Fishy OBS: pls read and give input.

[JohnnyPheonix]

Looks like the LCD was in some way tampered with, which may be why the ghost image of the 2 is in the picture.

[OldStyle]

Wouldn't a Subaru dealer's report show service and mileage? A call with the vin number should answer some questions.

Is the price is low for that mileage?.... Dash pic in question below:

[RedGeminiPA]

My dealer said they couldn't bring up anything more than warranty and recall work done.

I'm thinking CarFax might be the only way to find out, provided work was done at a Subaru dealer.

I'm still debating on spending the money and just run one on mine to see if anything shows up for service history.

My dealer told me mine had 2 recalls done (rear subframe rust prevention and cruise control cable clip) and a headlight bulb replaced (warranty). That's all they have on record.

Another note: did the '02 still show Trip A & Trip B? My '01 has that on the top left of the display.

[FOX-]

My '02 has Trip A and B. I paid $10k for my VDC Sedan in worse condition with 90k miles. If that was here I would be very tempted to buy that one at $4-5K.


-Tim

[jwvess00]

Hi there!

I don't know how to prove the mileage on it. I don't remember seeing mileage on any OBD-II scan tool I've used but I wasn't looking for it, either.

My 2007 is about that clean (okay, a touch less), and it has 404,000 miles on it. So, it's possible, especially if it was used for lots of highway driving.

[cardoc]

Originally Posted by rasterman

I'm on the fence about the true mileage, but it's entirely possible that the same display problem went the other way. Maybe the true mileage is 53k or 153k, but the last person to report it to carfax read it incorrectly as 252k. Have often wondered if odo could be accessed by OBD and if not.. why?

You can't change the odometer in the PCM on a Subaru. Its permanent. Subaru may have the ability to change in a reflash, but I haven't seen anything on it and doubt it. Its part of the mandate to prevent odometer fraud that was initiated in the 90s I believe.

Other vehicles, same thing. By 2000, once a mileage is programmed, it increases with the VSS input and can't be altered. On Chevy, if the mileage in the PCM doesn't match the Instrument Cluster you get error codes.

CarFax reporting is done by any shop that opts in. The company I work for reports to CarFax all Oil Change, PM and repair work.

In the picture it appears with the orientation of the LCD dashes that there is an issue with the cluster, but it doesn't resemble a 2. If anything it looks like most of an 6 or 8. And if it has that kind of mileage in that good of shape, you know it was taken care of.

[Jake2c]

Car does look in great shape. Garage kept? But honesty is important to me. If a guy tries to sell me something and lies about a pretty important piece of information then I don't trust anything he says. 53k vs 253k is no small thing. That doesn't mean the car is not good, may be great but you can't believe anything the seller is telling you.

[RedGeminiPA]

Originally Posted by cardoc

On Chevy, if the mileage in the PCM doesn't match the Instrument Cluster you get error codes.

Depending on the GM vehicle and year, it's stored strictly in the PCM. That's how my Saturn Vue is ('04). There are some people doing gauge cluster swaps in their Vues - Torrent, Equinox or different year of Vue - and the most you may get is an odd idiot light. It depends how the donor vehicle was equipped - ABS, traction control etc. Either way, the mileage is reported to the cluster from the PCM.

One thing that is different with the GM clusters: if it's Canadian (or any country that displays kilometers instead of miles), it will display the Vue's mileage in kilometers - exact conversion of the actual miles.

Changed Out My Cluster....Again - SaturnFans Forums

As FOX mentioned, his '02 displays Trip A & B, which this is obviously missing. That's leading me to believe that whole side portion of the LCD has failed.

A cluster swap is most likely needed. Wether Subaru would have to do anything to make it work perfectly, I have no clue.

For what it's worth, this VDC isn't really that far from me (about 4-1/2 hours). If I would've seen this before I bought mine, I would've been all over this regardless of the odometer foul.

[JohnnyPheonix]

Okay, on second look it doesn't look like a 2, but it looks suspect nevertheless. The OP said the last reported mileage from Carfax was 252k and now its showing (?)53,091 AND the seller is representing it AS 53,091. My alarm bell is going off. There is a huge difference in potential problems between a 53k car and a 253k one. The problems are usually not the strait forward one, they're the goofy ones caused by faulty electronics or high resistance shorts in wiring from years of vibrations.

In my state, odometer reading is disclosed on the title, so I would want to see it. Also, look at the tires. The car should be mid point into its second set depending on driver style. Look at the windshield for tiny rock chips: more=miles. If it was replaced, suspect. Look under the side of the body, rough or smooth?

Maybe I'm too much a skeptic, but for me, it's in the "too good to be true" category...

[Startiger]

The odometer question alone is more that I would personally want to deal with. Also, looking at the ad, they have pictures of the tires posted and it looks like the car also has an alignment issue. That's one more headache you have to account for.