Mileage has always been a major issue in the motor industry and is one of the main factors that determine what a car is worth. For the most part, a lower mileage vehicle for most second-hand buyers is much more appealing than the opposite; simply because the more a vehicle moves, the higher its wear and tear.
Thus, for many people, high mileage cars generally spell frequent trips to the mechanic/ dealership for engine problems, electrical issues, or suspension trouble, and even safety concerns – often resulting in one forking out significant amounts of money that could be channeled elsewhere. And who can blame them? In this current economy, every cent helps, and it pays to be vigilant.
Enter KEBS
Also, high mileage cars tend to be on the higher side when it comes to the emissions level, and hence not quite environment friendly. Thus, many developed countries, such as Japan and Europe, have enacted various legislative measures to get rid of older vehicle models (much akin to, and often called ‘dumping’), which eventually find their way to the Kenyan market.
Unscrupulous sellers and importers have thus come up with devious means to circumvent this measure by tampering and rewinding the odometer – a process called clocking. Brokers haven’t been left behind either, and that is where the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) comes into play.
QISJ
In a bid to curb the dumping of old and high mileage cars, KEBS have partnered with various inspection companies over the years, with Quality Inspection Services Japan (QISJ) being the main one for now. QISJ is responsible for ensuring that every vehicle imported in to the country has been physically inspected, certified and approved for roadworthiness from the port of exit.
For most cars in Kenya imported from the year 2015, the QISJ is the go-to agency. If not sure, check the left side of the windscreen, and you will find stickers that show the company that inspected and certified the car.
From the QISJ website, you can easily feed your Chassis Number AS IS into the letter field, including hyphen (-). Select “Verify Vehicle Mileage” and you will see the results, which include the Year of Manufacture, Date of Inspection, and Mileage Reading or Odometer Reading at the time of Inspection. Also included will be the port or location from which it was inspected.
East African Automobile Services
Alternatively, you could source the mileage information from another agency website, called East African Automobile Services, which was once tasked with the inspection and certification of vehicles registered before 2015.
On the website, scroll all the way down and enter the Chassis Number as is and you will get the results, just as from the QISJ website.
Alternatively, you can request for an Inspection Certificate from KEBS from the dealer, which was awarded when the car passes inspection. It shows all the information as displayed in the aforementioned methods.
Next, is assessing the age and make of the vehicle, and comparing it with its stated mileage. For most cars, it is normal to cover upwards of 10,000 km per year, and even up to 30,000 km. If you multiply that with the number of years from its year of manufacture, then you can easily tell if the car has its original odometer reading or not. For example, a highly popular brand like the Toyota Crown Athlete registered in 2014 cannot have a mileage lower than 70,000 km. Similarly, vehicles like the Mark X, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Noah and Voxy, and some Nissans also are imported with mileage figures above 100 000 km.
