When it comes to second hand cars, the practice of car clocking has not been relegated to the scrapheap.
It occurs when a seller alters the odometer to decrease the number of miles shown, with the aim of making the car look more valuable, thus driving up the price.
This illegal process misrepresents the value of the vehicle, and often disguises a high mileage which would be a red flag for many buyers.
However, there are some ways you can spot a clocked motor and prevent yourself from being stung. AA Cars’ CEO James Fairclough has offered his advice on the risks of buying a clocked car, and how you can avoid them.
A car’s components only last so long, and they come under a lot more strain the more miles the vehicle has done. Two cars of the same age can be in a very different condition with an extra 50,000 miles on the road, which is why checking the mileage is so important.
Risks
Buying a clocked car could increase the risk of an accident on the road because its parts could be more worn or damaged than you had anticipated. Over time, you may also end up spending more than you had bargained for on repairs because well-used cars can be more susceptible to problems.
Get a full history
When buying a used car, it is important to first check it has its full service history as these documents provide a crucial clue to a car’s true mileage.
By assessing the MOT documents and service book, you will be able to see if there are any gaps in its servicing, and also see what mileage has been recorded at each service interval.
Ideally, when you look at MOT certificates you would expect the mileage to go up at a steady rate year on year. If a car has previously been doing 15,000 miles one year, and then 1,000 the next, this raises questions about how it has been used. If you have any concerns, do not be afraid to call the garages that reportedly performed the services to verify any details.
If a car is more than three years old, you can check previous MOTs with the DVSA online, using the vehicle’s registration number. AA Cars also shows mileage records as part of our free history checks.
An incomplete service and MOT history should be a warning sign. Even though it does not necessarily mean a car has been clocked, it can suggest it has not been well maintained.
Looking at a car’s history check can also give you an indication of whether a car has been clocked. History checks, which are available to view for free on all vehicles advertised on AA Cars will show all recorded mileages, offering reassurance to the buyer. Car histories are a good starting point, though if a car has been clocked in a more complex manner then it may not always pick up on the discrepancies. Nonetheless, these histories will also alert you to other problems, for instance, if it has outstanding finance or has previously been written off.
You can also get a copy of the vehicle log book, which you could use to contact previous owners to ask what the mileage was when they sold the car.
Inspect the car
You should also take a close look at the car’s condition, inside and out. If it appears worn and not in the best condition, yet the mileage seems low, take extra precautions. Saggy or faded driver’s seats are suggestive of high mileage, along with worn pedals and excessively shiny steering wheels.
By taking a car for a test drive, you may be able to feel if the brakes or clutch do not feel as firm as you would expect. Listen out for noises which could point to the car being more frequently used than you might have been told. Even if the mileage has not been altered, these are signals that all might not be well with the vehicle.
Check the display
Sometimes it is also possible to check if the odometer has been tampered with by inspecting the car’s display in modern cars. Surprisingly, despite new digital equipment and odometers, nearly new cars are just as likely as older vehicles to fall foul of car clocking.
Recent models such as recent BMWs, will show a tamper dot on the LCD counter if there is a discrepancy. However, this is no test and certainly does not apply to every vehicle.
If you decide to view the car more than once, you should check the mileage display every time to ensure it has not changed. A seller could have turned the clock back to a lower reading for your first inspection, then wind it back to its correct figure once you have sealed the deal, and before you drive away in it.
Mileage alone does not prove a car’s condition
It is worth noting that a car with a lower mileage reading is not definitive proof that it is in better condition. In two cars of the same age, the one with the higher mileage could actually be in a better state if the driver has taken care to maintain it, compared to one which has been sitting in a driveway for weeks at a time, and where the parts have not been used frequently.
Therefore a vehicle inspection will ensure you see the full picture of the car you are buying. AA Cars’ vehicle inspectors, for example, carry out an intensive mechanical inspection that checks nearly 130 elements of the car to ensure there are no hidden faults which enable drivers to buy their car with confidence.
