clocked

davisdavid

davisdavid

davisdavid

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Wiltshire
Need a little advice, I bought a BMW 1 Series last March (privately) and immediatley the car needed work because the rear sensors were rubbing against the axle causing the car think it was skidding which would remove power as a safety guard I suspect. I took this on the chin and thought I'm partially at fault for not picking up on this although it wouldn't show on a quick test drive, only when it hit the motorway.

Now it is back in the garage as the previous owner has tampered with the DPF, removed the sensors to the DPF and also modified the software so that the onboard doesn't register that there is a fault or a modification. I thought this would be the end of it but now BMW have said they believe the car has been clocked for roughly 50k meaning the 87k I believe it has done has more than like done upwards of 135k.

Has anyone had any problems like this before with a complete and utter .......... ? If so what is the best way to go about it as in how do I prove it was the previous owner and that the car description flat out lied and was not in fact sold as seen?

TIA.
 
How much did you pay for it? If it wasn't mega money then it's probably not worth the hassle this late in the game to be honest.
 
tom_e said:
How much did you pay for it? If it wasn't mega money then it's probably not worth the hassle this late in the game to be honest.
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It absolutely is. Worth trying at least!

OP, my Dad bought a 2003 Mondeo 2.0TDCI which had nothing but problems right from the start. In the end he phoned trading standards because it had eaten two turbos in the space of a few months and the dealer wasn't replying to him. From this phone call he also found out that the car had been clocked down from about 140K to 76K (ouch), and he was able to recover the money (including costs for repairs) - I believe, from the CC company. The car dealer then got taken to the cleaners and his company disappeared. :p

How did you pay for it?
 
Acme said:
It absolutely is. Worth trying at least!

OP, my Dad bought a 2003 Mondeo 2.0TDCI which had nothing but problems right from the start. In the end he phoned trading standards because it had eaten two turbos in the space of a few months and the dealer wasn't replying to him. From this phone call he also found out that the car had been clocked down from about 140K to 76K (ouch), and he was able to recover the money (including costs for repairs) - I believe, from the CC company. The car dealer then got taken to the cleaners and his company disappeared. :p

How did you pay for it?
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Much more difficult to go chasing a private sale than one through a dealer though I'd imagine, for all you know the seller had no idea it was clocked either.
 
Cheers for the replies.

It was £7000 when I bought it, then a further £1000 on two new tyres and the sensor fix as per OP.

HPI check was clear, I remember doing it before I went to pick it up.

Paid in cash (bank transfer NatWest to NatWest)

MOT history now looks strange in that it is a 57 plate so being uber forgiving and allowing that it may have been driven as of Jan 2008, its first MOT was in Feb 11 showing only 10,236m on the clock. (OP should read M not K's).

Then yearly it is (all October) 2011 - 20, 2012 - 32, 2013 - 42, 2014 - 57 (then I purchase it at around 61 in Mar 14) and then the last one was Oct 2015 - 75 which makes sense as I do 2000 a month on daily commute and personal and over 7 months.

More I think about it the more convinced I am that I won't be able to do anything and that this is going to be one of those confirmatory exercises in never trusting anyone outside of your own home. :mad:
 
Looks like it has had its **** clocked off just before it had its first MOT :(

Sadly there is not allot you can do I would imagine as a private sale, no way of proving the previous seller knew.

The best you can do is be pragmatic and get the car right and back to stock and suck up the hefty bill.
 
Just over 10000 miles in the first three years. Surely whoever did the MOT could spot that a mile off? Unless they're in on it of course.
 
why do BMW think it has been clocked ?

does it look and drive like a car thats done mega miles or one thats done what the clock says ? seat bolsters ? stonechips ? etc



the rear sensors is hardly a mega mileage thing and DPF modification isnt exactly fishy either. see how many people on here have done similar...
 
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Check the MOT history online, just google mot history check and the gov website will tell you the cars mot history from 2003 I believe. see if theres anything unusual with the mileage recorded over the years. Clocking a car is illegal and you might have a good case against the seller over costs in court perhaps.

EDIT

I spoke too late
 
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Mrjobby said:
Looks like it has had its **** clocked off just before it had its first MOT :(

Sadly there is not allot you can do I would imagine as a private sale, no way of proving the previous seller knew.

The best you can do is be pragmatic and get the car right and back to stock and suck up the hefty bill.
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Sadly I have to agree, think I've got to take the hit on this.

Ryan-3 said:
Just over 10000 miles in the first three years. Surely whoever did the MOT could spot that a mile off? Unless they're in on it of course.
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I need to check the log book tomorrow when I get the car back but it had FBMWSH up until late 2013 so it must have been done on the side and maybe a few thousand miles at a time. BMW probably never picked up on it before because even at 40/50/60 thousand the car should stil be running fine, it's only when you go beyond 80/90 that the wear and tear becomes apparent.

"andy" said:
why do BMW think it has been clocked ?

does it look and drive like a car thats done mega miles or one thats done what the clock says ?
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Having not driven a BMW for a year before (this is my first BMW :D) I have no reference to relate but to me it feels fine and fair enough there is a little wear on the suspension, maybe lost a little engine power but nothing significant but suddenly I hit the M4 one morning and it just became a juddering box.

I'll have to speak to BMW tomorrow, my missus took the call today cos I don't get phone signal at work. Surely the onboard computer has some semblance of a mileage log or indication of history.

I'm sincerely hoping there is a mismatch between the service history and the MOT history as then I can pin point a date and owner. I'm the 3rd owner overall.
 
Jamesyboyjim said:
Check the MOT history online, just google mot history check and the gov website will tell you the cars mot history from 2003 I believe. see if theres anything unusual with the mileage recorded over the years. Clocking a car is illegal and you might have a good case against the seller over costs in court perhaps.

EDIT

I spoke too late
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MOT history goes back to 2011 for all cars I think. online at least anyway.
 
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