- JLR Brooklyn sold the supercar without knowing its odometer had been messed with.
- A Lamborghini dealership found the car had been driven 23,365 km, rather than 2,100 km.
In June, Nigal Teelan traded in his 2023 Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spider for a $190,000 credit at JLR Brooklyn, using the funds to buy a 2025 Range Rover. However, unbeknownst to the dealership, the Lambo’s odometer had been rolled back, suggesting it had been driven just 2,100 km (1,304 miles) when the true mileage was actually more than 10 times that.
The dealership is now suing Teelan. According to a recent lawsuit filed in federal court, JLR Brooklyn resold the Huracan Evo without knowing about the mileage tampering. It was only alerted to the inconsistency when the new owner had it serviced and inspected at a Lamborghini dealership in Texas.
Read: Man Uses ChatGPT To Find His Lamborghini Two Years After It Was Stolen
According to a service report from the dealership, a technician scanned the car and found that while the odometer was reading just 2,100 km (1,304 miles), the mileage stored in the ECU was actually 23,365 km or 13,213 miles.
The lawsuit alleges that a blocking device had been installed, causing the odometer to display an inaccurately low mileage figure. The odometer had to be replaced for $6,300, and JLR Brooklyn was forced to refund the full purchase price to the buyer and had to incur all transportation expenses.
The Dealer Responds
Now, they are seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Teelan and the Montana company he owns, Cross Feen, claiming he has violated the Federal Odometer Act, and is also guilty of fraud and breach of contract.
The suit contends that because of the Huracan’s true mileage, its value has been “significantly depreciated and will obviously fetch far less money than anticipated” if it is sold again.
Odometer tempering is nothing new, but private car buyers and dealerships can buy OBD2 scanners that are able to detect a vehicle’s true mileage. In this case, JLR Brooklyn probably would have been wise to scan the car for any odometer irregularities before acquiring it as part of the trade, let alone selling it.