Clocking loophole closing

[The _Don]

Clocking loophole closing - PistonHeads

 

[jaymanek]

Doesnt say why he was actually jailed... The action of changing mileage isnt illegal, the action of deceiving a buyer is fraud, and thats the illegal part...

Fight against mileage fraud has come a long way though, digital MOT's are the biggest factor.
Unfortunately most mileage fraud goes on well before the first MOT is due.

 

[SavMan]

Doesnt say why he was actually jailed... The action of changing mileage isnt illegal, the action of deceiving a buyer is fraud, and thats the illegal part...

Fight against mileage fraud has come a long way though, digital MOT's are the biggest factor.
Unfortunately most mileage fraud goes on well before the first MOT is due.

A quote from the repected Swindon Advertiser

"This is the first time the provider of ‘mileage correction services’, rather than the seller of clocked vehicles, has been convicted under consumer law."

 

[renault12ts]

It says because he provided a clocking service.


"Colin Ogle, proprietor of Swindon Decodes, pleaded guilty to five charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs) 2008. It’s the first time a provider of mileage correction services, rather than a seller of clocked vehicles, has been jailed in relation to such a crime."

Good news if true.

 

[SavMan]

Unfortunately most mileage fraud goes on well before the first MOT is due.

Agreed they get a nearly new car/van then whack 40-50k on in a year, get it "corrected" to 8k and then sell it on and the new owner is none the wiser.

 

[jaymanek]

Its normally to comply with lease mileage limits from what I hear..

 

[Kingy68]

Its normally to comply with lease mileage limits from what I hear..

Same here. Many ex lease cars will be within their 8-10k per year lease allowance over their contract but actually cover far far more than that.

 

[markjay]

This makes sense, probably it's the Leasing companies that initiated this as they are out-of-pocket. Motorists protection isn't lobbied very hard in the UK...

 

[renault12ts]

If an MB is clocked...isn't the original mileage still available via STAR?

 

[markjay]

If an MB is clocked...isn't the original mileage still available via STAR?

I think that the issue is that the average buyer will not be able to tell... nor will his local servicing garage using non-MB commercial ODBII diagnostics kit... unless the buyer happens to go to an MB dealer - or MB specialist with STAR - for service.

(But it's a good question, and my post is not an answer, so would be interested to know as well)

 

[Deleted member 37751]

If an MB is clocked...isn't the original mileage still available via STAR?

Yes, in kilometres.

 

[Sp!ke]

I was told recently that it was most common for odometers to not match the ECU - so common in fact that dealers dont seem to take much notice. They simply dont have the time or energy to either follow it up or even mention it to the (new) owner of the car.

 

[jaymanek]

If an MB is clocked...isn't the original mileage still available via STAR?

No, the mileage is stored in various places in the car, not just the instrument cluster. You can check in the ignition, transmission and other places.

The professional will change the mileage in all of these places and then it is no longer traceable.

We check in all of the places when we check our cars out to ensure they havent been clocked, but its impossible to be 100% certain, hence why car dealers will always have a mileage disclaimer.

 

[Igurisu]

I'm not in the trade so don't know the finer details of how sophisticated the clocking is or can be. My question is (for those that know more than me), if the car has been clocked within its first 3 years, what is done about the service history? Is the car sold without history, although this can usually be traced or requested from a dealer. Or is the clocking done prior to services to maintain a genuine looking (false) record of the mileage?

 

[Kingy68]

is the clocking done prior to services to maintain a genuine looking (false) record of the mileage?

This ^^ as I understand it.
Alter mileage before first service (12 months). Have car serviced with lower mileage showing which is recorded by MB.
Do same in year two and year three.
No MOT complications until 3rd year, but car usually returned 2nd or 3rd year anyway.

Shame there isn't a write to/read only chip somewhere unhackable that can keep a true record of mileage to mean this kind of practice cannot go untraced. Mind you - 'unhackable' doesn't really exist. It's only ever a matter of time.

 

[janner]

Doesnt say why he was actually jailed...

Agreed, the devil will be in the detail. Mileage correction outfits will still operate within the law, just.
You see plenty of clocked ex lease cars at auction, as someone said, to keep within the lease terms. Some 30,000 mile cars look like ex mini cabs

Many high value sports car owners (Ferraris, Lambos etc) are also regular customers of mileage correction companies...

 

[Dieselman]

Agreed, the devil will be in the detail. Mileage correction outfits will still operate within the law, just.

Could they not be found guilty of aiding and abetting a criminal act under consumer law?

I suspect his was what the clocker in this case was found guilty of.

 

[jaymanek]

Id bet the larger outfits make you sign something to say that you are not partking in any fraud etc.

 

[Dieselman]

Id bet the larger outfits make you sign something to say that you are not partking in any fraud etc.

I think a decent Barrister would be able to get round that pretty easily.

Lets say a clocker does 10 cars a day. What reasonable reason could they give as to why.

 

[jaymanek]

well its mileage correction... so they replaced the cluster with a second hand part and now they need to put the mileage back to what it should be.