A warning for people buying used cars: There is a device that plugs into a car and prevents the mileage from adding up. Mechanic Maha Derridj, who owns Vag Services Inc. on the South Shore, said he found one by accident while doing maintenance on a car last week. As a final check, he took the car for a test drive, but he said something didn’t add up. “We drove it for seven kilometres. So when we came back to the shop, we saw that the trip was still on zero,” he said. Confused, he turned to ChatGPT for answers. “They told us maybe you have a mileage blocker on the car,” he said. Derridj had never heard of a mileage blocker before, but after doing some research online and taking a closer look into the car, he found it. The small attachment plugs into the back of an odometer and stops the kilometres from adding up. “We were shocked. And later that night, I made a video on Facebook,” explaining the device, he said. The video he posted online gained traction. Derridj said within the last week, he received calls and messages from several drivers who suspect they also have been deceived. Since then, he’s learned how to spot them and has removed some. After hearing about the device, George Iny from the Automobile Protection Association took a trip to Derridj ‘s garage. “It was something new, and we were astonished when they showed us the website to see the range of products that’s available,” he said. Online it can sell from hundreds to thousands of dollars. “This device is so new, I have no idea how you could protect yourself from it. I’d like to believe there aren’t too many of them out there,” he said. Under Quebec’s Consumer Protection Act, it’s illegal to tamper with the odometer to reduce or change the mileage of a car, but selling or buying these types of devices is not. “It’s a problem,” said Iny. Derridj said he expects he will see more of these devices, meaning used car buyers should beware – what’s on the odometer may not be telling the car’s full story.
