To make sure a car isn't clocked?

Lester Freamon

Lads,

I'm looking around at 2nd hand Passat's tdi and it is generally a car with high milage.

I have being warned to be careful that some of them out there are clocked. What advice would you have in researching the validity of what the claimed milage actually is?

Thanks in advance

Eoin

Check the service history and see if you can verify the mileage with the garages that previously serviced it. A friend of mine bought a SAAB from a place in Rathmines, but after a few calls to previous garages and owners (was an ex company car) he found out that it had been clocked. He got his money and old car back though.

Some people say to check for wear on the pedals and gear stick etc, but unless it's a 100K miler being passed off as a 10K miler, I don't think this is a good indication one way or the other.

alias no.9

A stamped up service history backed up with receipts for the services, ring the garages to confirm they did the services and the mileage. Old NCT certs will also have the mileage recorded. If the car was a company car and the driver had a fuel card, there may also be a record of mileage from each thie they bought fuel. Other than that a thorough inspection of the car for the usual tell tale signs of wear.

neacy69

Lester Freamon wrote: »

Lads,

I'm looking around at 2nd hand Passat's tdi and it is generally a car with high milage.

I have being warned to be careful that some of them out there are clocked. What advice would you have in researching the validity of what the claimed milage actually is?

Thanks in advance

Is it an Irish car...If so I think the only way to check the mileage is based on the Service history book and a bit of common sense such as check for excessive wear and tear on the steering wheel, gear stick and general interior. Also the NCT certs should a record of mileage (?)

www.cartell.ie can give you some info on it also.

If its a UK car or was in the UK previously the you can do a HPI-check on it.
www.hpicheck.com

Pat Mustard

You could also take one look under the bonnet. A car's timing belt should get changed approx every 60,000 miles (I am not a mechanic, so that figure is approximate). Therefore, if you are buying a car that has 80,000 miles on the clock, you might see a little marking painted onto the casing for the timing belt by the servicing mechanic, (excuse ignorance of proper jargon) saying 60k, meaning that the car's timing belt got changed at 60,000 miles on the clock.

However, if the timing belt has been changed more than once, then you might see other, faded, painted markings on that casing as well. It shouldn't necessarily matter that you can't read those markings. Depending on the number of those markings, they might indicate to you that the timing belt had been changed twice or three times, and that the car might have 200,000 miles on the clock rather than the 80,000 miles that you were told.

And of course, you might be better off getting a mechanic to check out the car altogether.

Gone Drinking

Watch out for the tell tale signs..

Lester Freamon

alias no.9 wrote: »

A stamped up service history backed up with receipts for the services, ring the garages to confirm they did the services and the mileage. Old NCT certs will also have the mileage recorded. If the car was a company car and the driver had a fuel card, there may also be a record of mileage from each thie they bought fuel. Other than that a thorough inspection of the car for the usual tell tale signs of wear.

Great thanks,

Is it normal for garages to keep record of the milage of cars they may have serviced 2 -4 years ago?

alias no.9

Lester Freamon wrote: »

Great thanks,

Is it normal for garages to keep record of the milage of cars they may have serviced 2 -4 years ago?

Main dealer invoices are computer generated and most of them would be able to reprint any old invoices. Most will oblige if you ask about a service they completed on a particular date.

mickdw

Lester Freamon wrote: »

Great thanks,

Is it normal for garages to keep record of the milage of cars they may have serviced 2 -4 years ago?

Main dealers will have mileage records.

kluivert

Dont buy a car without a full service history.

Ring the garage that serviced it and ask them to confirm last recorded mileage and DATE.

Check the NCT Cert.

Check the steering wheel, gear knob, seats and pedals to give you an indication of the age of the car.

Dont buy a low mileage car with more than one owner.

Buy an ex-company car or ex-lease, will have been serviced as per service manual, as cost is incurred by lease company and not the driver.

Dont buy an ex-rental, well there is pro's and con's to this.

mumblin deaf ro

My bro-in-law works at a garage and he is able to check the mileage on cars through some sort of common Simi database - not sure how it works if the car has never been through a Simi garage though.