Can you remove a fuse in your car to stop the odometer from working?

19,689 Views | 38 Replies | Last: 20 yr ago by
Lacy05ag4
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I've heard of people doing this to keep mileage from racking up on their vehicles. I know it can be the same fuse that controls the dash gauges so it will render them inoperable as well. I was thinking that I could do it on my way to work and I just keep up with the flow of traffic so I wouldn't need a speedometer. Is this just BS or is there some truth to it?
sixiron
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AG
yeah...just open the hood and start pulling crap out. you'll be fine.
Guitarsoup
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AG
What about the gas gauge?
Lacy05ag4
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Well if I have a full tank I know usually how far I can get on it. I can also just pop the fuse back in to check the gas periodically.
sixiron
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AG
the gas gauge is a conspiracy used by the government. it's useless.

i'm serious...just pull stuff out. your car will still run the same. i do it all the time.
NoACDamnit
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What you're suggesting is highly illegal.
Lacy05ag4
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That's not what I asked. Does what I'm suggesting actually work?
northsidegreek06
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AG
it involves disconnecting your speedometor so your odometer doesn't work.

dunno how tho...and it is HIGHLY illegal - ever heard of odometer fraud?
hamster
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AG
The gas gauge on my Buick was broken for the 7 years I had it. Then about 5 years in the odometer started going crazy. It would stop for about 3 days and then it would go really fast for a few minutes. I just bought gas every couple of days (even if I didn't drive out of CS)
eric76
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AG
It is illegal to intentionally disconnect the odometer.

From the Texas Transportation Code:
quote:
§ 727.002. Tampering With Odometer; Offense

a) A person commits an offense if the person, with intent to defraud, disconnects or resets an odometer to reduce the number of miles indicated on the odometer.

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), an offense under this section is punishable by:

(1) confinement in the county jail for not more than two years;

(2) a fine not to exceed $1,000; or

(3) both the confinement and fine.

(c) If it is shown on the trial of an offense under this section that the person has previously been convicted of an offense under this section, the offense is punishable by:

(1) confinement in the county jail for not less than 30 days or more than two years; and

(2) a fine not to exceed $2,000.

(d) In this section, "odometer" means an instrument for measuring and recording the distance a motor vehicle travels while in operation but does not include an auxiliary odometer designed to be reset by the operator to record mileage on trips.

Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 165, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995.


So don't do it. Don't even think of it.
sixiron
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AG
eh....if you keep the mileage down long enough....then the resale value difference will be greater than the fine. so go ahead and do it. just be sneaky.
Lacy05ag4
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I'll take that as a yes.
NoACDamnit
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Do you realize how stupid it would be to do something like that with a thread posted on a board like this being ARCHIVED for anyone to view in the future?
Lacy05ag4
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So you're saying do it but make sure not sell my car to anyone on Texags?
eric76
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AG
The resale value is greater than 2 years in the county jail?
sixiron
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AG
now you're catching on!
Lacy05ag4
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eric76

I'm sure you'd just get probabtion or community service if you got caught. A family friend who is a lawyer does this. He said the chances of getting caught are damn near impossible.
hamster
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AG
aggiefan83
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AG
I had a '95 Ford F 150 last semester that started going crazy on me. The speedometer would show that i was going over 100 when i started the truck then go down then up, and then it would stall out. So I took it in and it was going to cost around 800 bucks to replace the sensor or whatever it is that controls the speedometer and odometer, and cruise control and pretty much every control except the gas gauge. Anyway, they told me they could just disconnnect the thing for free but I wouldnt have a speedometer and odometer and cruise control...etc., so since I'm cheap thats what I did, and I drove like that for about a month or two. Anyway, I never got caught, and didnt rack up a single mile, even though I probably drove over 1,000 miles.

So what I'm saying is if you dont get caught, then its all good.
aggiefan83
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AG
I also worked for a guy in high school that drove a ford truck, and one time I was riding with him and I noticed his speedometer wasnt working. So I asked him about it, and he reached into the dash and flipped a switch, and his speed came back on. So apparently he got someone to install a switch that would turn off his odometer, which unfortunately turns off the speedometer. So to answer your question, it is possible to have this done, if you dont mind not knowing how fast you're going.
eric76
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AG
The chances are higher than that.

People have been arrested and tried for odometer fraud.

Think about it. Every time you have the car worked on, the reading on the odometer is recorded by the dealer. So there is a paper trail unless you do all your own work.

When you sell the car, you must provide a statement concerning the car's milage and include the odometer reading.

If the car shows signs of heavy use but with a low odometer, a prospective buyer might just check it out. If you trade it in at a dealer when buying a new car, the dealer will be more likely to notice those signs.

There is something called carfax reports (http://www.carfax.com) that purports to detect, among other things, odometer fraud. I assume that they use, among other things, the odometer readings taken by the dealers when you take it in for service.

In one single 2 year period in one state, 2,200 instances of rolling back odometers were discovered.

One other thing. Odometer fraud is not only a crime in Texas, it is also a federal crime.
NoACDamnit
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Aggies do not LIE, CHEAT, OR STEAL.
Stupe
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S
Unless an atm machine is involved.
SWOSU
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Speedometers / odometers have a mechanical connection to the transmission. I doubt there's anything electrical involved, even if you've got an digital display dash. The only way to get it to NOT register is to break or dismantle a mechanical device. And you'd definitely be without a speedometer while it was disconnected. Far more prone to tickets that way.

So to answer your first question ... nope, no fuse pulling will do what you want.

And check the mileage allowances with Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds, or N.A.D.A. You'd have to leave it disconnected for 20K-30K miles to make a significant difference.
Mexirab 00
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AG
quote:
Unless an atm machine is involved.



But they had jacket's over their head, so that means they were invisible, and hence, not Aggies.
tiny94
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SO, Lacy isn't trashy b/c she does not have a tat.... but she is a lying, defrauding beeeotch out to screw the person that buys her car.

Yeah, that's better.
DiabloLS1
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install an aftermarket tachometer, and learn how to calculate your speed based on your gear ratio and the RPM your engine is turning. But besides that...you are trashy.
Dad
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AG
They should ban her from Texags. I hate people that try to cheat other people to make a buck.
LondonOllie
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I have more of a problem with people trying to scam or cheat individuals as opposed to large corporations.

Suppose it was you that needed a car, then you used all your money to buy what you thought was a low mileage car, only for it to break down constantly because the previous owner had disconneded the odometer, & it in fact had like 4x the miles that it showed. How would you feel about that?
Nice huh.



'It's been......emotional'.
Lacy05ag4
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That would suck. You know, I've learned something today. It's not about trying to save yourself a few bucks and cheat others. That's just wrong. If I'm going to put the miles on the car I should be prepared to suffer the consequences. Thanks guys! Punch and pie for everyone!
PSYLOCKE
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quote:
You know, I've learned something today. It's not about trying to save yourself a few bucks and cheat others. That's just wrong. If I'm going to put the miles on the car I should be prepared to suffer the consequences.


Does this remind anyone else of the end of every South Park when Stan or Kyle start out "You know, I've learned something today..."

[This message has been edited by PSYLOCKE (edited 1/29/2004 9:16a).]
Conundrum_
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more like Saved By the Bell
tiny94
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After school special.
AgRob
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Well its gotta be ok to disconnect the odometer cable on a rental car since the #@%&@*#$ charge you for the rental and then mileage!
PSYLOCKE
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Last couple of times I've gotten a rental car it was unlimited mileage.
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