'Legal' car clocking to be outlawed?

'Legal' car clocking to be outlawed?

Car clocking is a method of 'rewinding' a vehicle's odometer. This practice is used by numbers of dishonest used car dealers to enable them to artificially inflate the prices of their vehicles for sale. Estimations by the Trading Standards are that there are as many as 50 'mileage correction firms' that operate in the UK, though there are very few reasonable reasons for changing the odometer reading on a car.

Vehicle information company HPI have stepped up to the mark, and have launched a petition online using the DirectGov website to attempt to outlaw the practice altogether. They aim to get 100,000 signatures on their e-petition, which should be enough to start a debate in parliament on the legality of the firms.

According to HPI, around 5% of cars they check have anomalies in their mileage due to clocking, and this number is up by around 10% over the last half-decade. Managing Director of HPI, Daniel Burgess, has commented: "Dealers are well aware that clocking itself isn't illegal but selling a clocked car without declaring its true mileage is. Some of these companies will be exploiting a legal loophole that could help unscrupulous sellers make a fast profit at the expense of dealers and consumers alike."

HPI Commercial Operations Director, Phil Peace, added: "A lower mileage can add hundreds or even thousands of pounds to the perceived value of a vehicle, so buyers have a lot to lose. Not only could they pay more than the vehicle is worth, but the car may need servicing and repairs sooner than the tampered mileage suggests... Our e-petition will give motorists and the motor industry a chance for their voice to be heard."

You can add your voice to HPI's petition on the government's website: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/40393

WMCW Admin

Reporting on news on topics such as used car industry prices, automobile recalls, site news and updates, opinion pieces about the used car market, and other appropriate automotive information.

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