the car is legitimately in good condition?

What are your thoughts on this? And how can a buyer protect themselves?

Read more
  • FreedMike I guess there's no Rivian love for Mitsubishi Mirage owners. Darn.
  • MaintenanceCosts I already have one EV but lower prices might make me a bit more likely to replace our other car with another one.
  • FreedMike I'd take one of these with fewer miles, or the last-gen V90 (NO Cross Country frippery, thanks), which was a lovely car.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I had a 69 Thunderbird with a 429 and it did the same thing.
  • Lou_BC No. An EV would have to replace my primary vehicle. That means it has to be able to do everything my current vehicle does.