Slightly OT: Does OBD-II record the vehicle mileage in the computer?

I have never seen any information OBD II that lists vehicle mileage as stored information.

If the vehicle has an electronic odometer, it is not so easy to roll it back. To do so, someone would have to purchase the assembly and install it, either from the dealer or from a junk yard. If the dealer replaces the odometer, he is supposed to order it with the correct mileage already recorded, that is, turned ahead to the correct mileage.

I suppose the odometer could have been disconnected for a while, but then they would have had a check engine light illuminated the whole time and they probably would not have had a functioning speedometer.

1.) No, the mileage is not stored where you can find it with an OBD II code reader. It _might_ be stored, but not within the reach of the OBD II.

2.) Why on earth would you buy a car or truck where you suspect the seller is lying to you? If you bought the truck because the price was right, then roll the dice and ignore the mileage. If you are concerned that the mileage is altered, then you shouldn't have bought the truck.

3.) You might be able to inquire of your local DMV what the mileage was on the paperwork when the vehicle was traded in. I don't know if they will tell you anything.

4.) You can get CarFax for about 20 bucks. Spend the money.

I didn't buy the truck off a used car lot - My nephew did almost two years ago, and I had no idea he was going to do it till long after it was a done deal.

I ended up with it after he abandoned his business and left my brother stuck with the truck, after "daddy" sunk the money on putting a new engine into it. The old one blew a rod (through the side of the block, naturally...) at 120,000 (alleged) miles.

And the front end is WAY too loose for 132,000 (alleged) miles, unless it was badly abused - it needs a full set of bushings, and maybe ball joints. Gets the shakes like a shopping cart at speed.

Well, the Auto Club tried tiptoeing through the DMV computers and they didn't find anything.

Might have to. But looking inside the vehicle computer for a hidden register count was worth a try - all that would take is a full OBD-II scanner to extract the info.

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This changes my response a bit. You guys, you and/or your nephew, have had the truck for 2 years, this is plenty of time to stop worrying about what the odometer says. Personally, I'd be looking at what is says now and what it said then and know that in the last nn thousnad miles certain things have come up that need attention.

It is difficult to tell if your nephew bought a piece of shit, or created one by not taking care of things properly. I hate to ding on kids that I don't know, but by the way the story is going, I'd have to think the kid bears a certain load of responsibility for the blown motor. Kids have been known to not put oil in, for example.

If the truck is a work truck and is or has been overloaded, then it would be reasonable that a set of suspension bushings might be in order here. I don't recall what the make and year is of the truck in question, but as a work truck, it has very likely been overloaded with amazing regularity

I suspect the mileage is accurate. When I was a kid, it was easy to set the clock back, but it isn't so easy anymore. The odometer is typically encased in a sealed unit that has to be broken to get into. If the odometer was set back, it would be pretty easy to see if you bothered to take the speedometer head out.

If you really suspect foul play relative to the odometer, the DMV would be the place to go, but you guys acquired the truck 2 years ago, I'm not sure what you hope to gain by knowing you were had. I'd prefer to think I wasn't had, I just wound up with an abused truck that somebody else bought.

Now that we are getting more details, I wouldn't spend the time or money on a Carfax report. It won't know the mileage through the various owners anyway. It will know if the truck has been in a wreck that resulted in an insurance claim, but that's about all it will know. I mean, seriously, how is Carfax going to know the mileage? Somebody has to key this stuff in somewhere ...

It's not earth-shattering, but it'd be nice to know. 98 Chevrolet C3500 4X2 short cab, Smallblock V8 and 4-speed auto, Hydroboost power brakes, 8' utility bed & full rack.

Yes, they could have abused the hell out of it to trash the front end, but that happens to some degree with all trucks. And if you are familiar with the wonderful glass smooth Los Angeles surface streets and freeways...

The California DMV /does/ have the smog technician key the indicated mileage into their computers at every smog check, and at every title transfer the seller is supposed to write the mileage on the back of the old title certificate.

If the DMV computers catch a discrepancy like the numbers going down abruptly, they're supposed to investigate it - they can catch the seller in the act of clocking cars that way, and can prosecute.

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This is correct, which is why we talked about the possibility that the Auto Club might be able to get to the data. If you can get to the data, and we already know the Auto Club can't do it, then the DMV itself would be the only source. I suspect the title transfer will be the data that is most useful to you.

My humble opinion is, you're stressing out too much about this. The mileage is in all likelihood, accurate. Given the abuse the truck has seen, I would not be surprised if new suspsension bushings fixed the front end, and the previous motor work could arise out of any number of issues that have nothing to do with 20,000 more miles than are showing on the clock.

In any case, good luck with that truck.

Problem is, we don't smog until the vehicle is 5 years old. I will probably never smog a vehicle again. My '03 Tundra already has

118k on it.

--- Rich