There was a period in the 1990s where car clocking was rife. It came out of nowhere to hit the headlines across the UK, as ‘Odometer Fraud’ was found to be surprisingly commonplace.
As you probably know, car clocking is the practice of turning back the odometer on a car, to give the impression it has done fewer miles than it actually has.
The motivation for car clocking lies in the fact that cars in general sell for higher prices with fewer miles on the clock. The difference between say 30,000 miles and 90,000 miles could easily be an extra £2,000 to £4,000 on a car’s resale value. If the car looks pristine and drives well, it’s surprisingly easy to get away with car clocking.
Precisely what quite a lot of people still attempt to do, even where the more sophisticated digital odometers are concerned.
Lower-Cost Leasing
There’s another arm to the car clocking ‘sector’ that isn’t quite as concerned with resale values. In some instances, leasing agreements contain clauses regarding additional payments/commissions based on mileage.
The more miles you cover in the vehicle in question, the more you pay the company you’re leasing it from.
In which case, turning back time can lead to considerable savings. Again, precisely what many do, prior to handing their vehicles back over to the service provider.
Why is Car Clocking so Bad?
Purely on the basis of technicalities, there is still technically no law in place that makes it illegal to adjust the time on an odometer. This is because there are certain reasons where an odometer may need to be changed for purely ethical reasons, perhaps due to a malfunction.
However, car clocking for reasons that are not 100% ethical constitutes a form a fraud. Something that could result in hefty fines or even a jail sentence – both for the person carrying out and whoever paid them to do it for them.
Car clocking is a big deal because it paints an entirely inaccurate picture of a vehicle’s state of repair. The vast majority of major vehicle components have a limited lifespan, based on mileage. If they’re built to last 70,000 miles and the car has done 65,000 miles, they will need changing promptly to keep the car safe. If the car’s odometer was rolled back to 25,000 miles, its next owner could unknowingly drive it for another 40,000 miles with dangerously unsafe components.
All after having paid way more for the car than its actual market value.
If in Doubt, Go with Your Gut
Sadly, it’s practically impossible to find out whether a car’s odometer is accurate, without conducting an in-depth investigation. It’s therefore best to go with your gut, being suspicious of anything with questionably low mileage on sale for such a bargain price.
Always remember that if something seems too good to be true on the auto market, it most probably is!
