On Your Side: Illegally rolling back car odometers
Remember that scene in the film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" where they try to roll back the odometer? Well it's not just happening in classic '80s movies.
CARFAX estimates millions of vehicles on the road have had their odometers rolled back. And it's a lot easier to do than you think.
In "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," you may remember they had an elaborate setup to roll the odometer back by spinning a Ferrari's wheels in reverse.
It made for a memorable scene. But in reality, rolling an odometer back is as easy as buying an inexpensive tool off the internet and pressing a few buttons.
California has the highest number of vehicles with rolled-back odometers in the nation, according to CARFAX, amounting to 437,000 vehicles. About 200,000 of those are believed to be on the roads right here in the Los Angeles area.
"There is a huge misconception that digital odometers can't be tampered with, and that couldn't be further from the truth," said CARFAX Spokesperson Emilie Voss.
All it takes is a device that used to cost upwards of $10,000, but now can be bought online for less than $300.
"It does not require any expert use. Literally, you need to be able to read," said Josh Ingle, owner of Atlanta Speedometer in Georgia.
Atlanta Speedometer specializes in legitimate odometer repairs. Ingle showed us how easy it is to roll back the mileage.
"This is a 2009 Chevy HHR. So as you see right now on the odometer this thing has 150,000 miles on it," said Ingle. "When I count to three, I am going to press the 'Enter' button, and you'll see just how quickly this goes. You'll see a little error message pop up, and there you go: 50,000 miles."
That will likely add about $3,000 to the price tag.
"Unfortunately, when they tamper with these odometers, it does not leave a digital footprint," said Voss.
That's why experts say anyone buying a used car should have an independent inspection done so the mechanic can check if the mileage matches the wear and tear on the vehicle. Also, you can use a CARFAX report to track the numbers.
"If it currently says there are 75,000 miles on the vehicle, and the last reading was an oil change a couple months ago and it had 140,000, that's a huge red flag," said Voss.
This problem is far more common with private sales of cars. These are crooks posing as people selling grandma's car with low mileage.
You won't likely see this happen at a major car dealership because obviously it's illegal.