Mileage – How To Calculate The True Mileage Of A Nissan Figaro?
The Figaro was manufactured in Japan where Kilometres is the unit of measurement. As the car was never officially exported by Nissan (grey import) if it is driven in the UK (as well as Liberia, Myanmar and the United States) it will require a modification to allow the driver to see what speed they are going in MPH and to comply with local driving laws.
WHAT IS THE MODIFICATION?
There are two types of modifications used to ensure the car is legal to drive on UK roads
The card is fitted within the dial so the needle now shows miles per hour, not kilometres
KPH TO MPH CARD FITTED TO SPEEDO
The fitting of a small card into the Speedo dial allows the needle to display Miles Per hour. This is by far the cheapest and most common solution and can be achieved by purchasing the card.
To fit remove the dial’s edge with a small trim tool so the glass comes away and slot the card into place.
ODOMETER READING
THIS WILL CONTINUE TO SHOW IN KMS THE TOTAL DISTANCE THE CAR HAS TRAVELLED SINCE MANUFACTURE
The Figaro Shop sell the Card Insert – Click here
The transducer is normally fitted by garages and changes the needle so it shows the speed in MPH.
MPH STICKER APPLIED TO SPEEDO
If you have an MPH Sticker on your Speedo it means you have a Transducer fitted. We believe this was a solution before the Card above used was created. The device is usually fitted by a garage as it’s more complicated to install. It works just like a bicycle gearing system, basically slowing down the rotation to make the Kilometers show in Miles. It means that the odometer reading is now shown as miles.
Possible Odometer Error
Now the problem occurs if the KMS distance in the Odometer was not recorded at the time of fitting the Transducer. If this information was not supplied with the car you have no way of calculating the exact distance travelled since manufacture.
ODOMETER READING
ONCE FITTED THE ODOMETER NOW SHOW MILES NOT KILOMETRES. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT AT THE POINT OF FITTING THE TRANSDUCER THE KMS ARE RECORDED. TO CALCULATE THE ACTUAL DISTANCE THE CAR HAS TRAVELLED SINCE MANUFACTURE YOU MUST ADD TOGETHER THE KMS + MILES!
The following errors can throw up inaccurate in odometer readings if there was no record was made when the transducer was fitted meaning you have an inconsistency in the exact distance covered. Also, make sure you make a note of the odometer if you decide to remove the transducer.
EXAMPLE
This is an example
| Date | Odometer | Notes |
| 05/05/1991 | 00000 | Car Built |
| 05/05/2001 | 30,000 kms | Transducer Fitted |
| 05/05/2021 | 30,000 kms + 30,000 now in Miles. | DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED TRANSDUCER FITTED ON 05/05/2001 – 30,000 KMS Odometer 30,000kms + 30,000 miles x 1.6 = 48,283kms = 78,000 KILOMETERS So the total reading is 30,000 kms (30,000 x 0.621 = 18,641 miles + 30,000 Miles = 48,641 Miles NO DOCUMENTATION |
THE DOCUMENTATION YOU SHOULD HAVE
- If your Figaro has an MPH Sticker you should have a document detailing when it was fitted and what the KMS were at the time. At the same time as having the transducer fitted, have the odometer set to the correct mileage so that going forward everything is in miles, this is the clearest way but involves adjusting the clock.
- With a document drawn up to demonstrate the sum required to work out the mileage when required. Accurate as long as the paperwork is kept safe.
THE CLUB’S VIEW
Our view here at the club is that the fitting of a transducer should have never been allowed or indeed legal. The device changes the odometer reading (you could call that clocking) which leads to possible abuse and confusion and even if it’s documented at the time of fitting, it only needs an old owner to lose the information or not hand it over to the new owner and this information is lost forever leading to the fact that there is now no way of ever calculating the exact distance that car has travelled since manufacture.
HOW TO CHECK YOUR MILEAGE
But you can check the mileage by looking at the MOT record of your Figaro at www.gov.uk/check-mot-history-vehicle The MOT is only recorded in miles, and it will even tell you when that very first MOT was. But if you have a transducer fitted, it could have been fitted 11 months into an MOT period, in which case the recorded mileage will be different – a mixture of kilometres and miles.
So for now, if you are selling your Figaro and you are unsure what your correct mileage is because you have a transducer fitted, go with what the odometer reads. At least that way you won’t be underestimating the mileage and potentially misleading the buyer.
