Innacurate Odometer or Google map?

08civlx · 06-26-2009, 03:10 AM

Im just wondering on just how accurate google map is...it lists a trip at 32.5km and if i take the exact route with no detours my odometer calculates it at 32.8 km. My car is a 2006 so im aware of the lawsuit against bad odometer readings, but the suit indicated increases from 2.5 to 4 percent and honda.//acura gave 5% out of customer satisfaction. Now, in my case...the extra .3 km comes to 0.9%

Just how accurate is the google maps distances?

I contacted the original owner of the car and he never received any letter saying his car was affected by the lawsuit...and i called customer service for honfda and acura and both said there was no issue for my vin number. The lawsuit states ALL cars from 2000-2009 and then it says 900 000 units are affected...im so confused.

Is my car counting KM to quickly??

Anybody have experience with google maps distance and your actual recorded miles? given that you use the same route google maps uses..

soysauce0894 · 06-26-2009, 04:11 AM

try and see wat mapquest wud say...

***Zeuceone*** · 06-26-2009, 04:14 AM

its not going to be perfect. lol.

08civlx · 06-26-2009, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soysauce0894

try and see wat mapquest wud say...

yahoo...google..mapquest are all around 32.4 to 32.5 my car is counting 32.8.

But does anyone know if the distances these services give you are 100% accurate or is being off by .3 km normal...

BigT · 06-26-2009, 08:26 AM

Being off by a few tenths isn't surprising at all. How wide or short you take turns, what lanes you use, how much air pressure is in your tires, if you go around people, the exact spot you start and stop, how straight you drive in your lanes, etc., etc. All these things will have small effects on the total mileage of a trip compared to the map estimate.

I wouldn't worry about it too much.

RR-Si08 · 06-26-2009, 09:30 AM

Hills aren't mapped out perfectly w/ the map programs, so that may be adding to the distance variation too.

VTXFrank · 06-26-2009, 09:49 AM

Many countries have standards governing speedometer accuracy. From what I've seen, that standard is usually +/- 10%. You are WELL within that tolerance. If you want to check your speedometer accuracy, compare it to a GPS speed. My SI is dead on up to 70. Then it reads about 2% fast up to 120mph, then gets accurate again.

To see if your speedo is correct, you could also use this info. For me, I will set my cruise control to a given speed, like 60 or 70, and then use the mile markers on the highway. Using a stopwatch, I will time how long it takes me to go from a mile marker to the next marker. If traffic allows, and for the best results, I'll use two or three mile markers for a longer amount of time. Do the math to see what your speed is and there you go. You will now see if your speed is correct. If your speedo is registering correctly, then you know your odometer is reading correctly as well.

quickfit · 06-26-2009, 09:50 AM

the odometer on many hondas was faulty. there was a class action lawsuit about it.

08civlx · 06-26-2009, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quickfit

the odometer on many hondas was faulty. there was a class action lawsuit about it.

lol i wasnt aware (i mentioned that 87 times in my first post)

well what i did was i used the 1.5 km marker for the next exit on my highway and it was pretty accurate....but then again over 32 km....its only off by .3 km..
the thing is, mapquest and all that may be off and my car is actually giving me the right distance.

Im gonna drive my parents are and use the same route and see if it give mes 32.8. if it doesnt then, well that would suck!

quickfit · 06-26-2009, 10:28 AM

^lol. sorry. i didnt read all of it

Thunder · 06-26-2009, 10:35 AM

I took a good trip (300 miles or so) in an '01 Jetta I used to own... and had an aviation certified GPS along. I found that my speed was indicating significantly high - enough so that over the course of my lease of the car, I would be buying over 1000 miles I wouldn't actually get.

Then, I clocked out the odometer... and found it dead on. Turns out that the speedometer can be off by a significant percentage *reading high*, but cannot be low at all. Therefore, manufacturers fudge the internals such that they are at no risk for reading low, even if the maximum tolerance in the part is reached.

My Civic reads 66 to go my usual cruising speed of 64, and I settle in on 77 for an actual 74-75. Occasionally, I'll go up to 78 and the (Uniden GPSRD) GPS will still show actual groundspeed of 75.

I, too, wouldn't worry about a few tenths of a mile here or there in a thirty-odd-mile (or kilometer) trip.

06-26-2009, 03:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
08civlx Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,082 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Innacurate Odometer or Google map? Im just wondering on just how accurate google map is...it lists a trip at 32.5km and if i take the exact route with no detours my odometer calculates it at 32.8 km. My car is a 2006 so im aware of the lawsuit against bad odometer readings, but the suit indicated increases from 2.5 to 4 percent and honda.//acura gave 5% out of customer satisfaction. Now, in my case...the extra .3 km comes to 0.9% Just how accurate is the google maps distances? I contacted the original owner of the car and he never received any letter saying his car was affected by the lawsuit...and i called customer service for honfda and acura and both said there was no issue for my vin number. The lawsuit states ALL cars from 2000-2009 and then it says 900 000 units are affected...im so confused. Is my car counting KM to quickly?? Anybody have experience with google maps distance and your actual recorded miles? given that you use the same route google maps uses..

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
is the odometer kept on the ecu?	20civic07	Mechanical Problems & Technical Chat	13	11-23-2008 06:12 PM
odometer	fl07si	Civic SI	3	07-24-2008 04:52 PM
Crazy Google Map Feature!!!	lilwhitesi	Water Cooler	7	07-23-2007 09:49 PM

06-26-2009, 04:11 AM	#2 (permalink)
soysauce0894 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: indiana Posts: 123 Billy iTrader: 0 / 0%	try and see wat mapquest wud say...

06-26-2009, 08:26 AM	#5 (permalink)
BigT Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Duff Beer Krusty Burger Buzz Cola Costington's Department Store Kwik-E-Mart Stupid Flanders Park Posts: 2,185 iTrader: 1 / 100%	Being off by a few tenths isn't surprising at all. How wide or short you take turns, what lanes you use, how much air pressure is in your tires, if you go around people, the exact spot you start and stop, how straight you drive in your lanes, etc., etc. All these things will have small effects on the total mileage of a trip compared to the map estimate. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

06-26-2009, 09:30 AM	#6 (permalink)
RR-Si08 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hartsdale, NY Age: 24 Posts: 441 Mike iTrader: 0 / 0%	Hills aren't mapped out perfectly w/ the map programs, so that may be adding to the distance variation too.

06-26-2009, 09:49 AM	#7 (permalink)
VTXFrank Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Fort Rucker, AL Age: 40 Posts: 1,476 Frankie iTrader: 0 / 0%	Many countries have standards governing speedometer accuracy. From what I've seen, that standard is usually +/- 10%. You are WELL within that tolerance. If you want to check your speedometer accuracy, compare it to a GPS speed. My SI is dead on up to 70. Then it reads about 2% fast up to 120mph, then gets accurate again. To see if your speedo is correct, you could also use this info. For me, I will set my cruise control to a given speed, like 60 or 70, and then use the mile markers on the highway. Using a stopwatch, I will time how long it takes me to go from a mile marker to the next marker. If traffic allows, and for the best results, I'll use two or three mile markers for a longer amount of time. Do the math to see what your speed is and there you go. You will now see if your speed is correct. If your speedo is registering correctly, then you know your odometer is reading correctly as well.

06-26-2009, 09:50 AM	#8 (permalink)
quickfit Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NY Posts: 10,629 Resident asshat iTrader: 0 / 0%	the odometer on many hondas was faulty. there was a class action lawsuit about it.

06-26-2009, 10:28 AM	#10 (permalink)
quickfit Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NY Posts: 10,629 Resident asshat iTrader: 0 / 0%	^lol. sorry. i didnt read all of it

06-26-2009, 10:35 AM	#11 (permalink)
Thunder Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 236 Dan iTrader: 0 / 0%	I took a good trip (300 miles or so) in an '01 Jetta I used to own... and had an aviation certified GPS along. I found that my speed was indicating significantly high - enough so that over the course of my lease of the car, I would be buying over 1000 miles I wouldn't actually get. Then, I clocked out the odometer... and found it dead on. Turns out that the speedometer can be off by a significant percentage reading high, but cannot be low at all. Therefore, manufacturers fudge the internals such that they are at no risk for reading low, even if the maximum tolerance in the part is reached. My Civic reads 66 to go my usual cruising speed of 64, and I settle in on 77 for an actual 74-75. Occasionally, I'll go up to 78 and the (Uniden GPSRD) GPS will still show actual groundspeed of 75. I, too, wouldn't worry about a few tenths of a mile here or there in a thirty-odd-mile (or kilometer) trip.