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Anon

I have just purchased a used vehicle and the SIN (Supplier Information Notice) stated the odometer reading at 115,000kms.

The odometer itself is actually showing 120,000km's. The dealer has offered me very little in way of recompense.

What is my loss?

David

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 14 December 2009

jbiddle

If you purchased the vehicle sight unseen and relied solely on the information supplied on the SIN (now called a Consumer Information Notice or CIN) card, then you have grounds to say the vehicle was misrepresented to you and to ask for some monetary compensation or take further action.

If you sighted and drove the vehicle prior to purchase, then it may be argued you had the opportunity to see the discrepancy before committing to buy.

What may have happened is the vehicle has been driven by the dealer staff after the CIN was produced and never adjusted to reflect an accurate odometer. In this case it could be viewed as an honest mistake although 5,000kms is a rather large discrepancy.

Try to work out a satisfactory compromise with the dealer as the first step.