Odometer Tampering???

[genXgts]

Hey gang, been lurking on this site for some 100 hours or more, reading through all 115 pages or so of old threads learning more about this car I am sure than some non-informed owners!!!

My time to purchase has finally become a reality with a few good business decisions and a few years left as a 20 something to find a wife before I get too grey around the edges......

Would appreciate advice from you guys to help through this purchase as feel like I know you guys that toss up numerous topics and replies, ie, JonB, 2 vipered Chuck, Gerald and the ******'s exploits, Gandy bridge, Patrick up my way, the amount of information available here is 2nd to none and I shall not bore you with previously asked questions, in my quest for a 96 or 97 Blue Gts.......

Here is the first Q in the quest:
When verifying odometer readings for Viper's the obvious high dollar value of the car shoots the asking price thousands and thousands of bucks based on mileage. Aside from the obvious tell tale wear on lumbar supports and pedal wear etc, is they other Viper specific clues to look for?

It seems there are now sites devoted to the art of digitally "rolling back" (more like resetting) odometers, making power drills in reverse a thing of the past.
Where would this hookup that these hackers would access mileage information be on the car, and is it different from standard ECM hookups for diagnostic use??? I would like to hope Dodge would have the foresight to seal this port to show signs of entry to it, wish-full thinking or what?

Thanks in advance,
Waiting with Zaino and cloth diapers in one hand, Pruners and Belangers in the other.........
Ryan

 

[JonB]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by genXgts:
........Here is the first Q in the quest:
...Aside from the obvious tell tale wear on lumbar supports and pedal wear etc, is they other Viper specific clues to look for?

Where would the hookup that these hackers would access mileage information be on the car, and is it different from standard ECM hookups for diagnostic use <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

What if YOU are the hacker and we spilled our guts here !?
Those are "need to know" questions for our total security! When you buy in 2 years, 100s of people would have read my answer and screwed with miles, increasing your chances of a rollback!

Call me when ready to buy and I will clue you in with some past anecdodes of unscrupulous owners and wanna-be owners. And the normal way to track mileage in the ECU and how it can (unfortunately) easily be reset by a cooperative dealer / tech with a DRB-3.

 

[luc]

Changing mileage is pretty easy, as Jon said any any dealer,not only Dodge can do it with the DRB 3,or if you are pretty good with electronic,you can do it yourself.

Obviously,as Jon said,I am not going to tell you how to do it.

Beside looking for wear that doesn't match the mileage,as the seat,etc,here are the 2 best way that I know.

1 Every time the car go for service, the mileage is recorded,so if the owner said that the car has 5000 miles but service was done as more than this mileage,you know that something is wrong.

2 My favorite is to ask the owner if the car have the original tires.
The reason for it is that EVERY tires has it's manufacturing date MOULDED in the sidewall.
So let's said that you are looking at a 98 Viper and the owner tell you that yes, the car have the original tires,but the manufacturing date on the tire say 9/2000,you know right away that not only he his lying to you but that he went through at least a set of tires before.
Tire wear is a very good indication of mileage.
Luc.

 

[genXgts]

Thanks for the replies guys, good tip on the tires, never thought of that for lower mileage cars for sure.

As far as tracking service at a dealer, would the history of a particular GTS be available by VIN at any Dodge dealer?

Found a 1996 GTS out West, I am in Ont, Canada, the car is in BC which is the first car to be looked into, guessing not the last, I am in no rush......going to post a new thread and see if a West Coaster in the area has seen the car perhaps.

Thanks for the inferring I would prod a DCX sponsored site into information on how to tamper an odometer. The whole process is documented at numerous sites with help chat rooms for that tricky odometer that has the crook beat, if that was my intent. Excellent article on the process in this months issue of moneysense.ca.

Nonetheless thanks for the input.....
Ryan