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Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Car3

I read that PCP has motivated more people to fiddle the mileage on their vehicles before swapping them out, so I'm curious if the mileage counter on the RAV4 is trustworthy or essentially meaningless?

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - elekie&a/c doctor
Any car's odometer can be “adjusted “ . Toyota are no different . Just carry out as much research as you can before buying any car second hand .
Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Andrew-T

If the car is old enough for a MoT history you should always check that online. Only the real fiddlers tweak the reading down for every MoT.

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Car3

Would a skilled mechanic be able to estimate mileage by looking at the engine, transmission and other parts? I'm thinking to ask my mechanic to check the car over.

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - badbusdriver

Would a skilled mechanic be able to estimate mileage by looking at the engine, transmission and other parts? I'm thinking to ask my mechanic to check the car over.

Are you talking about looking at the outside of the engine and transmission?. Because that isn't going to tell him much as the wear and tear happens inside their respective casings. Taking either apart to look inside might help, but that would entail a huge amount of time and work.

Be easier to look at the drivers seat bolsters, steering wheel, pedal covers along with the carpet and heel pad in the drivers footwell to see if they match up to the displayed miles. As has been mentioned, check the MOT history if the car is old enough to have one, and an HPI check.

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - sammy1

Almost impossible in the first 3 years even referring to service records. Interiors you can judge but modern valeting gets them looking almost like new. You are the best judge on overall condition. Do not neglect the tyres a new set can be expensive. Personally I would not buy an ex lease car. My reasoning is that an owner more likely to take care of their property. A very small percentage are not as they appear including accident damage so if spending big money you cannot be too careful. An inspection by one of the road recovery organisations may be worth while and/or buy from a reputable source

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Lee Power

Depends on if the vehicle is connected to the My T service as the mileage is one of the values uploaded to the Toyota server.

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - SLO76
Look at approved used stock with full dealer history if you’re talking about a car under 5yrs old. It’s worth paying extra for and Toyota approved used stock is usually of a good standard. You need to look at the service record and look at how many miles it’s covered per year, you’re looking for consistency and no anomalies with suspiciously low mileages done in the final year, which is where they’ll wind it back to avoid PCP or contract lease penalties. A good look round the car for paintwork damage and wear and tear can help, but in general Toyotas wear well. If there’s no fully stamped up main dealer history on such a recent and valuable car walk away. Many will bin the history to hide it or never service it at all. Check the history is genuine by calling the dealer who serviced it if unsure. It’s not unusual to find faked service records too. Buying a car from the dealer who maintained it is usually a good bet.

Edited by SLO76 on 12/08/2023 at 19:16

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - daveyK_UK
I once test drive an Astra estate that felt very tired - gearbox very loose, Car creeped more than normal .etc.

The mileage was too low and it was only 4 years old for it to be so worn out.

After a bit more digging, I came to the conclusion it had been clocked - the give away sign was the peddles, they where all heavily worn Vs another Astra a year older on the showroom with more miles on.

The car salesman wasn’t really interested when I pointed it out to him so I followed up my test drive with a letter to the dealership manager informing him it was illegal to sell the car knowing it has been clocked.
To my surprise the sale manager phoned me and we had a good chat, he agreed and said they plugged it into the computer and it was showing 4 mileage corrections!
They also noticed a filled in hole on the roof which suspected it was a taxi.
He said they were going to contact the previous owner who had part ex it for a new insignia.

Not sure what they could do as they had the Astra for over a month and the taxi driver had his new insignia?
The only thing I could think of, when I have part ex cars you sign to confirm it’s never been used as a taxi or on motorsports so maybe if that was the case they could go after him for the lower value of the car?
It was an evans Halshaw branch and I was impressed with the sales managers response, I fully expected them to ignore my letter and send the car to auction.

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - movilogo

RAV4 can be stolen in 90 seconds using CAN invader attack. Toyoto forum has lots of posts and there are YouTube videos.

If entire car can be stolen so easily, then fiddling odometer reading must be a doddle.

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Lee Power

RAV4 can be stolen in 90 seconds using CAN invader attack. Toyoto forum has lots of posts and there are YouTube videos.

If entire car can be stolen so easily, then fiddling odometer reading must be a doddle.

Very true as the mileage on the RAV4 is sent to various other modules via the CAN.

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - gordonbennet

This problem is another reason against moving the MOT test from annual, the first 3 years you can't do much about other than ensure services look like they were carried out at the right period of time and mileage assuming the same vehicle keeper.

House arrest of the country will have thrown normal mileages out of kilter anyway so take that into account.

Use your loaf, a new set of cheap Chinese tyres being needed all round on a typical low mile car would have me asking questions indeed would anyone not fit decent quality new tyres within the first 3 years, not always easy but make a value judgement of the disc/caliper condition visible through the wheels, dozens of stone chips on the bonnet and a windscreen showing 80ks worth of wiper blades making fine scratches as they do over time, drivers windows get upright scratches by repeated opening, small clues add up...pedal rubbers are cheap as chips and very unlikely to be missed by someone serious clocking their car unless they are a fool.

Edited by gordonbennet on 13/08/2023 at 13:30

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Andrew-T

.... a new set of cheap Chinese tyres being needed all round on a typical low mile car would have me asking questions indeed would anyone not fit decent quality new tyres within the first 3 years, ...

It has been rumoured that some traders swap sets of wheels between cars before sale ....

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Adampr

.... a new set of cheap Chinese tyres being needed all round on a typical low mile car would have me asking questions indeed would anyone not fit decent quality new tyres within the first 3 years, ...

It has been rumoured that some traders swap sets of wheels between cars before sale ....

My local Arthur Daley place swaps the wheels to aftermarket alloys to make their (cheap) cars look better, then sell the original alloys.

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - SLO76
Dealers routinely fit cheapo Chinese brand tyres to stock cars. Unless you pay the difference, they’ll fit the cheapest rubber they can find. Another reason why I like buying privately, though this is increasingly difficult to do with ever fewer cars for sale on Britain’s driveways.
Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Car3

So, Vauxhall dealers can see mileage corrections on a computer? Can Toyota dealers see that too, and can I see myself with an OBDII device?

I wonder why mileage correction is even a feature.

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - daveyK_UK
Hyundai & Kia seem to have it the best

They centrally log all services and repair work carried out by main dealers, that way if there is ever a question about service history your local Hyundai dealer will share with you a basic print out of service history,
My local didn’t provide a print out as the printer was broken but they gave me the service dates and mileages.
I think Mazda take the same approach.

You could still clock the car, maybe do double the service interval mileage but at least it’s a more trust worthy approach compared to a service book and stamp.

A copy of service print outs, both the vehicle health check and receipt is better than a stand alone stamp but again cars can be clocked in between services.


In terms of Vauxhall seeing the vehicle history from a OBD, from what I understand it shows it’s had a mileage correction but doesn’t state what the correction was (if that makes sense). It may even show you the date of the corrections but it doesn’t show what the mileage was and what it was changed to from my understanding.
In a rare occurs a car may require 1 correction for a faulty ECU.
4 corrections is suspicious.

I was told BMW now log all mileages within the ECU and while the mileage can be corrected the true mileage is discoverable with main dealer software, can anyone confirm?


Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - elekie&a/c doctor
BMW and mini log the mileage in the electronic keys , as well as many other locations. Most late model cars have a flight recorder in most electronic modules so that any events are recorded with time date and mileage. Similar to a black box on an aeroplane.
Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Andrew-T
A copy of service print outs, both the vehicle health check and receipt is better ...

.... if the printer is working !!

Toyota RAV4 - How trustworth is the mileage on the latest RAV4? - Heidfirst
Hyundai & Kia seem to have it the best They centrally log all services and repair work carried out by main dealers, that way if there is ever a question about service history your local Hyundai dealer will share with you a basic print out of service history, My local didn’t provide a print out as the printer was broken but they gave me the service dates and mileages. I think Mazda take the same approach.

So do Toyota as long as it is done at a Toyota dealer/the garage uses Toyota's system. Allegedly this is one of the reasons why Arnold Clark & Toyota separated - AC used their own system & didn't share data.

I can access a very basic service history myself via Toyota's website or app. but I still like to get a stamp in the book at the time.