Resetting mileage to Zero after restoration

[Jason Banks]

What are your thoughts on resetting mileage?

Totally rebuilt truck. Completely torn down frame, cab, bed sandblast repaint and reassemble with new components.

LS swap, Transmission and Rear end rebuilt, new driveshaft.

Installed Dakota Digital RTX gauges. Come set to Zero but can plug in old mileage within the first 100 miles.

I've come to the point where I need to turn my insurance back on and they are asking me the mileage. Not sure If I want to tell them Zero or Put the old mileage back in.

What have others done?

[72c20customcamper]

I just put unknown . It's really not an issue on a vehicle that rolls over at 100k .most times they just want a frame of reference as to miles per year

[dmjlambert]

I set my new-to-me used odometer at my best guess of actual mileage based on how many months I drove after the old odometer broke, because it was working for several months after I got the engine and transmission rebuilt. Based on wear and tear on the truck I guessed it had not gone past 100,000 before it went into the pasture and sunk into the mud for 30 years. When I bought and titled the truck I put the real mileage on the title paperwork, and when the title came to me it just had "exempt" filled in the mileage field. My insurance wants to know how many miles per year I drive, and they don't seem to care about the odometer reading at all. I think it's kind of neat to have it read the original mileage.

[Jason Banks]

I think I'll dig up my title and see what it says for mileage. I'm pretty sure it says exempt.

[Rickysnickers]

This is also a question you should be checking with you local DMV office as well. n some states, you are supposed to contact the DMV when you install a new odometer into a vehicle.

[Steeveedee]

Right. I think California is kind of stinky about that. If the odometer exceeds the design limits, it would be a different issue, I think. Like my truck having 220k on it. It only shows 20k, but no one in their right mind would think that it hadn't turned over at least once.

[JT_Trucks87]

I reset the odometer on our truck to reflect that every mile was put on by us. I rebuilt the cluster and rolled her on back. Plus I did not have any documentation to prove mileage anyways.

[special-K]

I would install it at zero and keep the original speedometer with the actual miles showing. Simple math can figure the two numbers together, the miles shown will be miles since the rebuilt, and you have an honest record of actual miles. I do that on anything I change the speedometer in.

[jocko]

Interesting dilemma Jason - if you KNOW the mileage of the truck, to include how many times the odometer had rolled over, I'd set the new digital one to original full mileage. There's nothing wrong with a restored truck with miles on the odometer. If you don't know how many times the original odometer had rolled over, then I'd leave your new one at zero and just document the old numbers, even though you didn't know how many times it had rolled over - might need it for reference someday, you never know. Hanging onto the old odometer as Tim mentioned is a great idea no matter what you decide to do. I'd also check with DMV. Since your new gauges actually have a set function - I am willing to bet on what their answer would be if you KNOW the original mileage (i.e. how many rollovers) - if you don't know the actual mileage - then I don't know what they would tell you. Starting at zero is probably more useful than guessing at how many times the odometer has rolled over. Anyway, again, IF you know actual mileage, I'd take advantage of the set function of your new gauges and put in actual mileage of the original odometer.

[Rickysnickers]

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

Right. I think California is kind of stinky about that.

Yes, exactly what I was referring to. You are supposed to notify CA DMV if you change out the odometer.

[pontiacvince]

I had my cluster redone with some additions and it came back with all zeros on the odometer.

[Already Gone]

When I replaced the dash pod in my truck the new dash the odometer was set at 00000. So we removed the head and set the mileage to what was on the original odometer. I still have the original dash intact and stored away.

[special-K]

If I was installing another original type speedometer I would leave what mileage was on it or maybe set it to what the speedometer that came out had on it. Either way, document it all. But since this is a digital upgrade that is obviously a modern replacement I feel you are wasting your time setting the actual miles on it. I feel it would come across as more honest and forthright to have the modern speedometer start off at zero. But again, have it all documented. I also like the idea that the honest miles since the rebuilt will be shown on the odometer for your own reference.