Buying an Audi A4 from england - how to make sure mileage is genuine?

Tyson Lannister

Hi folks,
I am think of buying a 04 1.9tdi Audi A4 from England. There are a few of them on Autotrader Uk with 80k - 90k miles. They are for sale from dealerships with full service history.
Is a full service history enough to ensure the car is not clocked? Is there any way to make certain that the mileage is genuine?
Also, would this be a good car to stay going into high mileage?
Any help appreciated, thanks.

Atlantic Dawn

Do a HPI check and where possible call the dealers in question listed in the service history to confirm. Realistically finding an 11 year old diesel car with 90k genuine miles on it will be rare. I would say look at cars with more miles that also have verifiable history, if you can get one with a recent timing belt change that should be what you want to go for.

Tyson Lannister

This would be the kind of car I'm talking about with full service history

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201510197969663?postcode=sw1a1aa&make=audi&maximum-mileage=up_to_100000_miles&maximum-age=over_10_years_old&fuel-type=diesel&model=a4&sort=default&page=2&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&radius=1500&search-target=usedcars&logcode=p

mulbot

plenty of online sites can do the check for you,Cartell for example is a very good site,i've used them a few times

Cortina_MK_IV

The mileage on the A4 listed is 87,034 as per its MOT on 10/11/2015.

P.S. And the tax expired on 9th October.

KwackerJack

You'd find oil in your back Garden quicker than an 11 Year old Diesel Audi with that Mileage.

As said HPI check and call all know dealers that worked on the car. Not sure if you can contact the DVLA and trace the milegae through the MOT a but it would be a good idea.

TBH unless its a car that far exceeds the spec and is far below price here i wouldn't bother with all the risks and trouble

9935452

Tyson Lannister wrote: »

Hi folks,
I am think of buying a 04 1.9tdi Audi A4 from England. There are a few of them on Autotrader Uk with 80k - 90k miles. They are for sale from dealerships with full service history.
Is a full service history enough to ensure the car is not clocked? Is there any way to make certain that the mileage is genuine?
Also, would this be a good car to stay going into high mileage?
Any help appreciated, thanks.

Look at the dates on the service history. Are they consistent with a low mileage car. If the car was doing low mileage it probably got serviced every second year. But if the car has 80k miles done up to 4 years ago and nothing since. Id call that suspicious.
Ring the dealers and verify the mileages and dates work done.
Get a hpi check too.
Id agree with the other lads here. It would be a very rare car to have under 90k miles done.
Diesels are normally bought to do bigger mileages. .

Atlantic Dawn

Tyson Lannister wrote: »

This would be the kind of car I'm talking about with full service history

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201510197969663?postcode=sw1a1aa&make=audi&maximum-mileage=up_to_100000_miles&maximum-age=over_10_years_old&fuel-type=diesel&model=a4&sort=default&page=2&onesearchad=used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew&radius=1500&search-target=usedcars&logcode=p

Price works out at €4,600 and then the VRT and price of transport to get over and back, you would be looking at nearly €6k or beyond, is the not a crazy price to be paying?

Foxhole Norman

Throw in the reg here: https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/?_ga=1.122934147.965197413.1446637625

Gives you a breakdown of MOT's it's had, they record mileage.

Tyson Lannister

Thanks for the advice lads.
I see the mileage is only recorded on the MOT after 2011.
I know i should prob buy one here instead of England but they all seem to have huge mileage done. I was thinking if I could get one over for under 5 k with low mileage it might be a good move but not sure now

The Sidewards Man

She has been through the ring since 2011.

Mintoe

Tyson Lannister wrote: »

Hi folks,
I am think of buying a 04 1.9tdi Audi A4 from England. There are a few of them on Autotrader Uk with 80k - 90k miles. They are for sale from dealerships with full service history.
Is a full service history enough to ensure the car is not clocked? Is there any way to make certain that the mileage is genuine?
Also, would this be a good car to stay going into high mileage?
Any help appreciated, thanks.

Similar to other posts, verify all entries in service history but according to mot database mileage looks genuine. Given its 2nd owner has had the car til now since 2006 mileage appears to be genuine.

Is it worth the € given exchange rate & vrt, if it's genuine and you're happy to pay top €, it would be easy to sell on

KwackerJack

If the mileage had only been recorded since 2011 it's impossible to know the past history!

Simple checks for wear and tear will tell a lot but it's a risk like any second hand car.

Also I'd usually stay away if I know it was a past import! I did buy a past import but I was lucky enough to be able to trace the car right back to an Irish chap who moved home and brought it with him!

Usually if I see a car for sale and I know it's an import I'll skip by as will a lot of people I know, it's just to much if a risk if you don't know the history.

Mintoe

KwackerJack wrote: »

If the mileage had only been recorded since 2011 it's impossible to know the past history!

Simple checks for wear and tear will tell a lot but it's a risk like any second hand car.

Also I'd usually stay away if I know it was a past import! I did buy a past import but I was lucky enough to be able to trace the car right back to an Irish chap who moved home and brought it with him!

Usually if I see a car for sale and I know it's an import I'll skip by as will a lot of people I know, it's just to much if a risk if you don't know the history.

That free uk government mot web lookup has only recently been made available and in the near future it will show mot data from before 2011.

With regard to past imports, the vast vast majority of uk imports are spot on when they leave the uk, it's while in transit to Ireland or before they go up for sale that the mileage gets clipped.

Frankly publishing your opinion that suggest all U.K. Imports are not genuine hinders people from buying perfectly OK cars as well as making it unnecessarily more difficult for legitimate Irish dealers to sell good cars. In fact most Uk cars are better looked after by their owners than Irish cars are and portraying them as anything other is wrong. You're entitled to your opinion but don't put other people off uk imports without knowing anything about the specific car. I have a lot of motor trade experience and experience of vehicle history data in both Ireland and the U.K. So I know what I'm talking about. U.K. Imports are usually ruined (clocked) by unscrupulous people in Ireland.

If the person who posted the original query can get the V5C log book number from the uk seller I can check the FULL MOT HISTORY. Private message me the full v5c and I'll check it out for you, no problem.

La Fenetre

KwackerJack wrote: »

You'd find oil in your back Garden quicker than an 11 Year old Diesel Audi with that Mileage.

As said HPI check and call all know dealers that worked on the car. Not sure if you can contact the DVLA and trace the milegae through the MOT a but it would be a good idea.

TBH unless its a car that far exceeds the spec and is far below price here i wouldn't bother with all the risks and trouble

In Ireland, yes, but the UK has 12 times the population and cars to choose from compared to the availability in Ireland, and NCT history is not publicly checkable in Ireland.

La Fenetre

Mintoe wrote: »

That free uk government mot web lookup has only recently been made available and in the near future it will show mot data from before 2011.

With regard to past imports, the vast vast majority of uk imports are spot on when they leave the uk, it's while in transit to Ireland or before they go up for sale that the mileage gets clipped.

Frankly publishing your opinion that suggest all U.K. Imports are not genuine hinders people from buying perfectly OK cars as well as making it unnecessarily more difficult for legitimate Irish dealers to sell good cars. In fact most Uk cars are better looked after by their owners than Irish cars are and portraying them as anything other is wrong. You're entitled to your opinion but don't put other people off uk imports without knowing anything about the specific car. I have a lot of motor trade experience and experience of vehicle history data in both Ireland and the U.K. So I know what I'm talking about. U.K. Imports are usually ruined (clocked) by unscrupulous people in Ireland.

If the person who posted the original query can get the V5C log book number from the uk seller I can check the FULL MOT HISTORY. Private message me the full v5c and I'll check it out for you, no problem.

Not to mention the fact that a huge proportion of used Irish cars are grubby, rough, and badly serviced and / or no service history by comparison, and have spent their lives on inferior roads. With 12 times the population and choice of cars, the UK is an excellent place to source a well looked after car with your choice of required spec.

millington

Mintoe wrote: »

Similar to other posts, verify all entries in service history but according to mot database mileage looks genuine. Given its 2nd owner has had the car til now since 2006 mileage appears to be genuine.

Is it worth the € given exchange rate & vrt, if it's genuine and you're happy to pay top €, it would be easy to sell on

Not over here it wouldn't be easy to sell on. Similar A4s with 130k+ miles are €2500 or less. Who in their right mind would spend over 6k on one to save 50k miles :eek:

€6k should get a good '06 A4 here, in fact it should get an S line with reasonable milage!

Supergurrier

As said above.

HPI/motchecker combo aswell as going in eyes open looking ar receipts/service history.

Motchecker is great even if milage only goes back to 2011 as it tells you advisories aswell as failures. Same advisory afew times lets you know that owner had little mechanical sympathy etc

Best of luck