Dealers call for action on '˜clocked' motors

The plea from NFDA Trusted Dealers followed a meeting with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport.

The business, which is part-owned by the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), met Andrew Jones MP to discuss various motor trade issues, including odometer fraud, which he recognised as an area of immediate concern.

‘Clocking’ is the practice of altering a vehicle’s odometer to show a lower mileage than that actually travelled. It can increase the re-sale value of the

vehicle.

Knowingly selling a clocked car is fraud but it is not illegal to alter the mileage. It is estimated that up to 486,000 cars on the road could be clocked.

That shocking figure prompted the NFDA to launch a campaign last September to outlaw mileage correction companies by 2018.

With the wealth of finance offers available on new cars, the motor industry has seen unprecedented levels of new car buying. But customers are often tied into limits on mileage, leading people to look towards clocking to avoid large fines when trading their car in at the end of their contract.

Following an investigation by The Sun newspaper in March, Business Minister Anna Soubry pledged a law change to close the loophole.

Trusted Dealers managing Director, Neil Addley, said: “Clocking is a growing issue in the UK and it was refreshing to meet Andrew Jones MP, who acknowledged the importance of addressing this issue for the safety of motorists. Odometer fraud not only has severe financial repercussions for unsuspecting buyers, but there is also a significant safety issue when driving a clocked car as drivers are unaware of when to get their car serviced and undertake important safety checks.”

BEST TO BUY FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE

There are a number of Leeds car businesses which are part of the National Franchised Dealer Association trusted scheme.

These include Mercedes-Benz, various Evans Halshaw dealerships, Leeds Audi, Stratstone Honda, H A Fox and Leeds VW.

Boss Neil Addley said: “Buying from a Trusted Dealer means customers can be safe in the knowledge that all used cars are checked to ensure no odometer fraud has taken place, as well as a number of safety checks to ensure there is no outstanding finance or safety checks on the vehicle.”

See www.trusteddealers.co.uk for more details.