In most cases, an odometer has the potential to last the entire lifespan of a car. However, it may break down once in a while, requiring a replacement. Additionally, certain components of your car may break down, which may cause you to think you should replace the odometer.
When you replace certain car components, you may think that an odometer reset is warranted since you have given your car a new lease of life. Keep reading to learn the dos and don’ts of resetting an odometer.
Is it Illegal to Reset Your Odometer Mileage?
Yes. Odometer fraud is prohibited under both federal and state laws. While each state has its statute, federal law prohibits disconnecting, resetting, or altering a vehicle’s odometer with the intent to change the number of miles indicated.
Odometer tampering is a form of auto dealer fraud committed by a car dealer or seller who rolls back a car’s mileage and resells it to a public buyer. Another way this can happen is online or through classified advertisements.
A seller buys a high mileage vehicle, resets the odometer, and then attempts to resell it on popular sites like Craigslist or eBay. Some consumers may even attempt to roll back their odometers to cheat on their warranties or evade mileage penalties on their car lease.
When Can You legally reset an odometer?
No. You cannot legally reset an odometer. You can only alter the mileage if the total mileage number is lower than the actual figure. This happens only after odometer replacement. When you sell a car, the odometer must be accurate. Lower mileage increases the vehicle’s value.
Some car owners may be tempted to dial back the odometer before selling it. It’s quite illegal, according to the Federal statute 49 U.S. Code § 32703. It states that:
As per the law;
A person cannot “disconnect, reset, alter, or have disconnected, reset, or altered, and odometer of a motor vehicle intending to change the mileage registered by the odometer.”
A person cannot “with intent to defraud, operate a motor vehicle on a street, road, or highway if the person knows that the vehicle’s odometer is disconnected or not operating.”
Committing odometer fraud is a crime. If the law finds that you committed odometer fraud, you would need to pay a $1,500 fine or treble damages (whichever is greater) on top of attorney’s fees. So it’s a pretty serious offense.
However, federal law states that if your car was made before 2010, you’re not obliged to disclose the mileage when selling it. Yet, it would be best if you were diligent about keeping the mileage accurate on the odometer. It’s the right thing to do.
Can a Dealer Reset the Odometer?
No. When buying a vehicle, the purchaser must receive a written disclosure of the mileage registered on an odometer from the seller. If the odometer mileage is incorrect, the law requires a statement to be furnished on the title to the buyer.
For instance, in California, the seller must complete a Vehicle/Vessel Transfer Form (REG 262) and declare the correct mileage on the title. However, if the vehicle is over ten years old, the seller is exempt from having to provide any written disclosures regarding mileage.
Can an Odometer Reset by itself?
Your vehicle’s mileage is stored in the computer system in most vehicles. It’s designed to help alleviate tampering, but people have found ways around it. For example, if someone resets it in one place to indicate a lower mileage, the computer will take over at some point and reset it to the proper mileage.
Even if the odometer is broken, your car still has stored the mileage. This only applies to modern cars, though. If you have an older car, the mileage isn’t stored anywhere.
In that case, either:
- Stop driving your car until you get the odometer replaced
- Keep track of the miles your car has traveled, and then manually reset the mechanical odometer to the right mileage on the new odometer
Will Replacing the Odometer Reset Mileage?
No. An engine swap or engine replacement will not reset the odometer as the odometer doesn’t just measure the engine but all of the car’s components. In modern cars, the mileage is stored electronically. Depending on your make and model, you may find it in the following:
- Gauge cluster
- ECU
- BCM
The new odometer will automatically display the mileage when you install your new instrument cluster. That’s why it’s safe to replace the instrument cluster. You only have to make sure that the mileage is correct.
How to Legally Replace a Damaged Odometer
it’s legal to replace the odometer on your vehicle. You need to make sure that the mileage is accurate. The speedometer is a critical part of the vehicle. It tells the driver a greatly important detail: how fast they are going.
The odometer is a safety feature of all vehicles, and driving without a working speedometer is not recommended but can also result in an unintentional speeding violation.
Removing the old speedometer
Items needed;
- Eye protection
- Gloves
- New speedometer
- Screwdriver set
- Socket set
- Towel
Steps
- Remove the negative battery cable to reduce the chances of electrical damage when working with the speedometer.
- Loosen the battery cable bolt and remove the negative battery cable. Set the cable aside so it can not touch the battery.
- Remove the instrument cluster. Locate the screws holding the instrument cluster in place.
- Some of these screws may be hidden behind other panels needing removal. Again, this varies by make and model.
- Once the screws are located, begin to remove them. Once all the screws are removed, ensure the instrument cluster is loose.
- Pull the cluster out just enough for the cluster’s wiring to be visible. There may be multiple plugs.
- Unhook all the connectors to the instrument cluster, which is completely free. Then, remove the instrument cluster entirely from the vehicle and set it in a safe work area on a towel.
- Access the speedometer. The cluster’s plastic cover must be removed. Using a small screwdriver, pry up lightly on the cover’s tabs to release them.
- Continue this around the cluster until the plastic cover can be removed.
- Remove the speedometer from the instrument cluster.
- With the plastic cover removed, it should be a simple matter to locate the bolts that hold the speedometer in place.
- Remove the bolts securing the speedometer to the instrument cluster.
- The speedometer should now lift free easily.
Installing the new speedometer
- Install the new speedometer into the cluster. Place the new speedometer in the space vacated by the old speedometer.
- Tighten the bolts that hold the speedometer into place. Make sure the speedometer is secured into the cluster.
- Replace the plastic cover over the instrument cluster. Reinstall the plastic cover removed previously onto the instrument cluster.
- Carefully lock the clips into place without breaking them. Make sure the cover is secure.
- Reinstall the instrument cluster into the dash. First, reconnect any connectors or plugs that were previously disconnected to remove the cluster.
- Then, place the instrument cluster back into the dashboard. Install all the screws that hold the cluster in place.
- Install any other panels removed to gain access to the cluster.
- Reconnect the battery cable. Go back under the hood and reconnect the negative battery cable. Tighten the cable to the terminal.
- Test your new speedometer. Drive the vehicle at a low speed in a safe location and check that the speedometer is reading the correct speed.
- Confirm that the speed changes as the vehicle drives slower and faster.
Check this too: Why Is My Fuel Gauge Stuck On Full?
Note: Some speedometers also house the mileage counter, or odometer, for the vehicle. This can either be in the form of a mechanical counter or programmed in to take mileage readings. Vehicles with a computer-controlled odometer will have to be programmed by a manufacturer’s computer to read the correct mileage. As such, you do not have to reset a digital odometer.
Can I Reset My Odometer After an Engine Swap?
No. It’s illegal to reset the odometer as it would not accurately reflect the age of other parts of the vehicle. A car’s odometer does not need to be reset with the replacement engine. Likewise, an odometer statement, which reflects a car’s history, shouldn’t be reset with a newer one.