In the 1980s, clocking cars to reduce their millage reading was estimated to be worth up to 100 million pounds sterling a year in the UK alone.
The practice enabled vendors of second-hand vehicles to charge higher prices for cars that have had their recorded millage reduced to show less wear and tear.
This fraudulent practice was an open secret and left consumers at the mercy of unscrupulous traders.
Car companies claimed a decade later that new electronic dashboards would make clocking a thing of the past.
Yet, the problem is now more prevalent than ever with the electronics that were intended to stop the clockers helping them to disguise their tracks better than ever.
The service is now offered openly on the Internet for those who need it.
A search under “mileage adjusters” can wind back a vehicle’s millage on request.
The service is worth about $150 but the value added to the car is sometimes several thousands dollars.
A fleet company did a survey on cars clocked by customers and found out that one in every 20 cars was clocked.
Clocking is back in fashion because of the way cars are sold on lease these days.
Lease terms include certain millage after which the user pays for each extra mile. Retuning a car at the end of the lease with high millage means a hefty surcharge.
The alternative is the use of a “mileage adjuster’s” service.
The (British) law criminalizes selling for profit a car that has been clocked. But clocking itself is not an offense.
Are there legitimate reasons for clocking a car? Apparently there are, such as “faults in dashboard equipment” according to one millage adjuster.
There are no statistics about this practice in the Gulf region but unless a full record of the mileage can be established for a used-car do not assume that the millage in genuine.
-------------------
* Adel Murad is a senior motoring and business journalist, based in London.
Email: [email protected]
