Clocked Car alert

TedKelly

Thanks for all the comments and advice. I called into the garage this morning to see the manager. He wasn't there but the sales rep who sold me the car was. I showed him a copy of the cartell and hpi report and his immediate reaction was "I want to assure you we don't clock cars here". I told him that was irrelivant and at the end of the day they sold me a clocked car. I gave him a copy of the reports and he assures me the manager will be in touch on Monday.

Henry Ford III

Nice one Ted. Keep us up to speed on this on Monday please.

PeteK*

What is the best possible way to find out if your car has been clocked?

Seth Brundle

Check service history & NCT cert and also check with a dealer who can look up the last recorded mileage.
Check for excessive wear on items such as seats, pedals, etc.
Check for the alignment on old type odometers. Some manufacturers have a dot appear if the mileage between the ECU, the key and anywhere else doesn't match (e.g. newer BMWs).
Talk to the last owner.

OKenora

Don't like the idea of speculating what cars this dealer may or may not have clocked on his forecourt. We have to give the benefit of the doubt that the dealer was genuinely innocent of any deliberate deception.

What i do wonder about though is why that MINI is for sale in Ireland but has never been exported from the UK yet. It's still UK registered, still active on DVLA and is un-taxed. Not been taxed since 01/05/2006

mickjohnlong

OKenora wrote:

What i do wonder about though is why that MINI is for sale in Ireland but has never been exported from the UK yet. It's still UK registered, still active on DVLA and is un-taxed. Not been taxed since 01/05/2006

most dealers wont reg the car over here untill they have a buyer for it and reg it into the buyers name as for not being exported from the uk yet that would be down to the uk owner not doing the paper work properly

OKenora

most dealers wont reg the car over here untill they have a buyer for it and reg it into the buyers name as for not being exported from the uk yet that would be down to the uk owner not doing the paper work properly

I realise how it has happened, what I meant was how has a dealer let this happen. If he can't import/export a car correctly with a bit of care and attention then what hope has he got of keeping everything else in order, like checking clocked cars.

JHMEG

mickjohnlong wrote:

most dealers wont reg the car over here untill they have a buyer for it and reg it into the buyers name as for not being exported from the uk yet that would be down to the uk owner not doing the paper work properly

And the longer they leave it the less the VRT bill will be.

mickjohnlong

well the dealer would have nothing to do with the uk part of it and its standard pratice to leave it on the uk plate untill sold like the same thats done with the jap cars so it wont be down as been imported untill it regged here

hotshots85

look ive been watching this thread and the whole thing boils down to the fact that some poor guy has been stung by by said garage now i hope he gets full compensation for his troubles and the garage get their come uppence the garage wiil plead innocence but they are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this clocking biz i know of loads of other dealers that do it as one guy put it "if i advertise a car with 85k for the money i want for said car ill be lucky to get anyone to bite but take 40k off the clock its gone in two days "ex fleet cars never do less than 30k to 40k a year

Henry Ford III

Ignorance is no excuse for a dealer selling a UK imported car. It's very easy and cheap to get a guaranteed mileage verified.

Perhaps some dealers are as dodgy as the importers?

rebel.ranter

Well his website says he is in the Motor trade for 25 years so he should be savvy to any of the antics that go on with cars. Any motor dealer that will sell on a car with no history or knowledge of it's history should not be in business in my opinion.

smash

well it could boil down to maybe he bought a few trade cars from a garage that was closing down or maybe he got it at auction... someone said they saw that car in another dealership a few weeks ago.

Like when parkwest went into liquidation the cars were sold at the merlin car auctions. I've bought a few cars at auction and what you see is what you get.

TedKelly

Amazingly enough (In my opinion) I have yet to hear back from the garage. I was convinced that they would be in touch with me this morning but I have yet to hear a thing. What should my next step be???

mickjohnlong

it could also be that he bought the car off someone he always buys off and he trusts them he wouldnt check cos as far as he knows the person he buys off doesnt fiddle with the cars and he trusts the supplier

rebel.ranter

I know "what you see is what you get" holds true for auction houses but there is an onus on a motor trader to make sure what he is selling legit.

jayok

TedKelly wrote:

Amazingly enough (In my opinion) I have yet to hear back from the garage. I was convinced that they would be in touch with me this morning but I have yet to hear a thing. What should my next step be???

Solicitor, ODCA, push this, because no-one else will.

mickjohnlong

ring up and ask for the manager and tell him that you were expecting his call and you didnt get it and you are on the way to consumer affairs then to your legal advisior and see what he says

TedKelly

mickjohnlong wrote:

it could also be that he bought the car off someone he always buys off and he trusts them he wouldnt check cos as far as he knows the person he buys off doesnt fiddle with the cars and he trusts the supplier

That's no excuse, he has an obligation to stand over every vehicle that goes off the forecourt and that at least involves verifying the mileage on the car

mickjohnlong

i know its no excuse i am just saying if this was the only one that happened to him it could of easly slipped thru the net as he bought it off a supplier he trusted and i hope you get looked after and get sorted it and he should be report and let it be know public

Mr. Presentable

mickjohnlong wrote:

ring up and ask for the manager and tell him that you were expecting his call and you didnt get it and you are on the way to consumer affairs then to your legal advisior and see what he says

Don't agree with all of this. Keep your temper, and keep from making threats yet. But do call and ask for the manager and express your disappointment at not getting a call back.

mickjohnlong

nipplenuts wrote:

Don't agree with all of this. Keep your temper, and keep from making threats yet. But do call and ask for the manager and express your disappointment at not getting a call back.

well thats what he is going to do if the manager doesnt offer a full refund and i didnt mean it for him to lose his temper while on the phone

TedKelly

mickjohnlong wrote:

ring up and ask for the manager and tell him that you were expecting his call and you didnt get it and you are on the way to consumer affairs then to your legal advisior and see what he says

Ok just got off the phone to the garage. Manager is not in the office until tomorrow. Sales Rep who sold me the car said he rang me a couple of times this morning (No missed calls on my phone). Anyway he said the manager knows about it and will be in touch first thing in the morning

sharkman

Barry Cosgrave is the main man there .

Henry Ford III

Go the distance Ted, and stay cool. Be polite but firm.

Establish the facts, and then ask the boss what he proposes to do about it.
Tell him you've received legal advice, and his decision will dictate which direction you take from here.

Know in your own mind what you want, be it a 100% refund, compensation, or whatever.

Good luck.

flanzer

sharkman wrote:

Barry Cosgrave is the main man there .

Of Zoo fame?

sharkman

flanzer wrote:

Of Zoo fame?

Yeah , were you a fan ????:D

mickjohnlong

keep the pressure on him if he thinks he can mess you around he will be firm and polite if you dont get what you want go the legal way

digitally-yours

Ok just got off the phone to the garage. Manager is not in the office until tomorrow. Sales Rep who sold me the car said he rang me a couple of times this morning (No missed calls on my phone). Anyway he said the manager knows about it and will be in touch first thing in the morning

Wait till tomorrow if you think they are not taking it seriously and not resolving it I suggest raising the temperature.

Also give him the impression that you have Legal Aid at hand !

smash

phone and ask for Barry Cosgrave, when asked what your name is, say ted kelly from consumer affairs...