This is the difference between a car odometer and a speedometer
ebanmella – What is a car odometer? Perhaps many people still ask about the meaning of odometer. Because most people are more familiar with the word speedometer than odometer.
Apart from this, many people are not aware of the details that there are many pointers in the toolkit. Therefore, there are still many vehicle owners who misinterpret it.
So what exactly is an odometer? Below, ebanmella provides a complete explanation of the odometer and its use.
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What is a Car Odometer?
By definition, an odometer is a device that shows the distance traveled on a car. If a car doesn’t have an odometer, drivers have a hard time keeping track of their car’s mileage.
The location or location of the odometer is usually on the meter panel of the car dashboard, so drivers can easily check it. The odometer is usually placed next to the data center connected to the tachometer and speedometer. For reference, a tachometer is a device that measures the revolutions of a car engine, while a speedometer is a device that measures the speed of a car.
Without a tracking device in the car, drivers will never know the exact distance of the car. The function of the odometer is to provide information to the driver about the distance traveled by the car. By knowing the distance traveled, you can know the power of the car.
It is very important to check the odometer as it can be a reference when buying a used car. If the distance traveled is too long, then the condition of the car will definitely be worse than a car with less miles.
The odometer can be used as a reference for drivers to determine when to service or change the oil. Car odometers use kilometer or km calculation, so any number displayed on the odometer is expressed in km.
When you decide to buy a used car, you should check the odometer. Look for a car with a low odometer number, so you can be sure that the car will not be used much or used for long trips.
Odometers have 2 ways of working, mechanical and electronic. Before you decide to buy a used car, you should first understand the concept of how both work. With a clear understanding, you can find a quality used car.
Mechanical or analog odometer
The way an odometer works mechanically is by using torque that is received from a variable cable and usually connected to another unit. Mechanical odometers are mostly found in older cars.
Generally, mechanical odometers have reversible features. This means that the odometer will automatically move when the car is moving or reversing. The odometer will count down when the car is in reverse and this is mostly due to the driver’s gear and gears.
Checking the quality of a mechanical odometer is very easy because there are signs or symptoms that indicate that the odometer has been manually opened and reconditioned. By checking this, you can get a good and stable quality car.
Electronic Odometer
The way the electronic odometer works depends on the complexity of the technology, so the operation is affected by the computer system. The computer automatically calculates the resulting voltage and helps calculate the car’s distance.
A special magnet is placed on one of the car tire frames, so the accuracy of the electronic odometer is very good. There are magnets mounted on the wheels to provide signals so that you can calculate the distance traveled by the car.
Checking the quality of the electronic odometer is more difficult, because it needs to be fixed by professionals. Before buying a used car, you can first take the car to an official repair shop so you can check the quality of the electronic odometer.
When you see how the odometer is defined, you already know that its main function is to measure the total distance traveled by the car. But in fact, the task does not stop there.
In the automotive world, there are two other functions of the odometer that are very important without realizing it. What are the other functions of the odometer?
Buying a used car
When people buy used cars, the condition of the car is one of the things that they should pay special attention to. The odometer function is very useful to know the total mileage of the car. This can be an important sign for you to determine the price. The higher the number printed on the meter panel, the cheaper the price. So you can check the rules from the odometer for the price.
To know when the current service will be performed
By the total mileage of the car, you can know when to take your favorite car to the repair shop for regular service like oil changes and other types of maintenance. Every car has its own rules about when to come to a repair shop. Regular servicing is very important to your car. With regular and detailed servicing, all parts of the car are checked by a mechanic so you can have a prime vehicle for everyday use.
How to read a car odometer
Ordinary people may not understand how to read a car’s odometer. Actually, how to calculate the odometer of the car is very easy, just pay attention to the number printed on the odometer.
On digital and analog odometers, the numbers are displayed correctly, so the process of reading the data is very easy. So you can immediately see how many kilometers the car has traveled.
This number describes the distance traveled by the car. The distance is calculated in kilometers or kilometers. The odometer can be found on the dashboard next to the speedometer.
For example, if the number on the odometer shows 17520, it means that your vehicle has been used to drive up to 17,520 km.
When you go to service your car, make sure to check the number on the odometer first before servicing. This number will later be used as a reference to determine the next service period.
How to calculate the odometer to determine the service time is very simple. For example, in the first service, the odometer read 15,000 km. So if the car drives another 10,000 km, it’s time to take the car in for service again.
So, add 15,000 km to 10,000 km. This means that once the odometer shows 25,000 km, it is time for the vehicle to be serviced again.
Reasons why the car odometer does not work
Without an odometer, you’ll have a hard time knowing how many miles your car has. Without this information, you may be out of control and overdue for regular car service.
As explained, an odometer is a device on a car to show the distance traveled by the car. If a car doesn’t have an odometer, drivers have a hard time keeping track of their car’s mileage.
The location or location of the odometer is usually on the meter panel of the car dashboard, so drivers can easily check it. So why is the car odometer not working? The following is an explanation.
Electrical system problems
The odometer is basically closely related to the car’s electrical system. Therefore, if the car’s electrical system has a problem, the odometer may malfunction or even die. The vehicle owner or repair shop should check the cable routing to the odometer to determine if the cause of the odometer loss or malfunction is an electrical system problem.
The part of the cable connected to the odometer should be checked first. You can check whether electricity flows through the cable or not. If not, you should immediately replace it with a new cable. Short-term electrical operation often affects not only the odometer, but also other components. For example, the car lights are dim or the car is difficult to start.
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Troublesome panel on the odometer
In addition to a faulty electrical system, the cause of a car’s odometer going off can be due to a faulty panel. It cannot be denied that one of the most common reasons for a car’s odometer to become damaged or completely dead is due to a faulty or damaged panel.
How to Reset a Car Odometer
Basically, both analog and digital odometer can be changed. Resetting the car odometer is not difficult, there is a special software for digital odometers.
Meanwhile, for analog odometers, reset can be done manually. However, the odometer must first be unlocked and removed from the dashboard. Since the odometer reading can be changed, many used car sellers try to mislead buyers by mixing in odometer numbers. That’s why you have to be really careful when checking the odometer and check the accuracy of the numbers.
