Speedometer Readings and their Reliability

[Ed.Straker]

I find my speedometer is off by 5mph at almost all speeds on the low side. So the thing tells me Im doing 60 mhp when everything else tells me Im doing 55MPH. This would effect the mileage on my meter significantly... it says I have 36,000... it probably had more.

I just wondered if it has to do with the 19" stock BMW rims I have.

Hi, your 19” wheels will bring the speedo reading closer to reality than the smaller rims.
Rob

As I understood it the rolling radius of the 17 18 and 19 wheels including tyres are identical?

The change in profile of the tyre offsets the change in wheel diameter?

 

[mcbutler]

Until not too long ago a loop hole existed in the law regarding clocking.
If you leased a car with an allowance of 10k miles per annum for example and you exceeded that substantially, as many people do. You could pay to have the mileage reset quite openly.
I used the service on many occasions and it worked like this.
Note last service mileage, plug in machine, machine then generates random mileage figures in all recording loactions, you simply pick a figure close to and above the last service mileage and thats it.
The loophole was in the fact that YOU were not SELLING the car you were returning it to a lease company and they auction them off to clear the stock.
So the potential to have a clocked car is there if it was a lease vehicle in its first years.
Last time I had this done was 2012.
Not allowed now though

Not trying to be a dick, but that would still have been 100% covered by fraud laws so perhaps not advisable to put it out there publicly! It might not have been illegal to alter the odometer, but as soon as you dishonestly claim that to be the accurate mileage so as to get a pecuniary advantage, it becomes fraud.

Correct but no one was claiming it to be true, you dont sign anything to attest to mileage accuracy when returning any lease I have ever had.

 

[tiglon]

Until not too long ago a loop hole existed in the law regarding clocking.
If you leased a car with an allowance of 10k miles per annum for example and you exceeded that substantially, as many people do. You could pay to have the mileage reset quite openly.
I used the service on many occasions and it worked like this.
Note last service mileage, plug in machine, machine then generates random mileage figures in all recording loactions, you simply pick a figure close to and above the last service mileage and thats it.
The loophole was in the fact that YOU were not SELLING the car you were returning it to a lease company and they auction them off to clear the stock.
So the potential to have a clocked car is there if it was a lease vehicle in its first years.
Last time I had this done was 2012.
Not allowed now though

Not trying to be a dick, but that would still have been 100% covered by fraud laws so perhaps not advisable to put it out there publicly! It might not have been illegal to alter the odometer, but as soon as you dishonestly claim that to be the accurate mileage so as to get a pecuniary advantage, it becomes fraud.

Correct but no one was claiming it to be true, you dont sign anything to attest to mileage accuracy when returning any lease I have ever had.

Apologies, I chose my words poorly. To be more precise:

Fraud by false representation (Fraud Act 2006, section 2).
-made a false representation
-dishonestly
-knowing that the representation was or might be untrue or misleading
-with intent to make a gain for himself or another, to cause loss to another or to expose another to risk of loss.

The representation doesn't have to be a signed document, it doesn't even have to be words, it can be communicated by conduct and can be express or implied.

Info can be found here - https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/fraud-act-2006. I'll leave it at that and let you make your own mind up.

 

[mcbutler]

Not trying to be a dick, but that would still have been 100% covered by fraud laws so perhaps not advisable to put it out there publicly! It might not have been illegal to alter the odometer, but as soon as you dishonestly claim that to be the accurate mileage so as to get a pecuniary advantage, it becomes fraud.

Correct but no one was claiming it to be true, you dont sign anything to attest to mileage accuracy when returning any lease I have ever had.

Apologies, I chose my words poorly. To be more precise:

Fraud by false representation (Fraud Act 2006, section 2).
-made a false representation
-dishonestly
-knowing that the representation was or might be untrue or misleading
-with intent to make a gain for himself or another, to cause loss to another or to expose another to risk of loss.

The representation doesn't have to be a signed document, it doesn't even have to be words, it can be communicated by conduct and can be express or implied.

Info can be found here - https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/fraud-act-2006. I'll leave it at that and let you make your own mind up.

I wont be reading that thanks!
No point unless you are a quaified barrister..
Although you might consider that the practice was advertised openly and freely by many dealers for many years and the practice was ended by the closing of a "loop hole in the law".
So if it was a "loop hole" then it was not ilegal before that was closed, if it was then why close the "loop hole"..

Thats my armchair lawyer thoughts on the matter anyways

 

[Pondrew]

I wont be reading that thanks!
No point unless you are a quaified barrister..
Although you might consider that the practice was advertised openly and freely by many dealers for many years and the practice was ended by the closing of a "loop hole in the law".
So if it was a "loop hole" then it was not ilegal before that was closed, if it was then why close the "loop hole"..

Thats my armchair lawyer thoughts on the matter anyways

So if I've read this correctly, you willingly paid people to fraudulently "correct", or realistically "clock" mileage on (someone else's) lease cars so you didn't have to pay very small excess mileage charges in the past?
Yet, a couple of months ago, some trades-people who were doing some bodywork on your (own) car took it for an unauthorised spin around the block are despicable criminals and deserve to be imprisoned?
Please correct me if I have got any of this wrong, because the only word that comes to mind is hypocrite. Actually there are other words that spring to mind but it's a family show

 

[Smartbear]

I find my speedometer is off by 5mph at almost all speeds on the low side. So the thing tells me Im doing 60 mhp when everything else tells me Im doing 55MPH. This would effect the mileage on my meter significantly... it says I have 36,000... it probably had more.

I just wondered if it has to do with the 19" stock BMW rims I have.

Hi, your 19” wheels will bring the speedo reading closer to reality than the smaller rims.
Rob

As I understood it the rolling radius of the 17 18 and 19 wheels including tyres are identical?

The change in profile of the tyre offsets the change in wheel diameter?

You’re right, I’m thinking of the higher profile tyres I’ve got fitted to my 19”s - the standard fitment tyres keep the gearing the same as the smaller wheels
Rob

 

[ronk]

Speedo' readings seem ok on my cars when checked against those speed warning signs
( Not the ones that plunder your bank account)

Squeeze over the 30 a smidge and 32 flashes up and its 32 on the dial.

 

[Mr Tidy]

That's strange - maybe newer models are more accurate!

There were a few of these over my late Mum's way and I used to set Cruise to an indicated 30 as I approached them. All 3 of my Z4s and three 3 Series flashed up 27mph, so I usually drove to 33 on the speedo. :lol:

Using the same rationale when I was coming home past 50mph average cameras I would set the CC to 55 and never got a NIP in over 6 years.

 

[ronk]

You’re right, I’m thinking of the higher profile tyres I’ve got fitted to my 19”s - the standard fitment tyres keep the gearing the same as the smaller wheels
Rob

The lower profile on the 19" wheels will keep it the same?

https://www.errolstyres.co.za/odcalculator

 

[Smartbear]

You’re right, I’m thinking of the higher profile tyres I’ve got fitted to my 19”s - the standard fitment tyres keep the gearing the same as the smaller wheels
Rob

The lower profile on the 19" wheels will keep it the same?

https://www.errolstyres.co.za/odcalculator
Screenshot 2021-09-30 at 20.55.42.png
[/quote

That’s right, like a few people on here my 19” tyres are 35 profile instead of the factory fitted 30 - this gives the rims a fighting chance of remaining crack free and also brings the usually optimistic speedo to a more accurate reading

 

[ronk]

35 v 30 ratio on a 255 -19 “ rim is +4%

 

[Smartbear]

35 v 30 ratio on a 255 -19 “ rim is +4%

That’s about right to give an accurate speedo reading
Rob