The great australian speedo scam

RAPID_BA · 27-12-2011, 06:49 PM

Looking for stories of speedos wound back in cars sold. Any experiences and known "speedo georges" that have been caught winding them back.

Surely you can tell if a car with 150,000km has been wound back to the magic number 60000km.

Stories and experiences? Do you know anyone caught out buying a pumpkin?

**DJM83** · 27-12-2011, 06:53 PM

Why is 60k kms the magic number? Has your BA been wound back?

dragon91 · 27-12-2011, 06:53 PM

there was a big syndicate of people getting JDM imports and replacing/ winding the clock back and selling on a jumped up prices from memory, other than that there was something on today tonite few weeks ago...

Why? you planning on doin it yourself

dragon91 · 27-12-2011, 06:55 PM

I thought ba couldnt have the speedo/ cluster changed without the ford dealership running some code through the computer?

JC · 27-12-2011, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Looking for stories of speedos wound back in cars sold. Any experiences and known "speedo georges" that have been caught winding them back.

Surely you can tell if a car with 150,000km has been wound back to the magic number 60000km.

Stories and experiences? Do you know anyone caught out buying a pumpkin?

Yeh, a dude on ACA with his Navara.

My sister bought an EA and the dealer had wound the clock back to around the 150,000km mark. The speedo didn't line up properly, but she didn't know what that meant (now she does though). The wind back was actually picked up about 12 months after she bought the car, IIRC, when she took it for service and the business noted that the last service done had been the 210,000km service, which was more than the odometer showed at that stage (around the 165,000km mark, I think). NRMA and consumer affairs got involved, and she ended up with a cheque for $1500 from the dealer - essentially the difference in price between what she paid, and what a car that had done an estimated 240,000km would have been worth. Plus the dealer also fixed her radiator and leaking exhaust under the stat warranty that is applicable to cars less than 10yo and under 160,000km, so they really did themselves in the foot by winding it back.

RAPID_BA · 27-12-2011, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJM83

Why is 60k kms the magic number? Has your BA been wound back?

No winding back on my cars. One owner jobs with receipts. I paid a bit more than the average but no cut corners.

I can tell a cars km on an inspection (except a police car where 1 police km is equivalent to 4-5 private km)

You just cant hide fake km. the sharp pricing of these cars is almost a givaway.

RAPID_BA · 27-12-2011, 07:04 PM

60000km is the magic number as its low enough to be described as like new but a few km to explain any imperfections.

**DJM83** · 27-12-2011, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

No winding back on my cars. One owner jobs with receipts. I paid a bit more than the average but no cut corners.

I can tell a cars km on an inspection (except a police car where 1 police km is equivalent to 4-5 private km)

Still cant be sure, ill never buy second hand again after buying new. (Not just for the odometer wind back issue)

Quote:

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

You just cant hide fake km. the sharp pricing of these cars is almost a givaway.

Obviously they can, people buy them.

RAPID_BA · 27-12-2011, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJM83

Still cant be sure, ill never buy second hand again after buying new.

Obviously they can, people buy them.

I agree that new is always better but in my case I let the first owner cop all the depreciation, he loved the car as I do but he fell in love with a fg gt, then I picked it up off him.

The money I saved was earning me money on an investment property.

But thus thread isnt about me its about "speedo george" stories.

protd · 27-12-2011, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

No winding back on my cars. One owner jobs with receipts. I paid a bit more than the average but no cut corners.

I can tell a cars km on an inspection (except a police car where 1 police km is equivalent to 4-5 private km)

You just cant hide fake km. the sharp pricing of these cars is almost a givaway.

but why can't you tell a police cars km??? you can tell just by looking, then multiply by your 4 or 5 and you have the km, i thought that would have been a no brainer for someone of your talent

mik · 27-12-2011, 07:19 PM

after seeing the aca episode, it`s probably more wide spread than we know, actually even looking on the net, by accident i was looking for a car yard by it`s dealer licence, as that was all that was given on a sale page, on the answers that came up on the google search page was the very yard i was looking for , and also on the search page came up court case results from that very yard for winding back speedo`s !!
i`ll never look at that yard the same again !

Franco Cozzo · 27-12-2011, 07:22 PM

Have a look at a lot of JDM cars, particularily Z32 Nissan 300ZXs, a lot are imported with magically low kilometers on the odometer for something that was around in the late 80s to early 90s, its a known issue. Look at things like wear on the drivers seat, steering wheel, panel gap inconsistencies, electrical connectors under the bonnet will go all brittle with many heat cycles etc, doesn't make sense for a car with that amount of low kilometers.

Rodp · 27-12-2011, 07:23 PM

Your perception for controversial threads that will inevitably receive the lock is astounding. Bravo for being an excellent troll.

Mileage on the clock is not the be all end all factor. One man's 60k could be another man's 600k, depending on how the car was looked after.

My BAXR8 was falling apart at 120k, I sold it in an effort to stop the bank drain after 4k of repairs and going up. My current F6 is a tad shy of 140k, haven't spent a cent on it.

Jim Goose · 27-12-2011, 07:31 PM

Ha musta seen the ACA add for tonight????

Another speedo scam story

Boosh Brus · 27-12-2011, 07:32 PM

I am pretty sure my car has been wound back. It has supposedly done just over 100,000km but after carrying out a service I don't buy it.

It's just a get around car though so I don't mind much however the low kms were definitely something that appealed to me.

RAPID_BA · 27-12-2011, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodp

Your perception for controversial threads that will inevitably receive the lock is astounding. Bravo for being an excellent troll.

Mileage on the clock is not the be all end all factor. One man's 60k could be another man's 600k, depending on how the car was looked after.

My BAXR8 was falling apart at 120k, I sold it in an effort to stop the bank drain after 4k of repairs and going up. My current F6 is a tad shy of 140k, haven't spent a cent on it.

why would this thread be locked? Which member is taking offence?

I know a guy with a vs commodore that had the speedo stop on him. So he has had 105000km for a few years. He plans on fixing it when its time to sell. Not sure if he will fess up about the extra 50000-60000km since it failed. Is he a speedo geirge? Technically he never wound anything back, just didnt do the km.

RAPID_BA · 27-12-2011, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by protd

but why can't you tell a police cars km??? you can tell just by looking, then multiply by your 4 or 5 and you have the km, i thought that would have been a no brainer for someone of your talent

Not really... Its the other way round. My inspection of a police car condition would suggest 400,000km and then I would divide by 5 to get the actual displayed speedo km. (police cars only)

The police should almost be accused of winding back speedos. The condition of those cars never matches the actual mileage.

v8ltd · 27-12-2011, 07:58 PM

One of my friends knew of this guy that bought himself a WRX Suba, after a couple years he decided to sell it, but not before winding back the speedo. So off he goes and pulls out the dash cluster, and then notices the words written into the back of it with a permanent marker. "Been there, done that!"......

Jim Goose · 27-12-2011, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

Not really... Its the other way round. My inspection of a police car condition would suggest 400,000km and then I would divide by 5 to get the actual displayed speedo km. (police cars only)

The police should almost be accused of winding back speedos. The condition of those cars never matches the actual mileage.

Is this a thread about winding back speedos? or a Police bashing thread??

Whats the condition of a 2nd hand Police car and its mileage got to do with things??

macman · 27-12-2011, 08:05 PM

So, if you have general mechanical knowledge and some common sense, buy a car because of it's condition not because of its numbers.

Otherwise, there's no way to tell it hasn't been wound back.

I think you'd have to be very careful and know a lot of the cars history to wind it back and get away with it. Not to mention desperate.

TheyDontWantMus · 27-12-2011, 08:06 PM

...its not a speedo, its an odometer... :/

macman · 27-12-2011, 08:10 PM

lol and it's not a Falcon, it's a Forte but we all know what OP means.

nstg8a · 27-12-2011, 08:30 PM

i dont think its so much as them being wound back, as the entire cluster being replaced with a lower kay one. im fairly certain thats the case with my au, its only showing 165ish kays but it drives and rattles like a car thats done north of 300. either that or my other suspicion is that it went for a swim in january.

Rodp · 27-12-2011, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

why would this thread be locked?

Intuition.

T-Pak Addict · 27-12-2011, 08:53 PM

Its all too easy to pick up another cluster from a wrecker and chuck it in the car. One of the reasons I dont buy cars based on kays but how well its been looked after... Most times I wouldnt look at a car around 100k anyway, mainly because you will know thinks will need replacing soon. 200k and most of its been done if the owner if its been looked after or completely shagged if not.

My drive to work car has always been a Xcab, I know what I am buying and they are cheap but if you are not mechanically minded I wouldnt buy one.

Geez Louise · 27-12-2011, 08:56 PM

I thought from the title, this thread was about rip off Budgie smugglers!

Odometers are being wound back and it is a shame for the buyers of the cars.

jpd80 · 27-12-2011, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HULK_BA

why would this thread be locked? Which member is taking offence?

I know a guy with a vs commodore that had the speedo stop on him. So he has had 105000km for a few years. He plans on fixing it when its time to sell. Not sure if he will fess up about the extra 50000-60000km since it failed. Is he a speedo geirge? Technically he never wound anything back, just didnt do the km.

If that's true than most people owning XF Falcons will be called "Speedo georges" As the gear inside the speedo eventually gives out.....

Strap XR8 · 27-12-2011, 09:29 PM

most places that advertise "speedo recalibrations" in the quokka etc do the dodge.

Windsor342ci · 27-12-2011, 10:03 PM

I dont like it Hulk and would never do it either..

Furthermore, those that are trying to bait Hulk into an argument or twist this in him making a police bashing thread are fools! Stop being try hards trying to bait the poor person! Deal with your own pathetic lives....

Hulk - Said it before and I'll say it again... ignore the idiots, they have nothing better to then start things because there to busy wishing they had a goal in life....

mik · 27-12-2011, 10:04 PM

if you have a look at some of the cars advertised on certain sites, you look at 10 /20 year old cars, some have amazingly low km`s, on occasions they give you close ups of the odo`s, on one particular car the odo is like a small removable module, and in the close ups you can see screw driver marks where its been removed, in others the mechanical odo`s the numbers are not sitting uniformly.
i hate to be a mistrustful old codger......but you have to be sceptical on some of these, to me servicing history is worth it`s weight in gold