Can you read the real / unaltered milage on a car?

Ford Other Support
1

Hello guys.

The situation is this: you are going to buy an used car, you know nothing about the history of the car. The dealership may had even modified the milage the cluster shows to make you think it’s not that used.

So the question is: is there any way for you to read the real milage on the car?. Is that value stored somewhere that could be read via forscan or any other means?.

Thanks.

2

The mileage is stored in multiple modules, so you could cross reference them

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3

Thanks.

As far as I know, the most common modification is to reprogram the instrument cluster, that’s legally done if you need to replace it.

On which modules is it stored?
Is that data accessed through forscan?

4

I found when I Frankenstined my Explorer together the milage in the modules always reset to what my IPC showed. I put a lower milage IPC in and they adjusted down to that also. My local dealerships service dept swore that the correct milage was in the PCM. I found the PCM would change to match the IPC.

I am sure it is different in each car it seems so it is probably hit and miss as to what you might find. I can only speak for the 15 Explorer.

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5

That’s interesting…
I’m not knowledgeable about these issues, but i remember a tech once told me that the odometer lives really in the IPC, that if you replace it you need to program it.

With Fiat, you could change the number but only by increasing it, although I’m sure there’s another mean of lowering it.

6

This is the same for most consumer software such as forscan and ucds

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7

Maybe @Livnitup could answer this question?

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8

My experience is with the 2015-current F150 & 2017-current Super Duty clusters and in these models the cluster is the master record keeper of the odometer and all other modules will sync to what the cluster displays so if a service tech made the statement saying the PCM was the master about these models/years then he would be incorrect.

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9

This is consistent with what I know. Thanks…

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10

So, if the instruments cluster is reprogramed, then all other modules are slave and will pick that value up?.

Well… that sucks, lol… So there’s no real way of knowing the real mileage of a car just by scanning it… sure, if you have a service history you can cross reference it… But if you know nothing about the car, then you are on your own…

11

Yeah, and there are several unscrupulous people/companies that will program any mileage to a cluster but when someone buys from me (or sends me one for programming) I make them prove actual current mileage and attest to it being correct or I won’t do it.

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12

I would like to thank you all who participated, my doubt has been cleared.
Thanks!, I’m closing the thread now.
Take care.

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