Odometer rollback - what is the truth??

[omidarule]

HI Everyone,

E46 M3 - Is it possible to rollback and not to be traceable???

I want to buy a used M3 and be safe that the milage is correct!

I READ MANY ARTICLES, some say its possible but it shows the real miles on the ECU.
Others says you buy a machine from Germany and it erases the ECU one also!!

WHAT IS THE TRUTH HERE?
How can I protect myself?
DOes anyone REALY Knows?

[mo_dingo]

I work for an auto auction house, and I have seen this happen before. To be honest, any car ECU or ODO settings can be modified. However, for most expensive euro cars, this can be quite expensive or elusive, to say the least.

We had 2 stolen mercs that had spent some time in mexico. They never bothered messing with the "hidden" VINs on the car, so when we saw some strange registration flags when we ran it through NTSB, they came out and tore the cars apart. Eventually, we found the correct vins, verified them as stolen, acquired new VIN plates and changed the VIN/ODO info in the ECU. They went to a lot of trouble to obfuscate the identity of these cars, most don't.

We have to call NTSB every time we make changes to the ECU of a car (rarely happens). Obviously, we are a legitimate business, some are not.

So, to be honest, any car's info can be modified by the wrong people. CarFax is the only option consumers have readily available. Accidents documented by NTSB will not necessarily show up on CarFax. If you have a car where the front fenders have been replaced but no accidents show up on CarFax, start digging deeper.

Factory pinch welds (1/4" divots that track along the fenders, where it welds to the body) are usually identical and consistent. A repair shop's TIG welds will not be. They can be very difficult to find when the repair shop is high class. That is the place to start, as any accident will surely screw up one of the doors or quarter panels.

Good Luck!

[omidarule]

Originally Posted by mo_dingo

I work for an auto auction house, and I have seen this happen before. To be honest, any car ECU or ODO settings can be modified. However, for most expensive euro cars, this can be quite expensive or elusive, to say the least.

We had 2 stolen mercs that had spent some time in mexico. They never bothered messing with the "hidden" VINs on the car, so when we saw some strange registration flags when we ran it through NTSB, they came out and tore the cars apart. Eventually, we found the correct vins, verified them as stolen, acquired new VIN plates and changed the VIN/ODO info in the ECU. They went to a lot of trouble to obfuscate the identity of these cars, most don't.

We have to call NTSB every time we make changes to the ECU of a car (rarely happens). Obviously, we are a legitimate business, some are not.

So, to be honest, any car's info can be modified by the wrong people. CarFax is the only option consumers have readily available. Accidents documented by NTSB will not necessarily show up on CarFax. If you have a car where the front fenders have been replaced but no accidents show up on CarFax, start digging deeper.

Factory pinch welds (1/4" divots that track along the fenders, where it welds to the body) are usually identical and consistent. A repair shop's TIG welds will not be. They can be very difficult to find when the repair shop is high class. That is the place to start, as any accident will surely screw up one of the doors or quarter panels.

Good Luck!

Mo_Dingo Thank you very much for the comprehensive report.
I think they should put this one as a sticky to guide new buyers!

Thanks again,
Omi

[mo_dingo]

lol, no problem!!!