Changing the Odometer

[Twista89]

I have a question I need answering. I was gonna buy a gauge cluster from someone on these forums but the only problem thats stopping me is the fact that his odometer reads 191k and my car only has 80k on it. I was wondering if its possible to swap out the odometers or turn his back so it can display the proper reading.

[Pontiac]

Doesn't the computer keep track of the odo in digital displays?

[Deggy Fresh]

i think its illigal to tamper with any odometer....you will just have to put Exempt for milage when you sell the car.

[Twista89]

99 started digital displays....I have 95

Edit: also i dont plan on selling the car so illegal doesnt matter to me because its gonna stay in my possession.

[Nighthawk243]

Doesn't the computer keep track of the odo in digital displays?

1995 had the old style non-digital odometer.

Anyways, When it comes to the odometer, you'll have to have a sticker placed on your door reading the milage of the old odometer when removed, and the milage of the one you replaced it with.

[Twista89]

Theres no way to just swap the odometer??? Nukkinfutz told me that the odometer is screwed in as a self-unit so all that has to be done is un-screw it and replace...is that it???

[SE2000]

I think speedo shops, not the swim kind, set the mileage that the car has so see if they do that.

[Twista89]

theres a such thing as a speedo shop??? lol. Wouldnt mind help pointing me in the direction of such a thing??? :lol:

[SE2000]

I believe there is one in Albany. Thought it off of Everett road. Any others local know about it?

[bassman8604]

what you should do is put in the new one and rank up the miles on that one then when you go to sell it put the other one back in and say it only has 80K on it ;)

[Twista89]

lol im not selling the car....the only way it leaves my possession is if someone takes it from me. Besides i like being honest and it would just sit with me right if i can just swap odometers or do something to get the miles down on the new one.

[Nighthawk243]

Well... the problem is swapping them is difficult. GM and other automakers are required by law to make them tamper resistant. Generally if you try to modify the odometers, it'll put lines through the numbers to signify the odometer was tampered with.

[Twista89]

Dang and nobody has figured out a way past this??? Well if theres no shops or anything that can make it possible to swap or lower the numbers then ill just roll them by hand. Hopefully I can find someone to do it or somethin.

[Ryan625]

110k miles is a lot of numbers to roll maybe you can pay your neighborhood snow shoveler kid to do it. :)

[Twista89]

lol he would probably mess it all up somehow. But yea I had another question after much looking up from past topics it seems that you can swap the odometer but you would have to remove the needles in the process. Ive also seen a topic were it says you can take it to a tire balancing shop(dont know if thats true) or the dealer to get the speedo recalibrated to show right. If thats so then I might just do that but also anyone got some good instructions on how to get to the cluster?

[TA^Guy]

A tire shop won't be able to fix it for you.

I personally would try to swap them out, or manually roll it over by hand.
I believe there is one in Albany. Thought it off of Everett road. Any others local know about it?
Are you thinking of American Plate Glass across from DePaula Chevrolet?

[Twista89]

Well I went to the junkyard today to get me a new mirror and took apart a GT cluster while i was at it. Looks like you have to remove the needles to get to the odometer so im guessing it really not worth it lol ill just have 200k miles on my odo lol.

[Big Joe]

Well I went to the junkyard today to get me a new mirror and took apart a GT cluster while i was at it. Looks like you have to remove the needles to get to the odometer so im guessing it really not worth it lol ill just have 200k miles on my odo lol.

Ok ok I'm late. I have actually done this. Its possible to swap odometers but like you already figured out you have to take the needles off. Once you get the needles and the black face off, then the odometer is just held in with two screws, it lifts right outand you can slide the new one in. Its been a while since I last did this so I might have missed a small detail or two but thats about it.

[Twista89]

yea thats about what i did to get to the odometer on the GT(was a nice one to every option except leather seats.) If I take off the needles aint it a really good chance ill mess up the reading though? It was cold out today so i really just broke the cluster apart and found out how to get to it lol.

Edit: Also you know how to get the dash off? I used a hammer and I know I dont wanna do that to my car lol.

[Big Joe]

Yes if you take the needles out theres an extremely good chance you wont get them back into the right spot and the readings will be off.

[Twista89]

I guess ill leave the odo alone then. Also you know how to get the dash off? I used a hammer and I know I dont wanna do that to my car lol.

[kingkill83]

tampering with an odometer in the state of michigan is a felony. not sure if its federal or state mandated, but im def. sure its illegal to do.

[Twista89]

I know its illegal but im not reselling the car lol...3rd time Ive said this. Just need to know how to remove the upper part of the dash now im good on the odometer.

[99GrandAMSE]

I can't see how it would be illegal as long as you didn't withhold any information ... document everything, take pictures/video and keep the old cluster showing what it had before it was changed ... personally, I am changing mine (I know, mine is a different style but I am talking about the legalities right now) in the the spring and if I wasn't going to have a local guy reprogram it to the correct mileage, I would simply do what I said above ... innocent until proven guilty in my books :)

[kingkill83]

I can't see how it would be illegal as long as you didn't withhold any information ... document everything, take pictures/video and keep the old cluster showing what it had before it was changed ... personally, I am changing mine (I know, mine is a different style but I am talking about the legalities right now) in the the spring and if I wasn't going to have a local guy reprogram it to the correct mileage, I would simply do what I said above ... innocent until proven guilty in my books :)

best bet would be to look into state laws regarding the issue for sure. and second, dont leave paper trails. like this would be. im a prelaw student, just looking out for ya is all, not being mean.

[99GrandAMSE]

best bet would be to look into state laws regarding the issue for sure. and second, dont leave paper trails. like this would be. im a prelaw student, just looking out for ya is all, not being mean.

Not taking what you said as being mean but I am not sure if you were referring to "my" case or his ... with the idea you are referring to "me", as I said, I don't feel that changing the cluster with another having a different mileage is "wrong" provided you keep all your documentation to prove you didn't do it for any malicious reason (i.e.: in my case, I simply want to have a 150MPH speedo) ... as well, in my case, I can have my speedo readout changed to indicate what my car actually has but even if I didn't have that done, I feel keeping the original unit showing what it was when you removed it along with what the mileage of the new one when you added it, would suffice to keep everyone happy :) ... pictures and video are a wonderful thing, IMO ... anyway, I am in Canada so obviously things would be different :) ... good luck!!

[Nighthawk243]

The issue is that in most states, there is a section dedicated to Odometer fraud in the vehicle code, and it usually disallows tampering with odometers.

[kingkill83]

Not taking what you said as being mean but I am not sure if you were referring to "my" case or his ... with the idea you are referring to "me", as I said, I don't feel that changing the cluster with another having a different mileage is "wrong" provided you keep all your documentation to prove you didn't do it for any malicious reason (i.e.: in my case, I simply want to have a 150MPH speedo) ... as well, in my case, I can have my speedo readout changed to indicate what my car actually has but even if I didn't have that done, I feel keeping the original unit showing what it was when you removed it along with what the mileage of the new one when you added it, would suffice to keep everyone happy :) ... pictures and video are a wonderful thing, IMO ... anyway, I am in Canada so obviously things would be different :) ... good luck!!

hehe i didnt see you were located in canada. anyhow, im sure the laws are a bit more stringent there when it comes to some things. in the u.s. we have some really dumb laws, that no matter how one would justify its actions, would still be considered a violation of said code.

and yea the problem is in MANY if not a federal mandate, there is a law in the vehicle code that states with tampering with the odometer. let me see if i can dig one up.

in michigan, here is one simple law on said facts:
(d) On his own initiative, conduct spot check investigations of motor vehicle repair facilities registered or required to be registered throughout the state on a continuous basis to determine whether or not the facility is in compliance with this act and rules promulgated hereunder. The administrator may not alter the odometer on a vehicle employed in such investigations or deliberately misrepresent the condition of the vehicle.

thats from MOTOR VEHICLE SERVICE AND REPAIR ACT (EXCERPT)
Act 300 of 1974

however thats just one simple event in michigan where that falls into play. many laws in many areas are worded funny. it may say one thing but mean somthing else.

like in TN. seeds from Datura Stromonium are illegal to posses, be used, or sold within school grounds. simple research into datura stromonium will show it is a violentlly acting plant when ingested and can lead to other reactions, that are fatal and or otherwise. Any medical investigations into ingestion on said plant will point this out. Now imagine you are a middle aged male and are pulled over and have these said seeds. What do you think a cop is going to think?

so, the man is going to have a court case, and, likely lose with no warranting explination on why he would have said controlled substance, (which by the way, is only controlled in said environment). a judge is still going to fine the man for it.

it may vary with the laws and areas to certain degrees, but one thing is certain.

if you are going to do it, dont tell anyone verbally other then somone helping you out; and further more- especially not online.

personally i could give a shit if you tamper with it or not.

lol.

just be sure that if you are, you have one hell of a good defence in hand built up and saved somewhere, just in case somthing does happen and the wrong people find out. my advice? document reasoning why, look into local laws (there is always a loophole), and put that shit in a safe deposit box, that way ya always got your (explitive) covered. :cool:

[99GrandAMSE]

... well, it is pointless to sit here and try to argue as it really doesn't affect me but I can tell with 100% certainty that I don't have issues with changing out a speedometer and then changing the reading so that it reads the same as what it is supposed to read, or, leaving it as is if it was lower ... that said, to me, it is not fraud if you are not withholding the fact you made the changes and if an official tried to charge me with such an offence, they would have a long Court case in head of them because they cannot prove fraud if I am not trying to take advantage of my previous actions ... no offence bud for what you typed as it was interesting, I just don't agree with it; however as with many laws, this one no doubt can be lumped into being overly stupid and worthless :lol:

[kingkill83]

... well, it is pointless to sit here and try to argue as it really doesn't affect me but I can tell with 100% certainty that I don't have issues with changing out a speedometer and then changing the reading so that it reads the same as what it is supposed to read, or, leaving it as is if it was lower ... that said, to me, it is not fraud if you are not withholding the fact you made the changes and if an official tried to charge me with such an offence, they would have a long Court case in head of them because they cannot prove fraud if I am not trying to take advantage of my previous actions ... no offence bud for what you typed as it was interesting, I just don't agree with it; however as with many laws, this one no doubt can be lumped into being overly stupid and worthless :lol:

no i feel you, and i wasnt trying to argue, just looking out for you if you know what i mean. Canada has different laws, i was just putting that out there for whoever decided to change it out. im pretty sure any laws have loopholes, so there would have to be some kind of law on why somone would change an odometer, like, persay- if one was broke? best bet would be to check into a local shop at that point to see what they say about it. ^.^ And good luck if thats the goal in hand.

[Nighthawk243]

With the way the law is worded, it is rather vague, and whether or not you are convicted of the charge is usually up to the interpretation of the judge. Alot of vehicle codes require that when a new instrument cluster is installed, the milage off the old cluster's odometer is placed on the door so it can be added to the new odometer's reading to get an accurate true mileage. The placard has to be done by a credible shop to make it verifiable. Swapping out odometers in many cases can be considered inaccurate.

[SE2000]

Since the purpose of the odometer mileage change was to restore it to the correct value, how could that be legally considered tampering? A tampered vehicle would not have its true mileage displayed.
Since one has been opened up, it would be easy to see if there really is a method of marking a adjusted odometer.

[bassman8604]

hell id say its not worth it id say just write down the mileage on both then just do the very simple math to figure it out... if you take those needles good luck getting them to read the correct numbers again i know from experience buddy it sucks:) but hey do what you want you know now that its possible so the best of luck to ya with whatever you decide to do;)

[Twista89]

Just got done with the swap, for future refrence for anyone that wants to do this mod and swap out the odometer it can be done without removing the needles. All that is needed is some patience. Just loosen the screws in the back of the odometer enough so you will be able to slide out the old numbers and slide the new numbers in. I did that and didnt have to remove one needle so it is possible.

[Gagt518]

Congrads :clap:

[Twista89]

Since the purpose of the odometer mileage change was to restore it to the correct value, how could that be legally considered tampering? A tampered vehicle would not have its true mileage displayed.
Since one has been opened up, it would be easy to see if there really is a method of marking a adjusted odometer.

Also when I removed the old one I was able to turn it to any number readout I wanted to in just a couple of seconds and nothing happened to the numbers. The only thing that I guess was suppose to protect it from tamper was a little plastic clip that was easily pulled off and put back on. I could turn it to 00000 if I wanted and it would still look and work normally.

Congrads :clap:

thx :D