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Odometer wind-back has been an unfortunate reality of the second hand car market in Australia. The ability for people to deceive potential new vehicle owners for their own financial gain is a sad reality, so below we’ve compiled a list of some of the things you can do to try and make sure you don’t buy into a lemon.

What can you do?

1. Do your digital due diligence checks first –> Review any Service NSW Pink Slip history available. Does the owner have logbooks available? Do the entries or vehicle details appear falsified? Consider purchasing a vehicle history report for a vehicle as it may help shed some light on past sales history.
2. Try and find a good reference point for a vehicle whose condition is a true indication of the age and mileage of the vehicle (e.g. Friends and family members who own vehicles of a similar spec, age and condition). Use this as your reference point to inspect potential vehicles to understand if the age and condition of the vehicle is reflective of the age/mileage of the vehicle. For example, a vehicle that is 3-4 years old that is owned by a private user shouldn’t show excessive signs of wear and tear if it has been taken care of well.
3. The number plate can reveal whether or not the number plates on the vehicle is the original plate for it’s age. This takes some knowledge of other vehicles of similar age and the number plates they have on their vehicle. One can start to question why if a single vehicle has gone through multiple or NEW number plates. (Note, the reason may be perfectly legitimate, e.g. Custom Plates).
4. Mechanical Inspection – get someone with a good pair of eyes to look over the car for signs on a mechanical front that a vehicle may have driven more miles than advertised. Things to look out for include, premature damage to engine mounts, lower control arms, significant oil leaks, heavy staining inside the engine, dirt/oil stain build up in the engine bay, signs of heat soak in the engine bay area.

In conclusion:

Ultimately it comes down to buyer beware. At Greenacre Spare Parts, we encounter these questions every day when we are looking at purchasing new stock and have measures in place to focus on purchasing quality stock only. For any parts enquiries, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

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