Clocked VW Golf

dufferlover

Folks, almost bought a car at the weekend, loved the look of it, was in budget, was what we needed. Decided to run a check on it before committing and discovered it had been clocked.

I'm not sure if I'm allowed post the link to the ad here so for now I won't. Said it to the garage in question and they denied any knowledge of it, saying that whoever they bought it off must have clocked it.

Can PM link to people looking to buy a Golf just so they are aware of it.

Kenny Logins

Definitely, without a doubt? There is often km/mile confusion on suspected clocked cars..

dufferlover

The difference in the odemeter reading and what the check showed up was approx 40,000 miles, so I'd be fairly certain. Surely there couldn't be that much confusion?

galwaytt

dufferlover wrote: »

The difference in the odemeter reading and what the check showed up was approx 40,000 miles, so I'd be fairly certain. Surely there couldn't be that much confusion?

Well, lets say the ad read as 100k MILES, but they meant 100k KMS - that's 40k of a difference right there.

Just be sure, that's all I'm saying.

dufferlover

Totally know what you're saying. The ad said 55,000 miles for a start. When I got there the odometer said 65,000 approx. It wasn't in km because it was imported from the UK. The history check showed up that there was 104,000 miles on it.

slavetothegrind

would it be standard practice for a sales garage not to check on car history before selling on a car they bought in?

If i trade in my car for a new one do they just believe everything i tell them?

dufferlover

slavetothegrind wrote: »

would it be standard practice for a sales garage not to check on car history before selling on a car they bought in?

If i trade in my car for a new one do they just believe everything i tell them?

I doubt it but open to correction. We have since bought another car, picking it up tonight and trading mine in. I know the garage ran a check on my car. The salesman left his computer on front of me and left his desk unattended and he had the full history of my car in front of him.
I suppose each garage is different though. It would be foolish, surely, of a garage not to check when I perspective buyer can check it these days for so little?

miller50841

A proper garage would do all these checks but sometimes even the good ones can get caught out.

As in some cases the car could have been a rental/lease where the mileage could have been tampered with and may never show up on any checks.

Well done op for doing your checks that would defo be a lemon of a car to stay away from.

They probably found it out themselves and are selling at lower price to cut there loses.

slavetothegrind

that's my point! i would not believe the salesman or garage were unaware the car was clocked.

Check with a mod and if possible post the details of the car if still for sale

advertsfox

dufferlover wrote: »

Totally know what you're saying. The ad said 55,000 miles for a start. When I got there the odometer said 65,000 approx. It wasn't in km because it was imported from the UK. The history check showed up that there was 104,000 miles on it.

Hmmm, well it might be coincidence that 104,000 kilometres is equal to 64,622 miles - it's possible the sales garage updated it online themselves and assumed the Golfs odometer was in kilometres and not miles and did the conversion themselves before updating it online. I would check with the garage to be sure. Just saying...

dufferlover

advertsfox wrote: »

Hmmm, well it might be coincidence that 104,000 kilometres is equal to 64,622 miles - it's possible the sales garage updated it online themselves and assumed the Golfs odometer was in kilometres and not miles and did the conversion themselves before updating it online. I would check with the garage to be sure. Just saying...

We cut our losses and walked away so no real skin off our noses. I just wanted to make others aware of it in case they were interested in the car.
When we said it to the garage they didn't deny or argue the discrepency. They simply claimed that whoever they bought the car from must be responsible for the clocking. Thereafter we walked out the gate.

advertsfox

dufferlover wrote: »

We cut our losses and walked away so no real skin off our noses. I just wanted to make others aware of it in case they were interested in the car.
When we said it to the garage they didn't deny or argue the discrepency. They simply claimed that whoever they bought the car from must be responsible for the clocking. Thereafter we walked out the gate.

Good head on your shoulders sir!

dufferlover

advertsfox wrote: »

Good head on your shoulders sir!

Madam!

advertsfox

dufferlover wrote: »

Madam!

My bad, lots of chaps are fans of the duffer but not lovers I guess :P Good luck finding a new car!

Mar4ix

there been situation, when online check system had mistake, there was thread about this, couple months ish ago. somebody was selling his own car, and online checking system had wrong mileage.

To make sure what mileage on car, connect up with diagnostic cable (vag-com) and do diagnostics, itll show real mileage. It is possible change data on clocks, but in ECU , it is hard to do this.

Never say bad, until its proved.

dufferlover

Mar4ix wrote: »

there been situation, when online check system had mistake, there was thread about this, couple months ish ago. somebody was selling his own car, and online checking system had wrong mileage.

To make sure what mileage on car, connect up with diagnostic cable (vag-com) and do diagnostics, itll show real mileage. It is possible change data on clocks, but in ECU , it is hard to do this.

Never say bad, until its proved.

That's why I didn't want to 'name and shame' the dealer. He said he had no idea about it and all I can do is take him at face value. I just wasn't willing to take the risk on the car thereafter. I presume others would be the same so hence the thread.

visual

I'm sure I read somewhere recently that 1 in 5 cars here have had their mileage tampered with.

homer90

Why they don't link odometer readings, with each NCT test the car goes through is beyond me.

alias no.9

advertsfox wrote: »

Hmmm, well it might be coincidence that 104,000 kilometres is equal to 64,622 miles - it's possible the sales garage updated it online themselves and assumed the Golfs odometer was in kilometres and not miles and did the conversion themselves before updating it online. I would check with the garage to be sure. Just saying...

Seeing a figure in km and mistaking it for miles and vice versa, sure, but for what you're saying to have happened, they would have had to read the odometer, multiply it up to km's and then mistakenly enter the km value as miles. I can see a garage dividing km's down to miles to make the number seem lower, but fail to see any motivation to go the other way. Not sure there's an innocent explanation here.

L-M

homer90 wrote: »

Why they don't link odometer readings, with each NCT test the car goes through is beyond me.

They do.

And from what I've heard recently they have access to the previous mileage reports but we won't nor anyone else :mad: