Used car alert - everything you need to know to avoid buying a cloc...

Clocked cars refer to use vehicles which have had their mileage artificially altered. Criminals usually clock cars to increase the value of them to be able to make bigger profits when they

are sold on. The practice not only costs the unsuspecting motorist more money than they should be paying out but it can also make them more dangerous. The reason for this is they can skew

when cars need to be fixed and repaired which could lead to an accident. A lot of people may assume that the process of clocking car mileage would've died out over time as cars become

more digital. However, even modern cars can have their mileage altered or falsified to modify their value. Between 2014 and 2016 clocking increased by 25 per cent across Britain, which cost

motorists an estimated £800 million. Research revealed in 2018 also stated that as many as one in 16 cars could have clocked car mileage. This means that there are potentially around 2.3

million clocked and potentially dangerous cars on the road. Lower mileage cars are more valuable and the process of clocking cars can increase the value of an average second-hand family car

by up to £4,000. The LGA, which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, is urging people to check a vehicle’s history thoroughly before buying it to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.

ADVICE ON HOW TO AVOID BUYING A CLOCKED CAR * Check with the DVLA for previous MOTs that show the car’s mileage. * Check the service history of the car to see if it tallies with the claimed

mileage for each year – check that it goes up steadily and that it doesn’t suddenly drop. * Check the steering wheel, driver’s seat and pedals for wear that is disproportionate to the

claimed mileage as a sign of a clocked car. * When collecting the car, check it shows the same mileage as when first viewed. It’s not unknown for the mileage to be reduced for a viewing,

then to go back up once the car is being collected. * Conduct a vehicle provenance check – A provenance check will confirm what the mileage of the vehicle should be according to legitimate

service and MOT records.