What really helps against speedometer fraudsters?

According to the police, the speedometer is manipulated when every third used car is sold in Germany. Due to the odometer manipulation, sellers can demand an average of 3000 euros more per vehicle sold than corresponds to the actual value. This causes damage of around 6 billion euros per year in Germany. Private buyers suffer primarily from this. But what are the reasons for these high numbers and what can be done about them? Each of us should watch out for speedometer fraudsters. If someone knows their way around, you can save a lot of money!

Turning back the speedometer – child's play

Manipulating an autospeedometer is not difficult at all. The speedometer fraudsters only use an easy-to-use manipulation device, which is even legally available. With software installed on the device, you can manipulate the mileage down as you like – and within a few seconds. Since every vehicle built from 2000 onwards has a diagnostic plug, the speedometer no longer has to be removed in order to be able to connect the manipulation device. This makes cheating child's play!

Does a public database offer transparency?

The ADAC does not see a database for recording the odometer reading as an ideal solution. This is because the entry in the database is often made for the first time with the first general inspection, when the vehicle is already three years old. Speedometer fraudsters can manipulate the vehicle's mileage in advance and have their fake mileage officially confirmed by the database.

Responsibility lies with the car manufacturers

There are already technical possibilities to put a spanner in the works of the speedometer fraudsters. For some time now, car manufacturers have been using HSM memory to protect their vehicles against chip tuning, among other things. Data can be stored on this HSM memory and cannot be overwritten afterwards. Such storage systems could also be used by car manufacturers for mileage. It is therefore necessary to convince the manufacturers to spend the small amount of 99 cents per vehicle on this undertaking in order to protect private used vehicle buyers from nasty speedometer fraudsters!