Blatantly clocked back cars on Autotrader

[V8RX7]

In the old days it was hard to spot.

Plenty of lease cars are clocked before they're serviced / handed back.

However if you are dim enough not to check the MOT history then frankly you shouldn't be buying a car.

[andymc]

where is it located?

[andymc]

google his number..

[andymc]

google his number..

[ChocolateFrog]

It's easier just to assume that anything 3 years old with average or below average miles has had a haircut.

One of the reasons I like my high miles, atleast they're likely to be honest examples.

[Pistonheader101]

still up. wow.

[mike9009]

Anyone tried contacting the seller?

Mike

[daemon]

ChocolateFrog said:

It's easier just to assume that anything 3 years old with average or below average miles has had a haircut.

One of the reasons I like my high miles, atleast they're likely to be honest examples.

Likely to be - but not guaranteed.

I'd a 110K+ miles car traded in once that turned out to have been clocked back from 230,000.

Its certainly not uncommon for a very high miles car to get a haircut back a bit to make it more palatable to resell.

[talksthetorque]

As the trader selling BL12FZF is anonymous this thread can't be deleted for naming and shaming.

Shocking practice clocking. Is it still classed as Fraud?

[daemon]

talksthetorque said:

As the trader selling BL12FZF is anonymous this thread can't be deleted for naming and shaming.

Shocking practice clocking. Is it still classed as Fraud?

Clocking isnt illegal. Misrepresenting the mileage is. Technically the seller may not know the car has been clocked - but if he doesnt its only because he hasnt performed the due diligence he needs to be doing as a trader.

[talksthetorque]

daemon said:

Clocking isnt illegal. Misrepresenting the mileage is. Technically the seller may not know the car has been clocked - but if he doesnt its only because he hasnt performed the due diligence he needs to be doing as a trader.

Thanks for the clarification. Is misrepresenting the mileage Fraud?

[daemon]

talksthetorque said:

daemon said:

Clocking isnt illegal. Misrepresenting the mileage is. Technically the seller may not know the car has been clocked - but if he doesnt its only because he hasnt performed the due diligence he needs to be doing as a trader.

Thanks for the clarification. Is misrepresenting the mileage Fraud?

Yes, but as i said he may not know hes misrepresenting it.

[TTmonkey]

Car I sold with 299,750 miles on the clock went through its next MOT with 110,000 on the clock.

[battered]

daemon said:

talksthetorque said:

daemon said:

Clocking isnt illegal. Misrepresenting the mileage is. Technically the seller may not know the car has been clocked - but if he doesnt its only because he hasnt performed the due diligence he needs to be doing as a trader.

Thanks for the clarification. Is misrepresenting the mileage Fraud?

Yes, but as i said he may not know hes misrepresenting it.

AFAIK it's still legal to say "xx000 recorded miles" even if you know that you have swapped out a speedo. I had this donkey's years ago on an '84 Alfa Spider that was showing 90-odd k when I looked at it in the yard. By the time they had prepped it and I had organised a test drive it was miraculously down to 70-odd. I asked about this and was told "oh yes, it had been fitted with the wrong speedo, this is the right mileage". They must have thought I was just off the bus. On driving it I discovered that the gearbox was so worn that it slipped out of third under light acceleration. This was the gearbox they claimed to have had rebuilt. Given that I've never known a gearbox to slip out of gear after only 90k (iirc this indicates heavy wear to the synchro hubs, no?) I reckoned that this probably wasn't the first haircut it had had.

[MJ85]

It is a disgusting practice.

I don't think it matters what car, it happens.

I sold a 207 GT HDI last year. It had four new decent tyres fitted, just before it sold. MoT one year later (last month) shows one front tyre is low on tread. Mileage between MoTs was just 3k. If you have a cheap way of clocking, just do it back to a small mileage before the next MoT... delightful.

[TwistingMyMelon]

I've seen loads of stuff clocked , I've seen people do it every 11 months or so , just before the mot and annual service

Seen the above to keep the miles down before its recorded anywhere , easier to do it consistantly annually rather than in one go

I've also seen people take out 8k a year (milage) leases and then rewind the milage every 10 months

I've also seen cars clocked , with the mot history showing a lower milage , dealers selling don't care , " it's a mistake bruv" or they just don't care if you check

Also seen dealers make milage mistakes in ads to encourage you to view it , or just a genuine mistake

Reminds me of all the blank service books you could buy and dealer stamps to stamp up your own service book

I don't condone or have done the above its all out there Though

[crostonian]

Not saying this is the case but does anyone know if the ebay ad is genuine? Possible scenario is the pics have been lifted and the description fabricated, the seller has very low feedback score. I doubt this is the case as an ebay scammer would probably put the mileage at a lot less but has anyone verified the ebay advert?

[daemon]

crostonian said:

Not saying this is the case but does anyone know if the ebay ad is genuine? Possible scenario is the pics have been lifted and the description fabricated, the seller has very low feedback score. I doubt this is the case as an ebay scammer would probably put the mileage at a lot less but has anyone verified the ebay advert?

I texted the seller last night around tea time to alert him to the fact he may wish to bottom out the cars history as there was an advert on ebay from April showing much higher miles (and linked him the ebay item number). I did it in a purely factual non judgemental way as he could be an innocent party in this.

He didnt / hasnt replied and the advert is still up.

[Alucidnation]

datum77 said:

Why, oh why, oh why, oh why do people even consider looking at vehicles advertised by a "trade seller" with JUST a mobile number to contact them by. Straight away alarm bells should ring that there is probably something very 'ooky about the seller.

Autotrader is a slippery little publication that is ONLY interested in the money that drives it. It's a pity that it can't be prosecuted for publishing ads that people report to it as not genuine.

Ebay isn't much better. I have complained by letter, email, and even rung it's head office in America - at least twice each. They still haven't responded AT ALL to my complaint.

Money drives everything.

Indeed, this is why I always buy new, or sometimes used from a full main dealer of the manufacturer.

Plus, I always use main dealers for servicing as when it comes to sell or more often than not, part ex , it always helps.

[blindswelledrat]

If buying a car, how do you find these things out for yourself?
Is there an MOT register you can check?