It is always a question you ask when the perfect used car sitting in front of you....... is This to good to be true? Sometimes it is. 

It's not a good feeling when you make the grim discovery that your odometer has been tampered with afters you fork our thousands of your hard earned dollars on a car or truck.

the most crucial component in discovering potential odometer rollback is checking the vehicles service history either from service book or requesting what's called a 'service printout' with the servicing dealership.

The lack of service history supplied from the dealer or private seller already raises a red flag on the car's unknown history.

What you should also be checking is that if the vehicle has a service book, you need to make sure that its not a reprint or reproduction book with forged numbers.  Blank service books can commonly be purchased on the internet. 

If your are looking at a vehicle with a rotary style odometer gauge you will always need to ensure that the numbers are LINED UP CORRECTLY.

These old style gauges are very hard to lined back up within the gear mechanism and 9 times out of 10, they always never line up correctly. 

OK.  So you have a vehicle with a full service history that has been confirmed by the dealership or servicing mechanic? that's great.  the last part of your investigation is inspection of general wear and tear items that are commonly worn down with cars or truck with higher mileage;
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• Steering wheel material - worn leather or vinyl from skin oils/makeup 
  
• Worn floor carpets, particularly around the pedals - from the driver's heel digging into the carpet while driving 
  
• Worn/cracked drivers seat - this includes cracked leather and worn material exposing some the of foam ​
  
• ​Worn seat belts 

The final stage of your investigation will be to have a certified technician inspect the vehicle with speciality tools and computer scanning equipment to ensure that, in fact, the indicated mileage of the vehicle is correct.

Various cars and trucks have different measures or configurations, so some of the above points may not be applicable to your vehicle, however, its a good start. 

A coating thickness gauge is utilised to test the coating thickness of ferrous and non-ferrous metals (otherwise known as magnetic and non-magnetic metal surfaces).
Ferrous metals include;

• Steel panels
• Iron chassis and engine blocks

Non-ferrous metals include;

• Aluminium panels
• Tin panels

When conducting an inspection and a piece of equipment, we are able to determine not only the thickness of the subject panel coating (i.e paint), but to determine whether there are any underlaying imperfections that we cannot see to the naked eye.
These imperfections include;

• Body rust
• Chassis rust
• Body filler
• Substandard welds
• Rust plates
• Fish plates
• Sand blasting
• Primer thickness
• Body deadener

All of the above mentioned are crucial factors in determining if the subject vehicle deemed as being safe with no other unexpected pre-existing damages or repairs.
In short, a coasting thickness or paint thickness test is crucial when completing vehicle inspections. No matter if it is for a pre-purchase inspection, warranty inspection or repair dispute inspections. 

Buying a vehicle can be an exciting time in your life, people often buy vehicles as a statement piece and can be very proud of their new wheels!  On the other hand, buying a used car can also lead of a lot of headaches, arguments with the seller and even court appearances in some cases.
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Below are just some tips for people looking at purchasing their next car and taking the necessary precautionary methods to make a successful transaction.

Buying from a dealership:

It is always recommend buying from an authorised dealership based on the following factors;

1. Guaranteed that there are no monies owing on the vehicle (i.e. finance)
2. Dealerships will have to disclose any vehicle history of requested by potential buyer
3. Dealerships will have to advise of any odometer rollbacks reported
4. Dealerships will have to disclose if the vehicle has been in any major accident deeming it to be a repairable write off, include hail and flood damage
5. Dealership have to supply the seller with a statutory 3-month warranty period - always read the product disclosure statement before proceeding with purchase

It is recommended that the seller ask about the above-mentioned items to gain an understanding of the vehicles past life.

If your still unsure whether to go ahead with the inspection or not, just get a professional to come out and look at the vehicle and get a comprehensive report in writing.

This will usually save you all the back and forward phone calls and a lot of time.
With all the issues set in writing you will then be able to negotiate your final offer depending on the outcome of the vehicle inspection report.
 
Buying from a private seller:

Buying from a private seller can seem like a better option in some cases by one major factor, the asking prices are almost indefinitely cheaper!  Whilst this option can seem appealing, nothing comes without its downfalls. 

Please consider the following factors that all used car buyers should take into consideration before making their initial offer;

1. Ensure that the person selling the car is the actual authorised owner – please check this by cross-referencing the registration certificate.
2. Ensure that there are no monies owing on the vehicle – complete a vehicle REVS check or PPSR certificate
3. The vehicle should be sold with an up to date roadworthy certificate – this can vary from state to state but a general rule of thumb is that the roadworthy certificate should not be over a month old – please check with the applicable state authority for exact time frames.
4. Ensure that the registration number stamped on the body matches the number listed on the registration certificate
5. Once you have completed your REVS check or PPSR report , ensure that the engine number matches the one listed on the report – if these numbers do not match, this is a sign that the engine may have been replaced at some point in time.

If the above-mentioned factors are out of your capabilities, again, it is recommend engaging the services of a certified vehicle inspector and mechanic to come out onsite and report on these items as they are crucial elements that will make your car purchase a breeze.

Also, there are no grace or warranty periods for all private vehicle sales, so it is essential that the seller is aware of all the red flags and ensuring that there are no question marks when making their final offer.