Checks that Prevent 'clocked' cars from entering the auctions
Effective procedures help prevent cars being auctioned with illegally changed odometers
First of all, the different auction houses cooperate to share data on the mileages of vehicles passing through. Thus they can tell if a vehicle was sold at another auction three years ago with a higher mileage, for example. A lot of the trade-in vehicles and other used cars sold in Japan do pass through the used car auctions at some point, so if there has been any illegal changes to the odometer, the auctions will often be able to pick it up using this method.
In recent years, it has also become mandatory to note the odometer reading at the time of the roadworthiness test (called Shaken in Japanese). In this way a car will gradually build up a record of usage so that if there is a sudden and dramatic change (or reversal) it will quickly become clear from this data.
This certificate was issued on January 19th, 2009 for a car which was first registered in 2004 (item 1 above). Then section 2 in the lower left corner says that the car had done 13,400KM at the time of the last roadworthiness inspection, which was January 12th, 2007.
Therefore, if this car was sent to the auction with its odometer showing anything less than 13,400KM, then it would definitely be marked as an odometer changed vehicle, as it had this mileage back in 2007. Even if the mileage was over 13,400KM, it may still be marked as an odometer changed vehicle if the KM reading had not increased much in the intervening years. In these situations, the auctions tend to err on the side of caution to avoid possible criminal penalties.
How To Spot A Car With A Changed Odometer
Odometers could be replaced for legitimate reasons, or maybe the reasons are more murky.
The first thing to look for is an asterisk (*) next to the odometer reading on the auction sheet. This means that the auction believes the odometer has been changed, and has not been presented with any records which would indicate that the change was legitimate.
Of course, this does not mean that the car has necessarily been clocked – the odometer could have been replaced for a perfectly legal reason – but it does mean that the current seller cannot prove this to the auction, so they are selling it clearly marked as a car with a changed odometer.
Obviously, we do not expect you to be able to read Japanese (we provide professional translations so our customers do not have to worry about language issues), but this should help you understand what these asterisks mean, should you happen to see one.
Odometers With $ Or # Next To The Reading
If a car does have some sort of record, then the auctions will mark the KM reading with “$” or “#”.
For example, this auction inspection report shows a $ next to the odometer reading. In the lower part of the page, the inspector has written:
"Odometer replaced on August 29, 2006 at 3,737KM and current odometer reading is 72,645KM"
Adding the original odometer reading to the current odometer reading, we come to the mileage of 76,382KM written on the auction sheet.
$ shows that the odometer has been replaced legitimately. There will often be a comment about where it was done and that there are records of the work, or the original odometer still with the car.
# is used when the true mileage is unknown. This is more common for cars that are very old.
Odometers With * Next To The Reading
The first thing to look for is an asterisk (*) next to the odometer reading on the auction sheet. This means that the auction believes the odometer has been changed, and has not been presented with any records which would indicate that the change was legitimate. Of course, this does not mean that the car has necessarily been clocked – the odometer could have been replaced for a perfectly legal reason – but it does mean that the current seller cannot prove this to the auction, so they are selling it clearly marked as a car with a changed odometer.
On this auction sheet you can see that there is an * next to the odometer reading. Lower down on the page, it says "aftermarket odometer (possibly AMG item) fitted, so this is an odometer changed vehicle".
In this case, the odometer was probably replaced legitimately, but there are no records to prove the indicated mileage, so it is marked with the *.
Other auction sheet comments about odometer readings
In addition to the more common remarks about odometers we have already looked at above, here are some more comments about odometer readings in general that you will see from time to time on the auction reports of cars at auction in Japan:
- 5-digit odometer so marked as odometer changed vehicle – 5-digit odometers are common in older vehicles. Obviously, once the reading reaches 99,999KM it then rolls over back to zero. Unless the car has a good set of records to back up its mileage, it is likely to be marked as having had its odometer changed. Again, this is simply the auction erring on the side of caution.
- True KM unknown – You may see this comment on its own, or it may be qualified with a reason, such as the one below.
- Odometer not working, so true KM unknown – If the odometer has failed but has not been replaced, it may have been driving with the same reading for a period of time. There is no way of telling then what the true mileage is.
- Old vehicle, so marked as an odometer changed car – As a car gets older, its history becomes more and more murky. As a result, for cars that are a few decades old, you sometimes find the auctions marking them as odometer changed cars simply because at that age they cannot be completely confident about their true mileage.
- Tachograph fitted so odometer changed vehicle – This is seen with reasonable regularity on bus and truck auction sheets.
What else can give extra confidence about the mileage?
Up to this point, we have been considering negatives which might undermine your confidence in the stated KM for a particular vehicle in the Japanese car auction.
However, on the other side, there is also information you may well see on auction sheets which will increase your confidence in both the mileage and overall quality of the vehicle.
As you can see in the car auction report below, the inspector has noted that the car (1) has the service manual present, and (2) has service history from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013. Since this car is a 2004 Mercedes SL being auctioned in 2016, this combination of service manual and service history starting just after it was first registered and continuing almost to the present will give you a high degree of confidence that the mileage is demonstrably accurate.
Auction sheets were translated well in time, advice was provided where required and when needed a technical staff member was available to discuss issues via Skype. We found the instructions and explanations provided on their website to be straightforward and in the course of our business did not stumble over any problems.
In short, I will use Integrity Exports again given the opportunity and can further recommend them without exception.
- Steffen Roettcher (Kenya)
Odometer reading verification
We employ an independent professional service that analyzes the odometer as well as checking for tell-tale signs of tampering. A car that passes is issued a certificate that can prove useful as additional proof of the quality of the vehicle. This service is available at extra cost after you have bought the car at auction.
Learn more about this JEVIC odometer certification here.
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