I am looking into buying a 2004 Durango with 21K miles. The dealer says it was a lease, it has a clean title, blah blah blah. But as usual who trusts a used car salesman? My question is if I take it to an independent shop and have them check the computer, can you see any/all error codes it has ever had? or do they get erased after the problem is resolved, or after a certain time.

Thanks

 

Its been in disscussions among most companies to adapt such a ecm as you mention that tracks/logs/ everything but to my knowledge they have introduced it yet. So in your case i would say no, your ecm would not store previous trouble codes. Then again i may be lacking in updates, but for now no. Someone else will chime in soon

 

Once a shop has fixed a problem they usually clear the module to make the warning light go off. Once they have cleared it there is no further record of the codes. I'm not sure about how much an independent shop can read. They may not have access to all the modules in the car. A dealer scan tool will usually tell how recently the engine control module has been cleared.

 

an independent shop may not be able to read the modules correctly. As far as being a clean title and keeping track of everything the vehicle done there really is no way to tell. The only thing you can do is if you know someone you can check the VIN to see what kind of work has been done to the vehicle in the past.

the only time the modules will keep track of anything is if there is an error.

 

Thanks, I guess that means I will have to take their word for it. It still has 3 years/ 50K on the 7/70 warranty....I guess that is enough