HPI, BBC Watchdog join forces to focus on clocking

11 May 2010

HPI, one of the worlds top vehicle information experts, has teamed up with BBC Watchdog to expose a clocking scam and protect consumers. With one of 12

HPI, one of the world's top vehicle information experts, has teamed up with BBC Watchdog to expose a clocking scam and protect consumers. With one of 12 vehicles examined by HPI showing discrepancies in mileages, it is crucial for used car buyers to be vigilant and safeguard themselves from the danger of deceitful vendors.

One example of unscrupulous vendors of used cars is Ashley Singh and his brother, who sold clocked cars from their home. The Singhs used fake identities and altered the service histories of the cars to cover their tracks.

"The Watchdog programme showed that clocking remains a very real threat to used car buyers. Unscrupulous sellers... see the clocking of a vehicle as an easy way to raise its price and make some extra cash by putting thousands of pounds onto the price tag. And it's not just prestige cars that are the target for clockers, so all used car buyers need to be on the look out", said Nicola Johnson, HPI's Consumer Services Manager.

Nowadays, modern digital odometers can be bought easily, making it much easier for clocked vehicles to elude detection. Earlier this year, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) released a report concerning the used car market, whose figures reveal that clocking costs customers £500 million per year.

An HPI Check would be the best way to verify the car's mileages. The process includes a National Mileage Check, which uses information dating back to 1997. The National Mileage Register of HPI now has more than 13 years of records, totalling over 135 million readings, giving car owners extra assurance that a unit that has undergone an HPI Check has not been clocked.

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