Mileage Fraud
 

Sorry for a newbie question but as i browse through ebay, i see alot of instrument clusters with low mileage on it. According to the auction, it states that the mileage is saved on the cluster not on the car computer.

Now my question is how do we know if we are to buy a used X5 that people didn't switch instrument clusters with lower mileage on it so they can hike up the selling price? Is there a way that dealers can tell when they hook up the car and check the computer if any part has been replaced?


:rolleyes:

If I remember correctly, there is a pixel that shows up somewhere in the cluster that shows that it has been tampered with. Maybe someone else can confirm this.

There is a dot under the word miles in the cluster which shows up if the mileage is tampered.

You BMW dealer can also tell you if its been tampered with as BMW's from around 2000 on, store the mileage on the key, and 2 other places on the vehicle.

My stupid dot came on one day and then turned off? I'm like wtf

does that dot show up if we open it up to put cluster rings? oh boy! :mad:

If you don't drive the vehicle while the cluster is out then you shouldn't have any problems.

If you take the cluster out, disconnect the battery, you should have no poblems from there installing your cluster rings.

Well.. i can confirm that mileage is saved somewhere else in the car as well.. i bought my car with a certain mileage and within ten minutes at BMW their techs were able to tell me the real mileage on the car. So basically finding the true usage of the car isn't a hassle

On most it is stored in the cluster and the LCM.