Used car buyers warned about rise in illegal act that could make their cars unsafe
PEOPLE looking to buy a used car have been warned about the rise in car clocking, which will increase a cars value by artificially lowering its mileage.
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Thousands of used cars across the UK could have inaccurate mileage.
This is due to a rise in car clocking, which is an illegal practice where the mileage of a car is artificially lowered to increase the vehicle’s overall value.
Car clocking was thought to mostly die out when odometers became digital, but it seems that thousands of cars across the UK could still be effected.
Since 2014 offences the amount of clocked cars on the roads in Britain have increased by 25 per cent.
Cap HPI has estimated that one in 16 cars in the UK has a mileage discrepancy.
While it could be being used a method to make some more cash it may also be being used by people who have finance deals.
PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) and PCH (Personal Contract Hire) users in the UK have increased significantly since 2014.
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Under the terms of these contracts, however, drivers are given a predetermined mileage bracket which they must adhere.
These mileage brackets can alter the monthly/annual cost of your deal and whats more exceeding these preset brackets can also see you fork out more money to cover it.
Motorists that exceed their agreed mileage will be expected to pay an amount of money over mile per mile over the agreed bracket.
For example if it is 10p per mile over and you driver an extra 2,000 miles than your agreed mileage you could pay an extra £200 fee.
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This may not sound like much but if you switched for work and ended up doubling your annual mileage, without agreeing it with the contract provider, you could pay hefty fees.
Cap HPI claims that companies will artificially clock a car’s mileage for as little as £100.
Clocking car mileage can be problematic for the next car owner, however, and make them unsafe to use on the roads.
It can skew you perception of the lifetime of certain car parts and when a vehicle needs to be fixed.
Brakes, tyres, major components and even electrical elements can wear out at a much quicker speed than you’d expect.
Ultimately, while potentially being dangerous, they can also be expensive to repair.
Drivers can dodge potentially buying these cars by purchasing them for reputable dealers.
Similarly a good rule of thumb is if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
If the average price for a second hand BMW 3 Series is 15 grand and you see one for seven which has low mileage, then you should be sceptical.
