is there a way of telling if my car has been clocked?

Phate · 3 Mar 2006 at 21:39

Hey people

i got my car second hand in november with 39k miles on the clock and ive just done a rac thingy on it and its told me its had 8 previous owners :eek:

now its only 1999 so in 6 years with 8 owners im in doubts whether it has actually done only 39k miles cos in the few months ive been driving its already upto 43k - 44k

so is there a way of telling if my car has been clocked or the mile counter on it reset?

thanks peeps

L0rdMike · 3 Mar 2006 at 21:43

What is the interior of the car like. Does it look like a car thats done 39k?

Of course the interor like seats can be replaced.

Do you have any MOT certificates?

With 8 owners I would be worried that something is seriously wrong with it.

energy · 3 Mar 2006 at 22:00

As said, at that mileage the interior should look more or less like new.

If theres any wear apart from very minor to the pedals, steering wheel, gear lever and/or seats then it will likely be clocked. Are there any MOT certificates or service history? Even though these can be faked, its usually not bothered with. Also, is the odometer an electronic type or is it mechanical? The electronic ones can be made to read whatever you want quite easily and it is hard to tell that this has been done. However, the mechanical type with the rolling tumblers almost always leaves evidence behind, be it worn screws where the instrument cluster has been removed, or scratches to the tumblers where they have been forced with a screwdriver. If its cable driven though, a fraudster could have removed the cable from the gearbox and would it back with a black & decker and a lot of patience, leaving no evidence behind.

But hey, if you've had it since November and its been running fine then don't worry too much about it.

tb2000 · 3 Mar 2006 at 22:00

The RAC thing could be wrong (although it's probably not). You can easily check the amount of previous owners by looking at your log book (V5).
The only reasonable explanation I can think of right now is perhaps all the previous owners have been in the practice of not driving it much - perhaps it's spent a lot of time parked in peoples garages? Elderly owners? :confused:

Or as you say, it could indeed have been clocked.

tb2000 · 3 Mar 2006 at 22:02

energy said:
As said, at that mileage the interior should look more or less like new.

If theres any wear apart from very minor to the pedals, steering wheel, gear lever and/or seats then it will likely be clocked. Are there any MOT certificates or service history? Even though these can be faked, its usually not bothered with. Also, is the odometer an electronic type or is it mechanical? The electronic ones can be made to read whatever you want quite easily and it is hard to tell that this has been done. However, the mechanical type with the rolling tumblers almost always leaves evidence behind, be it worn screws where the instrument cluster has been removed, or scratches to the tumblers where they have been forced with a screwdriver. If its cable driven though, a fraudster could have removed the cable from the gearbox and would it back with a black & decker and a lot of patience, leaving no evidence behind.

But hey, if you've had it since November and its been running fine then don't worry too much about it.

I don't think speedos work in reverse, so you can't take miles off. I think you'd have to wind it forward (could take a while if it's a million mile speedo). Unless that's what you meant anyway

[TW]Fox · 3 Mar 2006 at 22:09

What car is it? If it's a 1 litre Nissan Micra, 39k despite 8 owners is more beleivable than if its a BMW 530d.

Usher · 3 Mar 2006 at 22:20

A dead giveaway with clocking is that the digits rarely finish up all dead level & one or two will be a fraction out of alignment with the others

minidan · 3 Mar 2006 at 22:26

yeah they dont og backwards i tried out of curiosity when i had my mini speedo out. but it coudl have meybe done 140k? or is it one of them other ones. lol
as said i would bemore worried about 8 owners than the milage.

Dan

v0n · 3 Mar 2006 at 22:57

Usher said:
A dead giveaway with clocking is that the digits rarely finish up all dead level & one or two will be a fraction out of alignment with the others

That depends how it's done - lame screwdriver clocking leave digits out of line, but screwdriver or million mile clockovers are pointless if speedo is already out of dashboard - most clocking dealers go to friendly scrappy, pick up speedo with as low mileage as pos and just fit it in or if it's electronic tacho in popular brand, just reprogram it to their taste. Call main dealers to see if car's been serviced and what was the last registered mileage on it, don't trust service books stamped in the same area or town if V5 shows more than two owners, check the car for extensive wear inside, rust on filers if service book shows recent service, stuff like that...

energy · 3 Mar 2006 at 23:17

tb2000 said:
I don't think speedos work in reverse, so you can't take miles off. I think you'd have to wind it forward (could take a while if it's a million mile speedo). Unless that's what you meant anyway

True, I only remembered now you mentioned it, very few cars do, but there are some that can go backwards, for example my parents used to have a Fiat Uno many years ago, I remember the speedo needle would sit at 10mph even when stopped, and when reversing would dip below 10mph, so I presume the odometer would go backwards too.

Winding a six digit odometer forwards to reset to zero and round to the desired mileage would be pointless as the car would depreciate due to age by the time you're done

timbob · 3 Mar 2006 at 23:39

Another give-away for clocked cars is an unevenly backlit dash.

There's usually a few separate bulbs that illuminate your speedo and guages from behind. They're pretty much impossible to get all in the right place when the dash goes back in after being removed for clocking, so often at least one is out of place - meaning that one area of the speedo/guages area might be a bit duller than the rest.

Metalface Mark · 4 Mar 2006 at 00:01

I bought my car in december, im the 5th owner and its a 2002. I was worried till after seeing the petrol consumption, its quite obvious why everyone gets rid of it

(14-16mpg around town, 30 on the motorways).

Its a vectra 2.6 V6 Sri.

L0rdMike · 4 Mar 2006 at 00:02

InwardSinging said:
I bought my car in december, im the 5th owner and its a 2002. I was worried till after seeing the petrol consumption, its quite obvious why everyone gets rid of it (14-16mpg around town, 30 on the motorways).

Its a vectra 2.6 V6 Sri.

I think you will find they got rid of it cause it was a Vectra more than anything.

[TW]Fox · 4 Mar 2006 at 00:32

L0rdMike said:
I think you will find they got rid of it cause it was a Vectra more than anything.

Yea they probably all buy it, realise what a mistake they made to buy a Vectra, then trade it in for a Mondeo

Phate · 4 Mar 2006 at 00:38

its an Astra 1.6 and its an electronic dashboard. and ive just checked and the logbook says 8 previous owners. the interior on it was decent when i got the car tbh, the other week i had it serviced and a new cam belt put on it and its been running a lot better since also i had the alternator replaced as the whining on it was doing my head in

moss · 4 Mar 2006 at 01:14

Sure the electronic dash isnt knackered and its meant to say 89000 not 39000

Clarkey · 4 Mar 2006 at 01:18

dunno about most cars, but the milometer in a 300zx can be easily wound backwards and theres no way you would be able to tell. Obviously im not going to go into detail here though.

moss · 4 Mar 2006 at 01:21

Certain cars with electronic dashes, you could fit a dash pod with a lower millage from another car. This doesnt work with all/newer cars though, as many are now linked to the ECU and need to programmed in.

Clarkey · 4 Mar 2006 at 01:29

yep digital ones are a waste of time, MUCH easier to adjust than a regular one, just need to plug in your laptop fitted out with highly dubious software and press a button or two.