illegal clocking

[avenger]

having just bought my car with a genuine 88k on the clock, with good history to back this up, i found my car advertised by the same seller in march this year with 89k!!! so six months of use and its lost mileage, trying to work the mileage backwards (old mot and prev seller adverts) i would guess that the mileage should read in the region of 96k, add to that the insrument panel mounts have all been broken off and refitted with repair washers!!

the mileage isnt an issue for these cars so why bother?!?!?

just one question then, what would you do, i paid a premium for a lower mileage car with history. put it down to experience or take legal action

i feel duped and ultimately dissapointed with the seller

 

[nick9one1]

My guess is it was done due to limited milage insurance.

 

[simdel1]

That's a tricky one. With no 'official' documentation proving that the mileage is incorrect, I'm not sure how strong your case would be.

the mileage isnt an issue for these cars so why bother?!?!?

Unfortunately you answered your own question there. You paid a premium for the low mileage. Where there's money to be made, there are crooks.

 

[davidcross]

I dunno how u would prove it's been clocked with an analogue clock as there is no ECU to store info?? Cars over 15yrs old I think are to be bought on
Condition personally. As already stated without factual proof you're wasting your time unless the original advert showed a picture of the dash ( assuming u can get to see the original add)

 

[ukmastiff]

On another line , I dont know your car or that dealer/seller but I do not believe anyone would 'clock' a car by only 10,000 miles. It adds exactly zero to the real value. If it was 140,000 to 90,000 I could well believe it but I suspect there is another explanation for this TBH.

I hope you have a nice car anyway.

 

[Fat Albert]

Considering my car drove better at 194k miles than another at 94k when I bought it says to me that at this age mileage is irrelevant
My car drives even better now at 219k miles

 

[cococola]

I would suspect that it was adjusted for insurance agreed mileage as there is no other gain.It may be worth speaking/writing to the previous owner for an explaination or even a slight refund depending how you feel about it.
I personally wouldnt be too bothered as it isnt a massive mileage adjustment although it isnt right to clock adjust mileages.

 

[davidcross]

Is there an ECU type mechanism on older cars with analogue dash's that stores mileage to compare the clock against??

 

[tref]

Somewhere I read that 944s were one of the most clocked cars on the market... I can't remember where I read it, how the information was obtained, but it registered in my head, the same as Porsches are supposedly the most vandalised, with the most frequent damage occuring to the mirrors!

I fell fowl of a car which had supposedly done 120k miles, actually more like, 220k miles... unless it is 100k miles out, they hide it well. Combined with teh fact that cars which haven't had service items, like brake pads, changed regularly are a pain to work on because they are low mileage, I agree with others, forget the mileage on these cars and judge them on condition.

 

[davidcross]

A car that's been looked after and had money spent on it at 200k can easily drive better than a car that's got 87k but has been neglected. Anyway, is there a way of the mileage being stored on an analogue clock car??

 

[Gordon Attar]

In the first instance you should go back to the seller, if its a dealer then threaten him with trading standards as well.

Presumably you have annual MOTS and a service book that support the low mileage!?

If yes then I would presume the owner doctored the mileage every year of ownership to keep its value or to suit his limited mileage policy!? So what is its true mileage.

If you are happy with the car then try and agree a reduction in price or if the experience has spoiled the car then a refund.

 

[pauly]

ORIGINAL: davidcross

A car that's been looked after and had money spent on it at 200k can easily drive better than a car that's got 87k but has been neglected.

Spend enough money on a car with 500k on it and it will drive better than a neglected 87k car, see what I did there ?, stated the obvious.

 

[avenger]

i do have a copy of the original ad in march where he states current mileage 89720 typed in big red letters , then same seller states to me 'genuine 88k with documented history' on an email in early October

dont get me wrong i am more than happy with the car, loads of minor niggles to sort but thats what i love doing!! just feel that a private seller can blatently adjust the mileage and ask top money, morally incorrect but whats stopping him doing this time and time again?

i will email him and ask for an explaination, but i feel that wont go anywhere

i sold an older rover a few years back, bought with a blown engine. i replaced the engine with a used one and was forced by trading standards (or face legal action) to give a full refund because i hadnt declared the new engine to the buyer (i had declared it to the dvla) even though it was a lower mileage unit than the one removed!! i lost hundreds !! (i am not a trader by any means but do work in a dealership and this went against me?!?!)

so whats different, if you replace speedos (most likely excuse!!) should any prospective buyer be informed.

i am just enraged by it all, having spoke to the guy he seemed really genuine, and a teacher to boot, i feel HE should be taught a lesson!!

 

[Copperman05]

Could it be that the original mileage quoted is incorrect? A typo? TBO without speaking to the dealer/seller first anything else is just assumption and speculation.

I hope there turns out to be a reasonable explanation for you.

Edd

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: tref

Somewhere I read that 944s were one of the most clocked cars on the market... I can't remember where I read it

Tref I have a copy of that article at home somewhere in an old late old 90's car magazine, I'll see if I can dig it out. IIRC 944's came out 3rd in a list of most clocked car.

We always advise people to ignore mileometers on our cars because a) they are so easy to clock and b) back in the 90's you could wind back 100k and easily gain £10k in value. Our cars are very well built and can hide very high mileage very easily. Unless you have EVERY single MOT and EVERY single service invoice you have to take the mileometer figure with a huge pinch of salt.

 

[surrey 944T]

Its probably a mistake in the advert I've done that before listing a car as having a few thousand miles more or less than it turned out to be.

 

[pauly]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

Unless you have EVERY single MOT and EVERY single service invoice you have to take the mileometer figure with a huge pinch of salt.

I wouldn't take that as gospel either, people puting 20k pa on the car could knock most of that off every year before the MOT and service, I usually check condition of seats, steering wheel. gear knob, pedals, switchgear etc then scan the history for gaps or premature repairs, I'm not claiming I can spot every one but even the high mileage cars could have had a 50k haircut at some stage.

 

[davidcross]

ORIGINAL: pauly

ORIGINAL: davidcross

A car that's been looked after and had money spent on it at 200k can easily drive better than a car that's got 87k but has been neglected.

Spend enough money on a car with 500k on it and it will drive better than a neglected 87k car, see what I did there ?, stated the obvious.

You seem to have missed the point...............

 

[davidcross]

Actually you missed the point when it was first made by Fat Albert as well. No hope!!!!

 

[Neil Haughey]

I agree with previous posters. I bought mine back in feb 2000. At the time the price I paid of £8K was low for an S2 and was a reflection of the fact it had already done 100k miles. As others allude to back then a minty car with say 20 or 30k on the clock was worth a hell of a lot more money. I find it hard to believe that it is worthwhile someone at this age of the car bothering to wind back 10k miles from 90 something to 80 something. Sounds more like a genuine mistake to me.

BTW a few years back I spotted a genuine 30k miler S2 at an OPC having its annual service. The car literally looked like a museum piece, it was absolutely spotless.