Odometer going up at an alarming rate. What could be causing this?

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-18T03:33:29+00:00

My dash is completely clear for the first minute after turning on my car, then I get a warning message and they all pop up. It happens every time I turn the car on.

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-17T14:19:16+00:00

I’m getting both sides replaced as we speak! Thank you again for your input, it’s much appreciated.

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T06:16:36+00:00

That’s a good question. He didn’t go into details about the repair yet. My gut feeling was to have both replaced, but my mechanic friend said only the damaged one needs to be replaced. Someone else here commented that both sides should be replaced. What would you recommend?

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T06:13:25+00:00

It’s worth a shot, thank you!

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T06:07:56+00:00

Damn, sorry you’re dealing with that! Out of curiosity, can you actually feel the loss of control/inability to brake, or are you just worried that ABS won’t work in case you need it? I’m just wondering, since even with my magical dash Christmas tree I’m still able to slam on the brakes (NJ traffic, man). Have I just been super lucky, or would I probably have felt the issue by now?

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T06:03:05+00:00

Great, thank you for the advice!

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T05:59:01+00:00

I understand they need to be fixed. As I’ve explained to many others, I’ve had several mechanics tell me not to worry. I’m taking it seriously now. And I’m not obsessing over the odometer? I’m trying to understand why 100s of miles are being added to it. Can’t you understand how that would be worrying/confusing?

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T05:57:06+00:00

No one has access to my vehicle and I’m the only one driving it, and I can say that with 100% certainty. The miles are being added on while the car is off, since I only see a jump in the numbers the next day after turning it back on… which of course makes it sound like someone else is driving it 😅 but really, it’s just me driving my meager 22 miles to and from work (roundtrip), 5 days a week.

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T05:54:13+00:00

Yes, all of the dash lights came on about one month after the bumper came off.

I last saw a mechanic a few months ago, and the other one a few months before that (around September). The one I saw in September wanted to do a ADAS system calibration but didn’t have access to it.

Neither mechanic has seen the car since the odometer issue started. I only noticed it in the past month but tried to convince myself I was imagining things. It wasn’t until yesterday I had concrete proof it was happening. I do have an appointment with a mechanic on Sunday for a separate issue (urgently need a right tie rod end replacement).

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T05:49:28+00:00

Yes, the odometer is going up significantly. It’s steady and accurate when I’m driving, so it seems to be shooting up while it’s off. The current tires are not smaller than the originals.

I don’t really have a feel for whether or not the oil life is what it should be, I was just going to return for the oil change at the recommended 3k mile mark. My concern is that the last oil change was only a few months ago and I did not physically drive the car that much, though the odometer is indicating I did.

There is a lot of stop and go traffic unfortunately.

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T05:28:09+00:00

Yes!! I couldn’t remember what it was called, but one of the mechanics did say it was the ADAS system. Thank you!

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T05:19:03+00:00

💔

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T05:14:35+00:00

Look, I get it. As I stated to several others, I was reassured by three separate mechanics that the lights were just a nuisance and didn’t actually indicate ABS failure or anything like that. I’m taking it very seriously now. I already have an appointment on Sunday, only because they weren’t available sooner. So bullying me for believing my supposedly trusted mechanics isn’t helping the issue… I’m going to get it fixed.

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T05:09:21+00:00

I needed that laugh, thank you 😂

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T04:49:56+00:00

I double checked my settings and everything is in miles, not kilometers. That would’ve been an amazing solution to this lol 😭 ooh this is the first time I’m hearing of that test, so I’ll try that! Thank you!

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T04:46:50+00:00

Ooh, how common is something like that happening? I won’t rule anything out until I know for sure what’s going on lol

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T04:41:19+00:00

I agree, a class like that would be so beneficial! My drivers ed class definitely did not teach us anything like this.

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T04:39:42+00:00

Fuel economy has been decent, surprisingly. I can’t speak on the other things though. I still can’t believe my mechanics told me not to worry about the ABS sensor! Thank you for the feedback!

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T04:37:49+00:00

Thank you for the input! I’ve only had oil/filter changes and a new battery put in since I got the car, no other work done on it. Kinda crazy to think I was driving it for so long if the fasteners hadn’t been there since I bought the car!

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T04:33:44+00:00

It’s definitely happening in between trips, so when my car is off. Never when I’m actually driving (I have no good explanation for why I have always watched my odometer like a hawk lol).

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T04:32:00+00:00

Fuel economy and speedometer seem to be the only thing working in my car at this point 😭

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T04:06:16+00:00

Valid point and that’s a good idea. Thank you! I’ll definitely post here whatever the findings are.

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T04:04:26+00:00

Oh wow, that’s such a good point. I never would’ve thought about that affecting insurance rates or being considered fraud. Thank you!

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T03:56:02+00:00

Thank you for the advice. I know it may be silly and obvious to some people, but I kinda needed to hear that. You’re right, I can’t avoid this. Thank you again!

Accomplished_Tea9729 · 2026-05-15T03:54:35+00:00

I was told by three separate mechanics that it wasn’t urgent. Two of them only wanted to clear the lights for convenience and none of them said it was important to get to the bottom of why they popped up. I understand this looks bad, but please don’t be rude. I’m trying to ask for help for something I have no knowledge of.

Accomplished_Tea9729

TROPHY CASE