A GTA man says his Range Rover’s odometer reading increased by approximately 180,000 kilometres after he had his instrument panel repaired and there’s no easy fix in sight.

John Fitzgerald told CTV News Toronto he turned the key in the ignition of his 2009 Range Rover Sport last July and the powerful luxury SUV failed to start.

He had the vehicle towed to an independent repair shop, and mechanics there told him he needed a new instrument cluster.

They replaced the cluster with a used one and Fitzgerald said he got the car back… with an unwelcome surprise.

“When I got in the car the odometer read 272,000 kilometres. And I said ‘hey guys, this has to be rectified’.”

He said he figures the vehicle had 92,000 kilometres when he brought it in for repairs.

The mechanics at the shop replaced the used cluster with a brand new one, but the odometer reading did not change.

“When I picked up the vehicle they shrugged their shoulders and said ‘there is nothing they can do because the (car’s) main computer says it has those kilometres’,” Fitzgerald said.

A third instrument cluster replacement failed to restore the original odometer reading.

Land Rover Canada told CTV News Toronto that when the instrument cluster was replaced the first time, with the used part, the vehicle’s onboard computers copied “their stored mileage to the second-hand part.”

“Our diagnostic equipment does not have the function to reduce the mileage,” a company spokesperson said.

So far, the only fix that would restore the old odometer reading would be to replace three computer modules in the vehicle, at a cost of more than $6,000.

“A car that should have 92,000 kilometres has 270,000, so when I do sell it, it’s like huge money I’m losing, like $10,000.”

A search of 2009 Range Rover Sports for sale in Ontario on Autotrader.ca on Tuesday afternoon showed 10 results, with prices ranging from $16,000 to $24,000, with mileage varying between 94,000 and 170,000 kilometres.

Each vehicle listed differed slightly in optional equipment.

Reflecting on his initial response to his car’s trouble, Fitzgerald said he never should have allowed a used part to be installed in his vehicle.

He told CTV News Toronto he has not agreed to the $6,000 fix suggested by Land Rover and is looking for a cheaper alternative.

With files from CTV News Toronto's Pat Foran