What to do if you see a car for sale from a dealer that you know has been clocked?

[andymax]

Submit your inspection report to the NMR to back up your findings regarding the discrepancy.

However , what will this achieve ? If the previous owner clocked it before trading it he will deny it , if the dealer clocked it in their ownership then they will also deny it.

FWIW , its not your vehicle so not your problem.

K

Clocking cars is a modern scourge. I wish it could be stamped out completely and it could probably be with a bit of will and determination by the authorities but there doesn't seem the appetite for it at the moment. In the meantime, it's down to us to try to make it difficult for the b*st*rds. Just saying it's someone else's problem isn't good enough IMO.

 

[KennyN]

Just saying it's someone else's problem isn't good enough IMO.

And you are perfectly entitled to your opinion and tampering with the mileage is 100% wrong , however there are far more pressing things going on in the world right now to be overly concerned about an 18 year old vehicle ,that you don't even own, and has had a bit of a "haircut" in the last year or so - IMHO.

Submit your inspection report , with the mileage , and a copy of the Autotrader Ad to the NMR + Autotrader and leave them to get on with it , then you can sleep easy safe in the knowledge you have done your bit as there is not really that much more you can actually do.

K

 

[Skd884]

And you are perfectly entitled to your opinion and tampering with the mileage is 100% wrong , however there are far more pressing things going on in the world right now to be overly concerned about an 18 year old vehicle ,that you don't even own, and has had a bit of a "haircut" in the last year or so - IMHO.

Submit your inspection report , with the mileage , and a copy of the Autotrader Ad to the NMR + Autotrader and leave them to get on with it , then you can sleep easy safe in the knowledge you have done your bit as there is not really that much more you can actually do.

Have you thought about contacting the dealer to let them know you have proof the vehicle has been clocked ?

Out of curiosity , what stopped you going ahead with the purchase last year ?

K

Try reading above slim.

 

[A.J.]

Don’t get involved is my advice

 

[KennyN]

Try reading above slim.

, edited.

 

[Williamwoo]

Might the original 43,000 have been kilometres? If it was (and I don't know whether you can switch between kms and miles on a W220), that might explain the discrepancy.
Otherwise, as others have said, it seems a strange one to clock.

 

[andymax]

Might the original 43,000 have been kilometres? If it was (and I don't know whether you can switch between kms and miles on a W220), that might explain the discrepancy.
Otherwise, as others have said, it seems a strange one to clock.

No mistake it was miles. It makes me angry just thinking about it because as others have said there was absolutely no need. So this car will now always have a question mark over it.

 

[ALFAitalia]

There wont be though....because most people will never notice it and there is little evidence to back it up.....so it will just carry on from the mileage it is now. Not saying I agree....but that's how it is.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Clocking cars is a modern scourge. I wish it could be stamped out completely and it could probably be with a bit of will and determination by the authorities but there doesn't seem the appetite for it at the moment. In the meantime, it's down to us to try to make it difficult for the b*st*rds. Just saying it's someone else's problem isn't good enough IMO.

It's not a modern scourge. It's a scourge.

It was FAR more common before the electronic odometer and the MoT mileage database.

Is there a multi-owner R107 500 SL with a genuine mileage on it anywhere? When I was trying to buy one at 15 years old, they'd all been clocked.

 

[andymax]

There wont be though....because most people will never notice it and there is little evidence to back it up.....so it will just carry on from the mileage it is now. Not saying I agree....but that's how it is.

Well it will now 'cause I sent the evidence to the National Mileage Register.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Understand the debate but...

Who is going to do anything about it ? Not anyone that I can see. It's not a Ferrari 250.

The National Mileage Register is only going to highlight it at an HPI check, because they are OWNED by HPI, and may not even do that, without MoT evidence.

And does it matter, especially on this kind of thing? This two decades old car needs to be bought on condition.

Mileage is "useful" but you can't read too much into it.

More important is how it's been used, cared for and stored, and whether the thing's been properly serviced, beyond "oil, filter and a rubber stamp."

.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Good....I assume you mean the National Mileage REGISTER.......as I've not heard of the other one.....

 

[andymax]

It's not a modern scourge. It's a scourge.

It was FAR more common before the electronic odometer and the MoT mileage database

It's just so easy now, done in a few seconds with the right electronics.
The difficult bit is figuring out what is going to be believable.

 

[andymax]

Good....I assume you mean the National Mileage REGISTER.......as I've not heard of the other one.....

yes - thanks

 

[ALFAitalia]

I can do it on my car with my diagnostic software.......easy as you like. But at 166,000 miles I clearly haven't!!!

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I can do it on my car with my diagnostic software.......easy as you like. But at 166,000 miles I clearly haven't!!!

MRDA


Wikipedia:Mandy Rice-Davies applies - Wikipedia

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

MRDA

Wikipedia:Mandy Rice-Davies applies - Wikipedia

Talking of which, HPI say that clocking is up by 45% compared to five years ago, but at ten quid a pop from each history check, they would say that, would't they?

Sorry, wrong number: the forgotten problem of car clocking | Autocar

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Autocar did a piece on "high mileage heroes" last week. And found clocking common on the Prius....

Found a few Prii with a quarter of a million on the clock that had been clocked down from a third of a million

Why now is the time to buy a proper high-mileage hero | Autocar

.

 

[andymax]

Understand the debate but...

Who is going to do anything about it ? Not anyone that I can see. It's not a Ferrari 250.

The National Mileage Register is only going to highlight it at an HPI check, because they are OWNED by HPI, and may not even do that, without MoT evidence.

And does it matter, especially on this kind of thing? This two decades old car needs to be bought on condition.

Mileage is "useful" but you can't read too much into it.

More important is how it's been used, cared for and stored, and whether the thing's been properly serviced, beyond "oil, filter and a rubber stamp."

.

Well I would say that it probably had a sheltered life before the last owner acquired it.
I know he was from one of the old eastern bloc countries and he was talking about driving back there for Christmas when I was chatting with him.
He was using the car daily for his commute and it was parked on one of the main roads in Ilford overnight during the time he owned it.
It had some damage from vandals while it was parked around the time I was looking but was not too bad - perhaps some paintwork and a broken electric wing mirror. My inspector had to have the car moved to a local park before he could start his inspection because it was parked on a main road and too dangerous to do anything.

 

[Teego]

In my opinion the advert mileage is genuine. The claimed MB dealer service history almost exactly matches the MoT records. The dealer history is easy to check.