Car dealer fined after odometer on $24,000 car was wound back by more than 30,000km

Author: Brianna McIlraith,
Publish Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2026, 1:48pm

The car’s odometer reading was 150,031km when it was sold at the car auction, but three months later was 119,244km. Photo / Generic

A motorist who paid a car dealer $24,000 for a Toyota RAV4 only discovered the odometer had been tampered with when they took it for a service more than a year later.

It was during that service that technicians noticed the odometer reading didn’t match the car’s recorded service history.

The car’s odometer reading was 150,031km when it was sold at the car auction to Tauranga trader Sachinthaka Nagasinghe, the sole director of Sachis Holdings Ltd, trading as Carporium.

But, when it was sold by Nagasinghe to the new owner three months later the reading showed 119,244km – a difference of more than 30,000km.

The service technicians referred their concerns to the Registrar of Motor Vehicle Traders through NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

An MBIE investigation then confirmed the odometer had been tampered with.

Two charges were laid under the Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003 for tampering with an odometer without reasonable excuse, and for aiding and abetting the company in the offending.

Now Nagasinghe had bought the car back for the same price he sold it, and has appeared in the Tauranga District Court for sentencing where he was ordered to pay $1000 reparation for emotional harm. His company was also fined $5000.

MBIE said in a statement released today that Carporium sold the Toyota in February 2024 after purchasing it at an Auckland car auction in December 2023.

It was in May 2025 during the scheduled service that the tampered odometer reading was detected.

Before sentencing, Nagasinghe agreed to buy back the vehicle for $24,000, matching its original sale price.

Bevan Yee, National Manager of Occupational Regulation, a business unit in MBIE, said it was the first successful prosecution that demonstrates MBIE’s commitment to upholding the law and maintaining fair standards across the motor vehicle sales sector.

“This case sends a clear message that odometer tampering and other deceptive practices will not be tolerated.

“Accurate vehicle information is fundamental to fair trading. When odometer readings are altered, consumers can end up paying more for a vehicle than it is worth and may be misled about its safety, reliability and maintenance needs.

“Most traders do the right thing and deserve to operate in a marketplace where unlawful behaviour is identified and addressed. MBIE will continue to take enforcement action where conduct undermines consumer confidence and damages the reputation of the industry,” Yee said.

Brianna McIlraith is a Queenstown-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the lower South Island. She has been a journalist since 2018 and has had a strong interest in business and financial journalism.