Many car problems are to be expected. As a car owner, you know that you will eventually have to change the oil and tires, and it’s understandable that one’s car will get the occasional scratch or two.
However, there are some car problems that leave car owners and mechanics alike wondering what could have caused the issue. Such is the case in a recent TikTok video that has the internet asking a lot of questions.
What happened to this customer’s car?
In a video with over a million views, TikTok user Neil Campos (@carwerks101) says a customer’s 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS had a bizarre issue.
“Customer states it went from 9,000 miles to 18,000 miles overnight,” Campos states. “They bought it from us in December with 7,000 miles. They drove a couple thousand miles, and now it is up to 18,000 miles—so I’m gonna have to go ahead and figure out what the heck is going on here.”
In subsequent videos, Campos responds to viewer theories about what could be wrong with the car. For example, he says that his business were the previous owners of the car, meaning that it’s unlikely the previous owners tampered with the mileage. He also notes that it’s unlikely that someone has been using the car, as the tires do not show as much tread wear as one would expect at that mileage.
While there was allegedly a fault code triggered for tampering with the vehicle, Campos is skeptical that such a thing could occur—and other theories, such as that the car was displaying kilometers or that the owners were looking at trip mileage, didn’t pan out.
So, what happened?
Can a car’s mileage randomly increase by several thousand?
By the most recent video, Campos seems unsure of the owner’s story and speculates that they could have actually driven 18,000 miles, even if things like the headlight running hours don’t necessarily add up.
While it seems strange that a car owner could drive an additional 9,000 miles and not realize it, people underestimating their driven miles is a well-documented phenomenon, though the motivation of the driver in Campos’ story is questionable.
For example, a 2006 study found that drivers in California often understate their car’s mileage. While this understatement was generally minimal (accurate or an understatement of 5,000 miles or less), 26% of those studied underestimated the amount of miles on their vehicles by 6,000 miles or more.
Then, in 2024, Insurify compared the mileage numbers drivers report to insurers to data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). They found that U.S. drivers underestimated their mileage by an average of 6,049 miles.
That said, in both studies, this information seemed to be related to insurance premiums, which can increase with more mileage. Thus, drivers may feel incentivized to underreport their mileage to their insurer. The motivation for claiming that the mileage on one’s car suddenly increased, as claimed in Campos’ video, is uncertain.
Additionally, while Campos was unable to locate anything that could cause this problem, it’s not unheard of. Multiple internet users have claimed that their car’s odometer suddenly increased, from one user saying his car’s odometer jumped up by almost 100,000 miles to other random changes in mileage.
@carwerks101 🤔 #mercedes #tiktokautocampaign #carmechanic ♬ original sound – Carwerks101
Commenters aren’t sure
In the comments section, users appear to be at a loss about what could have happened here, with many accepting the theory that the driver could have simply driven the additional 9,000 miles and not been aware of it.
“Mercedes has a ‘from last reset’ screen that looks very odo like and have previously tricked our inspection staff. Maybe you sold it with the trip miles? Check your images,” suggested a commenter.
“You get the factory rep involved then and let him explain it to the customer,” offered another. “That way it insulates the dealership.”
“10,000 miles in 5 months is a TON of driving. You would know if you put on that much mileage. That’s almost the average person’s driving in a year,” stated a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Campos via Instagram direct message and to Mercedes-Benz via email.
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