Be Careful at Auctions

[Craigums]

Here's a story that chaps my [PoorWordUsage]....

About a month ago my dad traded in his 2004 Chevy Silverado 4x4 w/ almost 300,000 miles on it and purchased a new vehicle from a dealer...

...Fast forward a month, My mom gets a call from a concerned gentlemen about a truck he just purchased at an auction, He asked my mom about the vehicle my dad traded in and finds out he purchased my dad's old truck at the auction, However the odometer now reads 110,000 miles and he paid accordingly.

Now I know most auctions are as is, so Im not sure if this gentlemen has any recourse but it really ticks me off to know that either the dealer or auction turned back the odometer to rip somebody off.

Just be careful out there and try to know what your buying when you find that "sweet deal"

[fishing tech]

That is fraud!!! My guess would be that the dealer whole saled the vehicle and the wholesaler changed the mileage and auctioned it off. Not pointing fingers but.... I would contact the attorney genarals office.

[leech~~]

Here's a story that chaps my [PoorWordUsage]....

About a month ago my dad traded in his 2004 Chevy Silverado 4x4 w/ almost 300,000 miles on it and purchased a new vehicle from a dealer...

...Fast forward a month, My mom gets a call from a concerned gentlemen about a truck he just purchased at an auction, He asked my mom about the vehicle my dad traded in and finds out he purchased my dad's old truck at the auction, However the odometer now reads 110,000 miles and he paid accordingly.

Now I know most auctions are as is, so Im not sure if this gentlemen has any recourse but it really ticks me off to know that either the dealer or auction turned back the odometer to rip somebody off.

Just be careful out there and try to know what your buying when you find that "sweet deal"

If I remember the seller is suppose to write in the miledge on the title when they sell it. Can't the guy find the title your dad gave to the guy he sold it to which should be filed at the DMV and see if it was changed. If it still shows 300,000 and the truck shows 110,000 then the new buyer can take him to court with the copy of the old title!

[mrklean]

thats horrible i would hope he is able to go after the auction or whole saler, hopefully he gets whats coming to him.

[Phred52]

Definitely this dealer is 'spinning the odometer' and can lose his dealers license for doing so. Give the unfortunate soul ALL the help you /your Dad can and get this dealer brought to light. Also, DO get the States A.G. involved. Phred52

[LightningBG]

Yeah, changing an odometer is a crime

325E.14 Prohibited acts.

Subdivision 1. Tampering. No person shall knowingly tamper with, adjust, alter, change, set back, disconnect or, with intent to defraud, fail to connect the odometer of any motor vehicle, or cause any of the foregoing to occur to an odometer of a motor vehicle, so as to reflect a lower mileage than has actually been driven by the motor vehicle.

[Tom7227]

But who did the spin? There could be a number of 'owners' between the place it was traded in and the auction. I agree that the Attorney General consumer's division should be contacted, maybe some division of either Commerce of Public Safety - whoever is in charge of licensing dealers.

[Coach1310]

The other issue here is the fact that someone who purchased the vehicle down the line was able to obtain enough information to contact a previous owner. It sure seems to me that there are more than a few shenanigans going on.

[DUCKAHOLIC]

this happens more than a person would think trust me ive seen it not only on cars other things also... terrible

[Fredd]

Fraud somewhere for sure. The AG should be able to follow the titles to see where the guilty party is that tampered.

[Tom7227]

The other issue here is the fact that someone who purchased the vehicle down the line was able to obtain enough information to contact a previous owner. It sure seems to me that there are more than a few shenanigans going on.

You can get car ownership info pretty easily. I think you can go and buy it for like $5 from DMV.

[Shack]

Definitely this dealer is 'spinning the odometer' and can lose his dealers license for doing so. Give the unfortunate soul ALL the help you /your Dad can and get this dealer brought to light. Also, DO get the States A.G. involved. Phred52

Maybe if the original poster had said this was done at a used car-lot I would say dealer. He said his dad purchased a new vehicle, so I assume the vehicle was traded in at a new car dealership. Today any new car dealership I know of in the Metro area would not attempt this. It would not even be about getting caught and legal issues sounding it, it would be the bad press that would storm down (not worth an extra $1000 gained on a trade in ). In this market right now, no New Car Dealer can not afford any bad press that could possibly effect sales even in a minor way. Not saying there are managers and sales people who have or would tinker with the odometer on side deals that are working their, but not in their pot of soup they are feed from.

Most likely (as was posted above) this would be done by a wholesaler (not the dealer) who swapped the Odometer out. With 300,000 miles on a the vehicle, trading it in, then it is at a local auto-auction, I would say there is 110% chance a wholesaler had their hands on it.

I would think the purchaser would be doing all the contacting in this case. Not sure if your parents want to get wrapped up in it or not? They did not get taken. All the purchaser has to do (funny he would contact your parents ) is bring it before the auction center and they will take it from their. A wholesaler will go to jail, than rather loose his dealer license (even if they are a crook) The Auction center will act swiftly and contact the proper authorities with the information they have and have found.

[Shack]

Originally Posted By: Coach1310

The other issue here is the fact that someone who purchased the vehicle down the line was able to obtain enough information to contact a previous owner. It sure seems to me that there are more than a few shenanigans going on.

You can get car ownership info pretty easily. I think you can go and buy it for like $5 from DMV.

Yes and more detailed information can be found (even repair info and maintenance info submitted by the service center) in running a Carfax report.

As far as the original poster's parents having to report the mileage on the title when traded in, I do not think they are required to sign anything off. The dealer is required (not sure about instant Bone Row wholesale stuff) on trade-ins to make sure the mileage is recorded.

[Scott K]

Could it have been as easy as during a inspection of the vehicle, the dealer noticed the speedo wasnt working correctly, and instead of paying $400 for a new one, they bought a different cluster from a junk yard and put it in? I know there are fed stickers that are suppose to be installed in cases such as this, did the buyer check the door jamb for a fed mileage sticker?

[Jeremy airjer W]

2004 silverado had a digital cluster. If the cluster is replaced the mileage needs to be programmed into the cluster, right? If the mileage can be programmed into the new cluster why couldn't it be reprogrammed into the old cluster?

[Scott K]

I just dont think to many non cluster rebuilders can change mileage on these clusters, it just cant be that easy to do. Otherwise the world would be filled with vehicles with under 60k on it.

[Macgyver55]

As far as the original poster's parents having to report the mileage on the title when traded in, I do not think they are required to sign anything off. The dealer is required (not sure about instant Bone Row wholesale stuff) on trade-ins to make sure the mileage is recorded.

On a Minnesota title, there is a section that states.... " Federal and State laws require that you state the mileage in connection with the transfer of ownership. It is required by the seller to certify that the mileage given is "actual" "not actual" or "exceeds the mechanical limits of the odometer".

"Giving a false or fraudulent statement by any person can be a gross misdemeanor or felony"

[Shack]

2004 silverado had a digital cluster. If the cluster is replaced the mileage needs to be programmed into the cluster, right? If the mileage can be programmed into the new cluster why couldn't it be reprogrammed into the old cluster?

Jer you must be thinking of the other 2004 Silverado

Quote:

2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 PICKUP Used Instrument Cluster Speedometer (cluster), US (MPH), MT

SKU # : 5223107

Year : 2004

Make : CHEVROLET

Model : SILVERADO 1500 PICKUP

Part Details : Used Instrument Cluster Speedometer (cluster), US (MPH), MT

EVERDRIVE

USED PART PRICE:

$179.99

Maybe the option of digital was offered in a different class?

[Shack]

Mac55. Thanks for the update.

It used to be anything over (I think 100,000 miles) or a certain year the owner did not have to legally disclose the actual mileage. Basically it applied to anything of value you had to and anything of no value you did.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Shack thats a HONDA cluster not a Silverado Cluster! lol!!!!

[Jeremy airjer W]

This is the cluster in question.

[Shack]

Yes, never ever question a master tech. when you have no clue about the product line in question lol! I sent ya the link from the search I did and chose the first option.

I have went on record saying I have no clue when it comes to Chevy and not much more when it comes to Honda

[Phred52]

Shackbash, I whole heartly agree, ANY "dealership" that worries about their reputation wouldn't try this as the bad press wouldn't help them AT ALL. Let's say it was a dealership 'on the ropes', ANY sale is a good sale. The body is clean the engine is strong, "Hey, let's make a few bucks". After nearly 20 years in the auto salvage business, I could see who were the crooked dealers in my area. There was 1 (unnamed) dealership in my town that had UNBELIEVABLE speedometer head replacements. Funny, I'd drive through their sales lot in the evening and there sits the same year car on the lot with the SAME mileage on it, as the odometer I'd sold them earlier that day! All they'd do is replace the head with a lower milage head. I got smart, I started requiring that I get THEIR exchange. The sales to them, suddenly dropped to 0! I did find out later that the service manager got worried that I knew what was going on, so they bought from a different salvage yard. THEN the word 'got out'! Serves them right. The screwing went the other way, and there was NO vaseline involved! Now, their business is no more than a 4-5 used cars sales lot at an intersection. Yes,...I could've proved it,I had the carbon receipts, AND their old speedo heads to boot. Had I THEN had the LAW with teeth in it behind me, No telling what could've happened. Phred52

[katophil]

Hey airjer I've put those remaned clusters in and the would read the right mileage, I think that info is stored in the bcm.

[jwhjr]

The mileage is stored in the cluster. I had the cluster replaced under warranty on my 04 and the mileage had to be programmed into the new one. It would be very easy to do a quick swap of the cluster to one with lower miles, less than 10 minutes.