{"id":19123,"date":"2018-07-06T16:59:24","date_gmt":"2018-07-06T15:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/?p=19123"},"modified":"2018-07-06T17:03:31","modified_gmt":"2018-07-06T16:03:31","slug":"avoid-buying-clocked-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wheelsforwomen.ie\/index.php\/avoid-buying-clocked-car\/","title":{"rendered":"How to avoid buying a clocked car"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It is estimated that clocking costs\u00a0 \u20ac9bn across the EU and around \u20ac60m in Ireland annually writes Geraldine Herbert<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What is car clocking and how easy is it to do it?<\/strong>
\n‘Clocking’ is a term used to describe the process of reducing a car\u2019s recorded mileage, helping it to appear more attractive to prospective buyers. With modern cars it can simply mean plugging in a laptop into the central computer under the bonnet. With older cars it was a much bigger job of taking apart the dashboard and physically winding back the odometer and as a result there was usually evidence of tampering.<\/p>\n

Figures from Motorcheck.ie<\/a> suggest that the rate of clocking in used cars to be as high as 20% despite the introduction of legislation in 2014 to criminalise the practice.<\/p>\n

Is there a law against clocking vehicles?<\/strong> Yes.\u00a0It is illegal to interfere, or engage another person to, interfere with an odometer under the Road Traffic Act, 2014,\u00a0 unlike in the UK where it is not an offence to alter the mileage on a car the criminal offence is when you sell that car on without saying what you have done.<\/p>\n

What is the impact of clocking?<\/strong>
\n1) Car clocking inflates a vehicle\u2019s value so consumers end up paying far more than the car is worth.
\n2) A clocked car can be in far worse mechanical condition than it can appear on the surface,\u00a0with major items such as the suspension, exhaust and clutch potentially all in need of replacement.
\n3) Those cars can be far more dangerous to drive, as well as more costly to run.<\/p>\n

What is the EU recommending<\/strong>
\nMembers of the European Parliament recently voted in favour of new legislation to combat mileage clocking in cars. One of the solutions they are proposing is similar to Belgium\u2019s \u201cCar-Pass\u201d which reduced car clocking fraud by 97%.<\/p>\n

How car pass works<\/strong>
\n1) Mileage fraud is considered a serious crime sanctioned with severe penalties (up to 1 year imprisonment).
\n2) Creation of a central database containing the odometer readings of all vehicles registered in Belgium
\n3) All professional car dealers and repair shops are required to transfer VIN number, mileage and date when repairing or maintaining a vehicle or replacing parts (ex. tyres, windscreens,\u2026)
\n4) The seller of a second hand vehicle is obliged by law to deliver a certificate showing the mileage history of the vehicle to the buyer. If they fail to do so the transaction is void.
\n5) Supported by all stakeholders: consumers, automotive sector and government.<\/p>\n

How to spot a clocked car\u200b?<\/strong>
\n1. Get a car history check<\/p>\n

2. Check the car\u2019s NCT certificates<\/p>\n

3. Look at the car\u2019s service history<\/p>\n

4. Inspect the car\u2019s condition<\/p>\n

5. Have a thorough test drive<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What comeback do you have if you buy from a dealer?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a consumer you are protected by the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980<\/a> so the car must be<\/p>\n