PETALING JAYA: Over half of used cars sold in the country may be hiding their true mileage with a twist of a screwdriver.
He noted that even older cars rarely show more than 100,000km on the clock, thanks to this widespread practice.
Bro Wong, who runs a used car dealership in Johor and recently exposed the crooked practice in a video, revealed that some mechanics use special computerised devices to manipulate odometers, charging from RM50 to several thousand ringgit depending on the vehicle.
“Higher profits and ease of sale is why odometers are manipulated. A genuine low mileage car would not necessarily be in great condition but most buyers generally shy away from vehicles that have clocked over 100,000km,” said Bro Wong.
“Dealers buy high-mileage cars cheaply, then cut mileage by two-thirds or more to triple profits. On e-commerce sites, you’ll almost never see one listed above 100,000km,” he said.
Bro Wong said that some dealers earn over RM40,000 by “reviving” vehicles written off as beyond economical repair (BER) or total loss, bought for a fraction of their value and rebuilt.
Detecting a disguised high-mileage car, Bro Wong said, is difficult for the untrained eye, as unscrupulous sellers often give worn cars major facelifts – new paint, body kits and electronic accessories – to lure buyers.
“The facelift and fixes are carried out so meticulously that even dealers like me can miss the shortcomings. Younger buyers are especially vulnerable as they go for appearance rather than performance. They eventually find out the hard way when the car starts falling apart,” he said.
In the business for over two decades, Bro Wong said he plans to leave used car sales altogether.
“I want to give it up and help the public instead with advice and guidance on buying used cars safely without getting fleeced through my online videos.”
At least five shortchanged buyers reach out to him for advice every month.
A car mechanic, who only wanted to be known as Ng, said he sees many worn cars brought in just weeks after purchase.
“Some of these cars have so badly worn out parts that were ‘patched up’ and concealed to last for a few weeks until it fails. It can be very frustrating even for me when I fix one defect and another falls apart just days later,” he said.
Ng agreed faults can be hard to spot at a dealership, but signs include rough start-ups, rattling engines, erratic idle timing and thick white smoke from the exhaust.
A used car dealer, speaking on condition of anonymity, called odometer tampering an “open secret”.
“It increases the car’s appeal. Nobody wants a 15-year-old car with over 100,000km,” he said, adding that certain workshops offer the service using a device to cut mileage by half.
Imported and reconditioned cars, he noted, are harder to tamper with as buyers can verify mileage.
Dealers price such cars based on market rates found online, but with “lower mileage” to make them more attractive.
As for accident-damaged cars, he said they’re upfront about repairs and avoid reselling vehicles from serious crashes – unless sold cheaply below market value.
Buyers, he added, should know how to spot signs of major accidents, such as non-original nuts.
