Clocking: still present in the used car trade?

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Thu 13 Oct 2016 11:46
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - mikem004

Currently looking for a second hand runabout for about £2k.

At this price level, you get to visit some back street car dealers, reminiscent of Arthur Daley. Or people who claim to be private sellers, but who are in fact trading cars from outside their house.

I just wondered if "clocking" was still an issue nowadays. Electronic tachos and ECUs will make it more difficult, I suppose. And the MOT printout now lists the mileage, I think.

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Thu 13 Oct 2016 12:52
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - madf

Electronic tachos make it easier. No scratches on dials as a give away..

Goes on? Yes.

Check old MOT mileages online.

Edited by madf on 13/10/2016 at 12:53

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Thu 13 Oct 2016 12:59
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - SLO76
Still fairly commonplace I'm afraid though the Mot mileage recoding helps and it's nowhere near as rife as it once was. It's easy to have a digital mileages altered, you'll find loads of dodgy guys offering the service online. Friend went to see an M3 BMW recently that had clearly been clocked. He checked the Mot history which showed a large discrepancy and called the dealer who'd apparently maintained it. They had no record of the car, the service history had been faked.

Even at this price range you should only buy a car with a full stamped up service record and check the Mot history to corroborate the mileage. Walk away from anything without proof of regular maintenance. Any doubts and call the garage that's been maintaining it to see if they really have seen it.

Personally at this price point I prefer to buy privately. Any warranty offered on a car at this price will be next to worthless anyway and you get to meet the owner and avoid the usual half truths and downright lies from dodgy dealers. Plus you'll get far more for your money in general and with no profit motive the private punter is more inclined to do a deal.

There are some honest ones around but you want to avoid any who've bought the car in via auction. If the dealer has new/newer stock and has taken it as a part ex it may be fine and you do have some legal protections that you don't have in a private sale.
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Thu 13 Oct 2016 14:19
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - Gibbo_Wirral
It's easy to have a digital mileages altered, you'll find loads of dodgy guys offering the service online.

They're not necessarily "dodgy". if you need a replacement BSI in a Peugeot for example, and you get a new one with zero miles, or an older one with higher mileage, its a bonus to be able to correct it to the proper mileage.

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Fri 14 Oct 2016 09:38
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - SLO76
It's easy to have a digital mileages altered, you'll find loads of dodgy guys offering the service online.

They're not necessarily "dodgy". if you need a replacement BSI in a Peugeot for example, and you get a new one with zero miles, or an older one with higher mileage, its a bonus to be able to correct it to the proper mileage.

There's a very limited market for this service though, certainly not enough to keep the army of people who offer it throughout the country. You'll find the vast bulk of the work they do will be no questions asked mileage alterations.

Edited by SLO76 on 14/10/2016 at 09:39

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Thu 13 Oct 2016 14:44
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - mikem004

>Personally at this price point I prefer to buy privately.<

Yes. I have mostly bought from private sellers before.

But there don't seem to be as many people selling privately nowadays. Supermarkets used to have bulletin boards full of private ads, and the local paper always had plenty. Maybe everyone uses webuyanycar.com, or trades it in for a shiny new car.

And the motors I am interested in, such as older Yaris, get snapped up as soon as they appear on Autotrader.

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Thu 13 Oct 2016 17:09
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - SLO76

>Personally at this price point I prefer to buy privately.<

Yes. I have mostly bought from private sellers before.

But there don't seem to be as many people selling privately nowadays. Supermarkets used to have bulletin boards full of private ads, and the local paper always had plenty. Maybe everyone uses webuyanycar.com, or trades it in for a shiny new car.

And the motors I am interested in, such as older Yaris, get snapped up as soon as they appear on Autotrader.

Plenty of private sale metal on Gumtree but yes fewer people bother these days. They've easier options via car buying firms and the flood of crank calls and scam emails you get from listing a car for sale these days doesn't half put you off.
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Thu 13 Oct 2016 16:31
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - NARU
I just wondered if "clocking" was still an issue nowadays....

I get the impression that there's still quite a bit of clocking on cars up to three years old. People take them on lease or PCP with quite low mileage limits, then wind the clocks back before they go back to avoid excess charges.

Made easier with cars which only need a service every couple of years.

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Fri 14 Oct 2016 10:30
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - S40 Man

I sold my old Volvo s40 in 2012 with 176,000 miles on it. I was quite surprised to see it on autotrader a few months later with only 100,000 miles on it. So yes it does go on. Presumably with 176k no one was interested, or it would have to be a giveaway price. Probably added 1/3 to the asking price.

Mot check would have shown true mileage?

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Fri 14 Oct 2016 16:30
Clocking: still present in the used car trade? - pd

It still happens, but is not very common. Whilst it is easy to clock a car, it is also very easy to check up on a car's history and spot one.

As the poster above says, the vast majoroty of clocking now goes on by private owners (not dealers) with cars on limited mileage leases before the first MOT.

I've never found the myth that private sellers are more honest or more genuine sellers than dealers really plays out in reality either. You have to just try and judge the car.

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