Speedometer Not Right? Here's some info..
Speedometer Not Right? Here's some info..
We all know that our Speedometers are off by a 3 MPH. When my needle is at 60 I am really going 57, when I am going 20 I am really going 17. So its not off by the 3% that the manufacturer claims. Here is an article on our local news webpage this morning.
http://www.newsnet5.com/money/14535385/detail.html
Investigation Reveals Inaccuracy Of Many Cars Odometers
NewsNet5.com
updated 13 minutes ago
CLEVELAND - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it doesn't regulate odometer accuracy.
So if they aren't, who is looking after your pocketbook? In this case, you are on your own, reported NewsChannel5 consumer specialist Angie Lau.
The odometer can determine a lot; your warranty, your lease, even value of your car, Lau reported.
But what if the very instrument that is supposed to measure your car's mileage isn't precise?
In a consumer investigation, NewsChannel5 put cars and their odometers to the test and discovered something automakers aren't telling you.
Sharon Gardiner discovered the problem quite by accident using her GPS.
Her speedometer told her she was going exactly 40 mph but her GPS indicated a speed of 36.5 mph.
To her, that meant the car's odometer may be recording her car's true miles wrong.
?We took it in to Toyota to see if they could calibrate so it's correct. They said it was within specifications legally and that they would not do anything," said Gardiner. Despite what Gardiner was told, there actually is no law that requires odometers need to be correct.
There?s only a voluntary standard from the society of auto engineers of plus or minus 4 percent.
So NewsChannel5's consumer team went to the Barberton speedway to measure just how accurate the odometers in these cars really read.
The Barberton speedway is a quarter-mile track, so NewsChannel5 investigators went four times around the track to equal a mile.
Each car tested ended up in a different spot. In the test, NewsChannel5 found all the odometers were off, which could potentially cost any future owner of these cars, Lau said.
Already because of this odometer issue, Nissan and Honda have been sued.
Honda is set to reimburse owners. In a class action lawsuit against Honda, lawyers representing Honda owners said that odometers in certain models overstate mileage by up to 4 percent.
But Honda is now paying millions of dollars to in a settlement to nearly 6 million consumers.
?If you're leasing a car and you go over what you're allowed and you have to pay for those miles, they're possibly miles you didn't drive," Gardiner said.
Gardiner still loves her Toyota, but doesn?t like the fact that inaccurate odometers can ultimately cheat you out of your car's true worth. NewsChannel5 contacted all the major automakers about the odometer accuracy issue. These were the automakers that responded to NewsChannel5.
Mitsubishi Motors
?Mitsubishi Motors strives for a tolerance of -3.5 percent to 0 percent. However, in general it is very difficult to have the odometer accuracy 'dead on' over any extended time / mileage interval. A variety of factors come into play, including:
Tire pressures - affect the effective tire circumference and therefore the mileage.
Tire wear - same reason as for 1.
Tire make / model - coefficient of friction (or grip) changes and this could affect the displayed mileage in certain situations if the slip changes significantly.
Road surface - dry v. wet or sandy surfaces could affect slip and thereby affect odometer mileage.
Ambient /road surface temperature - tire pressure changes and affects tire circumference, etc.
Vehicle loading - same reason as in 5.
Different wheel / tire sizes offered on a model - same reason as for 1.
Tolerance stacking and wear of components involved in odometer mileage computation.
Granted that the effect of each of the above factors is usually minor, in the worst-case scenario, all the factors are working together toward increased inaccuracy of the odometer reading. Taking this into account, it is important to have a margin of error for the accuracy of the odometer.
Toyota
Toyota says:
Toyota centers its odometers to zero. But there are factors in a vehicle that will affect the reading i.e. various tire makers. Overall rolling radius could vary by +/- 3 inches and affect speedometers and odometers. Toyota factors this in and also factors in the SAE recommended +/- 4percent margin of error. If a customer has a concern about accuracy of odometer, a Toyota dealer can inspect it. Toyota cannot re-calibrate odometers because they?re non-adjustable. But if it out of specifications, Toyota will replace it under warranty at no cost to the customer.
Honda
Honda recently settled a class action lawsuit that accused the automaker?s odometers were off by 4 percent. The lawsuit covers Honda/Acura vehicles sold in 2002 ? 2006 model years and also affects early production of 2007 Honda Fit models.
Honda is now producing odometers on a new standard that centers on +/- 2.5 percent , that is centered on ?0.?
Honda tells NewsChannel5 that, ?We were always within industry standard and that once we realized that it was important to consumers that any odometer tolerance should be centered on 0 ? we took this opportunity to change our odometer standard in production in order to better meet consumer expectations.?
How to test your odometer Cleveland Only
Starting from the Cuyahoga Co. Engineer?s Office on Marginal Rd. at the Cleveland Public Power Plant (north side of North Marginal Road between East 49th and East 53rd streets), set your trip odometer to zero and drive the mile.
Improper, worn and incorrectly inflated tires can produce an additional odometer error making it difficult to evaluate the instrument itself. Before you start, make sure your car?s tires are the manufacturer?s recommended size, good condition and inflated properly.
This test will give you a general idea of how accurate your odometer is reading.
http://www.newsnet5.com/money/14535385/detail.html
Investigation Reveals Inaccuracy Of Many Cars Odometers
NewsNet5.com
updated 13 minutes ago
CLEVELAND - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it doesn't regulate odometer accuracy.
So if they aren't, who is looking after your pocketbook? In this case, you are on your own, reported NewsChannel5 consumer specialist Angie Lau.
The odometer can determine a lot; your warranty, your lease, even value of your car, Lau reported.
But what if the very instrument that is supposed to measure your car's mileage isn't precise?
In a consumer investigation, NewsChannel5 put cars and their odometers to the test and discovered something automakers aren't telling you.
Sharon Gardiner discovered the problem quite by accident using her GPS.
Her speedometer told her she was going exactly 40 mph but her GPS indicated a speed of 36.5 mph.
To her, that meant the car's odometer may be recording her car's true miles wrong.
?We took it in to Toyota to see if they could calibrate so it's correct. They said it was within specifications legally and that they would not do anything," said Gardiner. Despite what Gardiner was told, there actually is no law that requires odometers need to be correct.
There?s only a voluntary standard from the society of auto engineers of plus or minus 4 percent.
So NewsChannel5's consumer team went to the Barberton speedway to measure just how accurate the odometers in these cars really read.
The Barberton speedway is a quarter-mile track, so NewsChannel5 investigators went four times around the track to equal a mile.
Each car tested ended up in a different spot. In the test, NewsChannel5 found all the odometers were off, which could potentially cost any future owner of these cars, Lau said.
Already because of this odometer issue, Nissan and Honda have been sued.
Honda is set to reimburse owners. In a class action lawsuit against Honda, lawyers representing Honda owners said that odometers in certain models overstate mileage by up to 4 percent.
But Honda is now paying millions of dollars to in a settlement to nearly 6 million consumers.
?If you're leasing a car and you go over what you're allowed and you have to pay for those miles, they're possibly miles you didn't drive," Gardiner said.
Gardiner still loves her Toyota, but doesn?t like the fact that inaccurate odometers can ultimately cheat you out of your car's true worth. NewsChannel5 contacted all the major automakers about the odometer accuracy issue. These were the automakers that responded to NewsChannel5.
Mitsubishi Motors
?Mitsubishi Motors strives for a tolerance of -3.5 percent to 0 percent. However, in general it is very difficult to have the odometer accuracy 'dead on' over any extended time / mileage interval. A variety of factors come into play, including:
Tire pressures - affect the effective tire circumference and therefore the mileage.
Tire wear - same reason as for 1.
Tire make / model - coefficient of friction (or grip) changes and this could affect the displayed mileage in certain situations if the slip changes significantly.
Road surface - dry v. wet or sandy surfaces could affect slip and thereby affect odometer mileage.
Ambient /road surface temperature - tire pressure changes and affects tire circumference, etc.
Vehicle loading - same reason as in 5.
Different wheel / tire sizes offered on a model - same reason as for 1.
Tolerance stacking and wear of components involved in odometer mileage computation.
Granted that the effect of each of the above factors is usually minor, in the worst-case scenario, all the factors are working together toward increased inaccuracy of the odometer reading. Taking this into account, it is important to have a margin of error for the accuracy of the odometer.
Toyota
Toyota says:
Toyota centers its odometers to zero. But there are factors in a vehicle that will affect the reading i.e. various tire makers. Overall rolling radius could vary by +/- 3 inches and affect speedometers and odometers. Toyota factors this in and also factors in the SAE recommended +/- 4percent margin of error. If a customer has a concern about accuracy of odometer, a Toyota dealer can inspect it. Toyota cannot re-calibrate odometers because they?re non-adjustable. But if it out of specifications, Toyota will replace it under warranty at no cost to the customer.
Honda
Honda recently settled a class action lawsuit that accused the automaker?s odometers were off by 4 percent. The lawsuit covers Honda/Acura vehicles sold in 2002 ? 2006 model years and also affects early production of 2007 Honda Fit models.
Honda is now producing odometers on a new standard that centers on +/- 2.5 percent , that is centered on ?0.?
Honda tells NewsChannel5 that, ?We were always within industry standard and that once we realized that it was important to consumers that any odometer tolerance should be centered on 0 ? we took this opportunity to change our odometer standard in production in order to better meet consumer expectations.?
How to test your odometer Cleveland Only
Starting from the Cuyahoga Co. Engineer?s Office on Marginal Rd. at the Cleveland Public Power Plant (north side of North Marginal Road between East 49th and East 53rd streets), set your trip odometer to zero and drive the mile.
Improper, worn and incorrectly inflated tires can produce an additional odometer error making it difficult to evaluate the instrument itself. Before you start, make sure your car?s tires are the manufacturer?s recommended size, good condition and inflated properly.
This test will give you a general idea of how accurate your odometer is reading.
We all know that our Speedometers are off by a 3 MPH. When my needle is at 60 I am really going 57, when I am going 20 I am really going 17. So its not off by the 3% that the manufacturer claims. Here is an article on our local news webpage this morning.
http://www.newsnet5.com/money/14535385/detail.html
Investigation Reveals Inaccuracy Of Many Cars Odometers
NewsNet5.com
updated 13 minutes ago
CLEVELAND - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it doesn't regulate odometer accuracy.
So if they aren't, who is looking after your pocketbook? In this case, you are on your own, reported NewsChannel5 consumer specialist Angie Lau.
The odometer can determine a lot; your warranty, your lease, even value of your car, Lau reported.
But what if the very instrument that is supposed to measure your car's mileage isn't precise?
In a consumer investigation, NewsChannel5 put cars and their odometers to the test and discovered something automakers aren't telling you.
Sharon Gardiner discovered the problem quite by accident using her GPS.
Her speedometer told her she was going exactly 40 mph but her GPS indicated a speed of 36.5 mph.
To her, that meant the car's odometer may be recording her car's true miles wrong.
?We took it in to Toyota to see if they could calibrate so it's correct. They said it was within specifications legally and that they would not do anything," said Gardiner. Despite what Gardiner was told, there actually is no law that requires odometers need to be correct.
There?s only a voluntary standard from the society of auto engineers of plus or minus 4 percent.
So NewsChannel5's consumer team went to the Barberton speedway to measure just how accurate the odometers in these cars really read.
The Barberton speedway is a quarter-mile track, so NewsChannel5 investigators went four times around the track to equal a mile.
Each car tested ended up in a different spot. In the test, NewsChannel5 found all the odometers were off, which could potentially cost any future owner of these cars, Lau said.
Already because of this odometer issue, Nissan and Honda have been sued.
Honda is set to reimburse owners. In a class action lawsuit against Honda, lawyers representing Honda owners said that odometers in certain models overstate mileage by up to 4 percent.
But Honda is now paying millions of dollars to in a settlement to nearly 6 million consumers.
?If you're leasing a car and you go over what you're allowed and you have to pay for those miles, they're possibly miles you didn't drive," Gardiner said.
Gardiner still loves her Toyota, but doesn?t like the fact that inaccurate odometers can ultimately cheat you out of your car's true worth. NewsChannel5 contacted all the major automakers about the odometer accuracy issue. These were the automakers that responded to NewsChannel5.
Mitsubishi Motors
?Mitsubishi Motors strives for a tolerance of -3.5 percent to 0 percent. However, in general it is very difficult to have the odometer accuracy 'dead on' over any extended time / mileage interval. A variety of factors come into play, including:
Tire pressures - affect the effective tire circumference and therefore the mileage.
Tire wear - same reason as for 1.
Tire make / model - coefficient of friction (or grip) changes and this could affect the displayed mileage in certain situations if the slip changes significantly.
Road surface - dry v. wet or sandy surfaces could affect slip and thereby affect odometer mileage.
Ambient /road surface temperature - tire pressure changes and affects tire circumference, etc.
Vehicle loading - same reason as in 5.
Different wheel / tire sizes offered on a model - same reason as for 1.
Tolerance stacking and wear of components involved in odometer mileage computation.
Granted that the effect of each of the above factors is usually minor, in the worst-case scenario, all the factors are working together toward increased inaccuracy of the odometer reading. Taking this into account, it is important to have a margin of error for the accuracy of the odometer.
Toyota
Toyota says:
Toyota centers its odometers to zero. But there are factors in a vehicle that will affect the reading i.e. various tire makers. Overall rolling radius could vary by +/- 3 inches and affect speedometers and odometers. Toyota factors this in and also factors in the SAE recommended +/- 4percent margin of error. If a customer has a concern about accuracy of odometer, a Toyota dealer can inspect it. Toyota cannot re-calibrate odometers because they?re non-adjustable. But if it out of specifications, Toyota will replace it under warranty at no cost to the customer.
Honda
Honda recently settled a class action lawsuit that accused the automaker?s odometers were off by 4 percent. The lawsuit covers Honda/Acura vehicles sold in 2002 ? 2006 model years and also affects early production of 2007 Honda Fit models.
Honda is now producing odometers on a new standard that centers on +/- 2.5 percent , that is centered on ?0.?
Honda tells NewsChannel5 that, ?We were always within industry standard and that once we realized that it was important to consumers that any odometer tolerance should be centered on 0 ? we took this opportunity to change our odometer standard in production in order to better meet consumer expectations.?
How to test your odometer Cleveland Only
Starting from the Cuyahoga Co. Engineer?s Office on Marginal Rd. at the Cleveland Public Power Plant (north side of North Marginal Road between East 49th and East 53rd streets), set your trip odometer to zero and drive the mile.
Improper, worn and incorrectly inflated tires can produce an additional odometer error making it difficult to evaluate the instrument itself. Before you start, make sure your car?s tires are the manufacturer?s recommended size, good condition and inflated properly.
This test will give you a general idea of how accurate your odometer is reading.
http://www.newsnet5.com/money/14535385/detail.html
Investigation Reveals Inaccuracy Of Many Cars Odometers
NewsNet5.com
updated 13 minutes ago
CLEVELAND - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it doesn't regulate odometer accuracy.
So if they aren't, who is looking after your pocketbook? In this case, you are on your own, reported NewsChannel5 consumer specialist Angie Lau.
The odometer can determine a lot; your warranty, your lease, even value of your car, Lau reported.
But what if the very instrument that is supposed to measure your car's mileage isn't precise?
In a consumer investigation, NewsChannel5 put cars and their odometers to the test and discovered something automakers aren't telling you.
Sharon Gardiner discovered the problem quite by accident using her GPS.
Her speedometer told her she was going exactly 40 mph but her GPS indicated a speed of 36.5 mph.
To her, that meant the car's odometer may be recording her car's true miles wrong.
?We took it in to Toyota to see if they could calibrate so it's correct. They said it was within specifications legally and that they would not do anything," said Gardiner. Despite what Gardiner was told, there actually is no law that requires odometers need to be correct.
There?s only a voluntary standard from the society of auto engineers of plus or minus 4 percent.
So NewsChannel5's consumer team went to the Barberton speedway to measure just how accurate the odometers in these cars really read.
The Barberton speedway is a quarter-mile track, so NewsChannel5 investigators went four times around the track to equal a mile.
Each car tested ended up in a different spot. In the test, NewsChannel5 found all the odometers were off, which could potentially cost any future owner of these cars, Lau said.
Already because of this odometer issue, Nissan and Honda have been sued.
Honda is set to reimburse owners. In a class action lawsuit against Honda, lawyers representing Honda owners said that odometers in certain models overstate mileage by up to 4 percent.
But Honda is now paying millions of dollars to in a settlement to nearly 6 million consumers.
?If you're leasing a car and you go over what you're allowed and you have to pay for those miles, they're possibly miles you didn't drive," Gardiner said.
Gardiner still loves her Toyota, but doesn?t like the fact that inaccurate odometers can ultimately cheat you out of your car's true worth. NewsChannel5 contacted all the major automakers about the odometer accuracy issue. These were the automakers that responded to NewsChannel5.
Mitsubishi Motors
?Mitsubishi Motors strives for a tolerance of -3.5 percent to 0 percent. However, in general it is very difficult to have the odometer accuracy 'dead on' over any extended time / mileage interval. A variety of factors come into play, including:
Tire pressures - affect the effective tire circumference and therefore the mileage.
Tire wear - same reason as for 1.
Tire make / model - coefficient of friction (or grip) changes and this could affect the displayed mileage in certain situations if the slip changes significantly.
Road surface - dry v. wet or sandy surfaces could affect slip and thereby affect odometer mileage.
Ambient /road surface temperature - tire pressure changes and affects tire circumference, etc.
Vehicle loading - same reason as in 5.
Different wheel / tire sizes offered on a model - same reason as for 1.
Tolerance stacking and wear of components involved in odometer mileage computation.
Granted that the effect of each of the above factors is usually minor, in the worst-case scenario, all the factors are working together toward increased inaccuracy of the odometer reading. Taking this into account, it is important to have a margin of error for the accuracy of the odometer.
Toyota
Toyota says:
Toyota centers its odometers to zero. But there are factors in a vehicle that will affect the reading i.e. various tire makers. Overall rolling radius could vary by +/- 3 inches and affect speedometers and odometers. Toyota factors this in and also factors in the SAE recommended +/- 4percent margin of error. If a customer has a concern about accuracy of odometer, a Toyota dealer can inspect it. Toyota cannot re-calibrate odometers because they?re non-adjustable. But if it out of specifications, Toyota will replace it under warranty at no cost to the customer.
Honda
Honda recently settled a class action lawsuit that accused the automaker?s odometers were off by 4 percent. The lawsuit covers Honda/Acura vehicles sold in 2002 ? 2006 model years and also affects early production of 2007 Honda Fit models.
Honda is now producing odometers on a new standard that centers on +/- 2.5 percent , that is centered on ?0.?
Honda tells NewsChannel5 that, ?We were always within industry standard and that once we realized that it was important to consumers that any odometer tolerance should be centered on 0 ? we took this opportunity to change our odometer standard in production in order to better meet consumer expectations.?
How to test your odometer Cleveland Only
Starting from the Cuyahoga Co. Engineer?s Office on Marginal Rd. at the Cleveland Public Power Plant (north side of North Marginal Road between East 49th and East 53rd streets), set your trip odometer to zero and drive the mile.
Improper, worn and incorrectly inflated tires can produce an additional odometer error making it difficult to evaluate the instrument itself. Before you start, make sure your car?s tires are the manufacturer?s recommended size, good condition and inflated properly.
This test will give you a general idea of how accurate your odometer is reading.
All these people are freaking out over nothing IMO. People looking for a lawsuit if you ask me.
Not sure about that, i have to test the trip lenght on the car against my GPS. I know for sure though that when traveling on my bike, the bike always shows the trip to be longer than the GPS.... so yes.. in this case it does make sense to worry about this: my bike shows 12,000 miles whereas i've ridden only 10,000 miles for instance... I dunno why, but on the bike the speedometer is MUCH OFF than on my maxima...
IIRC my maxima speedometer virtually matches my GPS.. but the bike is WAY off..
I had 83,000 miles on my maxima when I found out here at the ORG that code P0430 was covered under warranty... guess what... IF my odometer was off by 4% i would still be covered under warranty.
So yes...I do think it could be relevant... and ironically enough, all cars with GPS that I seen ALWAYS show the actual speedometer some % more than actual...
Think about it: if it was the opposite, then manufacturers warranty would be "extended" instead of shortened.... which is not convinient for them...
Coincidence?
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