HPI’s tips on spotting clocked vehicles

Clocking remains a very real threat to used car buyers, with unscrupulous sellers seeing the clocking of a vehicle as an easy way to raise its price and make some extra cash. HPI is warning consumers to remain aware of this potential pitfall when buying a used vehicle as they could end up paying hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds more than they should for it.

HPI’S TIPS ON SPOTTING A POTENTIALLY CLOCKED VEHICLE

• Check the service history – Check the mileages displayedin the service history and look for service stamps from a genuine dealer.  Ideally the service invoices will accompany the service history.
• Speak to the previous keeper – Get in contact with the previous keeper (details can be found on the logbook). They can identify the mileage of the vehicle when they sold it.  Make sure this adds up with the current mileage.
• Trust your judgement – Check who the car was last registered to on the V5.  Was it registered as a company car but has done less than 12,000 miles per year?  Or is it 15 years old with only 20,000 on the clock? Look for any evidence that indicates clocking.
• Check the mileage – It has been known for clockers to wind back the mileage when you first view the vehicle and then return it to its original value once the transaction is complete.  Make sure you check the mileage is the same when you pick up the vehicle.
• Look for signs of wear and tear – Does the wear and tear on the vehicle match its mileage?  Be careful to look out for signs such as worn seats, steering wheels and other vehicle parts.  Also look out for brand new easily replaceable parts, these could indicate replacement that does not correspond with the vehicles displayed mileage.
• Conduct an HPI Check – Let us check our mileage database of 135 million mileages against the displayed vehicle mileage.

Nicola Johnson, Consumer Services Manager for HPI, says, “Our analysis shows that clockers are avoiding the high end vehicles and concentrating on the every day vehicles.   The relative ease of clocking these vehicles combined with sheer volume being sold represents the quickest buck for them and the biggest risk to the consumer. 

“Worryingly clocked vehicles may also represent a safety concern. Vehicles with incorrect mileages may have also missed important services and part replacement dates, making them unreliable and potentially un-roadworthy.  This means motorists must do all they can to protect themselves from this type of fraud to avoid paying over the odds for a clocked vehicle and landing them with a potentially dangerous vehicle.”

Author: Richard Lawton, February 24th, 2010
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