Man sold car caught in international odometer wind-back probe pays $6000 in repairs

• Auckland man Andrew French paid over $6000 in repairs after buying a car with a suspected wound-back odometer.
• NZTA is investigating 303 vehicles, including 250 registered in New Zealand, after a businessman was arrested in July.
• French’s 2013 Toyota 86 was linked to an international tampering scam and was suspected of driving 49,000km more than reported.

A man has had to fork out thousands of dollars in repairs after his car was sold to him with a suspected wound-back odometer linked to an international illegal tampering scam.

Auckland man Andrew French said the 2013 Toyota 86 he bought for his son had clocked up 49,000km more than its odometer reading - and was a 2012 model.

He discovered he had been duped only last month when a letter from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) landed in his mailbox telling him his vehicle was one of 303 cars and trucks being investigated because their odometers, year of registration and gross vehicle mass were illegally altered in Japan before being sold in New Zealand.

NZTA spokesperson Andy Knackstedt said the Japanese export certificates, a requirement for vehicle certification in New Zealand, were also altered.

Nearly 250 of those vehicles were registered and had been on New Zealand roads for several years, the agency said.

French said he bought the car from a Mt Wellington dealership about three years ago and noticed no major issues before NZTA’s letter.

“It was pretty disappointing. Pretty upsetting for us, I guess, because it’s devalued the car.”

The dealership has been approached for comment.

WOF repairs hit $6k

French needed a new warrant of fitness (WoF), but his first re-inspection failed due to several faulty parts, including seatbelts, headlights and rear shock bumps that required replacements from Japan.

Because his true odometer reading exceeded 100,000km, he said the vehicle had to undergo further servicing for parts such as brakes and spark plugs and that came to $4000.

Andrew French bought a 2013 Toyota 86 with a suspected wound-back odometer and an incorrect year of registration.

The odometer, which he claimed bore an AA-certified sticker, could not be rewound to its correct reading.

French estimated the total repair cost at more than $6000 when combined with costs for items like seatbelts ($600), rear dismounts ($1500) and the VTNZ inspection ($200).

NZTA’s investigation comes after an Auckland-based businessman was arrested in July for importing more than 130 second-hand vehicles from Japan using allegedly falsified documents.

A Customs investigation found he allegedly imported 133 second-hand vehicles, mainly trucks, between 2020 and 2024, that had wound-back odometer readings and other false information.

The investigation began in April after Customs was approached by NZTA about imported vehicles suspected of having incorrect import records.

The 36-year-old faces up to six months’ imprisonment or a $10,000 fine if convicted.

A Customs spokesperson said vehicle owners who were part of NZTA’s investigation should talk directly to the agency for questions or concerns about their vehicle.

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