Odometer fraud on my new Certified Pre-owned Prius.

How's Brad doing? ....just wondering

 

opcorn:


This is material that very bad made for tv movie


Please do not ask question during school hours , someone as classes to attended :eyebrows:

 

What resolution would you ultimately be seeking?

In your original post you say you REALLY LOVE this car.

If it was odometer fraud, or even error it's not insignificant BUT the can of worms you are preparing to open is a big can of worms.

Ultimately the dealership will say it was just a mistake, they aren't going to admit to a crime even if they did do it. Proving who knew what, when, why, and with what motivation- would be near to impossible.

Plus we are only talking a little over 10,000 miles odometer difference. Again not insignificant...but not enough to site a huge difference in vehicle value.

If you open this can of worms what do you want at the end? Given you can prove the "mistake" in the odometer reading....the dealership admits to data entry mistake, or simply something getting lost along the line...ultimately you have a vehicle that might have a little over 10,000 miles more on it than you thought when you purchased. I think you could leverage for the difference in value that represents...but probably not much more.

If you "love" the car, and otherwise feel it is in good shape, you might start with a calm conversation with the dealership about what you discovered and your concerns. What would you be happy with? At this point nobody can either change the records you discovered or change the odometer on your car, so what resolution would make you happy?

Your "Prius" journey has been troubled. I'm sorry to hear about this.

 

wow, interesting thread...
but i dont understand how the mileage can be altered on a Prius, its all digital. The first thing i checked when purchasing my Prius was if the service history matched the kilometers on the odometer. Who is Brad though? :S

 

You can install a combination meter from a salvage vehicle of lower miles, into the recipient vehicle of higher miles.

 

Actually he is a Latvian nationalist (and chess grandmaster) attempting to surreptitiously drive a Prius into Area 51 and thus prove that extraterrestial life exists. Or, at least that's what he told me he was doing.

 

In the end you can drive for as long as you want and tell them about the problem . In the end they will have to give you every penny back no matter what!!! "that is" In the state of New York GOOD LUCK

 

Look at this first post again. At least four odometer readings showing about 10K more, all with the correct VIN, all written up by different service writers, different pens, different dates etc. Are you and your Father really prepared to take the answer: "Probably Just a typo error, really nothing to worry about" You should contact your state agency on : "Possible Odometer Fraud" That's what they are there for. Odometer turnback is a very serious offense. I figured the Dealership would try and snow you, so far......it looks like they are getting away with it.

 

Repeat post, I told you they would soft peddle you! Go to the State Agency, present the facts, they do all the work, Fini. :rockon:

 

I think the only problem with any legal approach is ultimate resolution.

So far the only discovered "damage" is a 10,000 mile plus mileage discrepency. Which in of itself probably could be proven, but where, exactly when and why it happened could never be proven. Everyone down the line is going to play the innocent victim. Nobody is going to admit to odometer fraud. Certainly not the dealership.

So what resolution does the OP want or expect?

The OP can decide to open the can of worms (or his father) can decide to open the can of worms, but the first step is determining whether the whole process is worth it to the individuals involved.

You could go back and complain and get free window tinting...
You could go back and complain and try to get the deal modified...
You could go back and complain and accuse and try to get the deal reversed....

I too would recommend a legal professional do the potential speaking for you, if it reaches anything above the attempting to get a free perk.

But all these are increasingly difficult approaches and all hinge on how badly the purchaser feels they were damaged..and what resolution they ultimately would want to try to reach.

Certainly I think the purchaser has some leverage with the clear discovery of a 10,000+ discrepency in the mileage of the vehicle.

But proving it, and obtaining some level of compensation with or without a legal professional on your side is a daunting battle. Seems to me the first step is evaluating what resolution would make you happy, and then perhaps seeking legal representation to see if that resolution is reachable. But the first step is determining what you personally want to do about it...

Some people might be happy with free window tinting.....
Some people might want a whole new deal.....

 

I agree with all your points. There is one other option. Don't play fair with people who don.t play fair with you. So......wring everything out from the dealer, that the dealer will allow, or grant you. AND, turn them into the state agency anyway.

 

FWIW, there is now an alternative to CarFax:

instaVIN.

Much cheaper and perhaps more accurate.

Whether it would help here, I can't say.

You would think this would be easily defeated by having the VIN machined
into combo meters at the factory... it would be a PITA to check though.

Or is my estimation of the criminal mind or the Prius' manufacturing process
overly simplistic?

 

So, if I'm reading all the OPs posts correctly, his family had 2 brand new 2010 Prius and they sold and/or traded in one of them for the '07 high mileage Prius for their son that now allegedly has a bum odometer. What have I missed?

 

You missed the title of the thread. All the rest is extraneous, at this moment in time.

 

Anyway we can get an exact service history + date + odo posted here? I mean seriously - we don't have enough info to determine if its one single incident of typos or definate odo fraud.

 

Hi Rokeby,
I found instaVIN to be worthless. I put in the VIN for my 2005 Prius and they could not find it.
Here is a copy of the VIN on the Title if you would like to try it.

Also, I know this Car has had a CarFax done on it because I saw that when I bought it.

Thanks,
Dan