One of the main things to look at with used vehicles is the mileage. The higher it gets, the more influence it can have on the value. Ideally most people want to find vehicles with fewer miles on the clock. Sadly some sellers attempt to alter the mileage to deceive buyers. This is known as clocking. We want to look at it today to give some advice about signs to look for. Then, if you want to learn more about car brokers and why it can be a fantastic business opportunity, you can browse our website.
What is it?
Clocking is the practice of physically altering the odometer to display a lower mileage. In the past shady garages would access it and manually wind it back. While most people think it is harder to do it today because of digital odometers, it is actually easier. It doesn’t even require any specialist equipment.
Sadly the estimate is there are actually millions of vehicles on the road in the UK that don’t have an accurate reading on the odometer. That can present issues for used car buyers.
Is it illegal?
The funniest thing about car clocking is the legality. It is not actually illegal to do it. In fact, some legitimate businesses offer services to do it, referring to them as “odometer correction”. It may be necessary to do this in situations where the calibration is wrong and the odometers are not accurately tracking the mileage.
However, it does become illegal to clock a car and then sell it. So, if the clocking was to reduce the mileage to increase the value or avoid financial penalties for exceeding allowances, it is against the law. There can be prosecutions here.
How to spot a clocked vehicle?
Anyone that buys used cars or helps arrange it, including car brokers, should know how to spot a vehicle that could be the subject of clocking. There are some crucial things to look at.
Firstly, check the age. On average people drive 10,000 miles every year. So, you can look at the age of the car and the miles on the clock to see if there is a massive discrepancy. It may be that the vehicle didn’t get much use, such as during covid. Always ask for any reasons if the mileage does seem excessively low.
Secondly, you can look for different signs of wear and tear. Are there lots of chips and scratches on the bonnet, front bumper, and grille? If so it could be a sign that the vehicle has done a lot of motorway driving. If the mileage appears too low for this, it could be fraudulent. When the pedals or steering wheel are worn, you can tell there has been a lot of driving. Worn seats and seatbelts are a good indication too.
Finally, check for things that are virtually new in older vehicles. While wear on pedals etc shows there has been lots of driving, if they look brand new they may have been replaced recently to hide the true mileage.
Always check
The most important thing you can do is check to confirm the mileage. Look back at the MOT and service history; they should include mileages at the time when each was done. If you need to, contact the garage that did the tests to confirm the records. You could even ask the previous keepers; they may not know the exact mileage they did, but they can say whether they used the car regularly or infrequently.
Learning more about car brokers
Many people go to a dealer to buy a used car or choose an online marketplace. However, most don’t think about how the vehicles actually got there in the first place. Some are from trade-ins. Others are from auctions. However, some can also be courtesy of brokers. They support clients, doing the work to search high and low for the quality vehicles they need. They can be a really important cog in the system.
There are many great advantages if you want to join the car brokers in the UK. For example, there are no barriers to entry and you don’t have to spend any money on vehicles. There are no geographical restrictions either. Plus, you can put in as much time as you like.
If all of that sounds good and you want to learn more or get involved, browse our website and view our products. You can also contact us if you have any questions.
