Does anyone know how to get information as to how the Vehicle Mileage Check offices have reached a mileage discrepency on my car, but will not tell me how?
A second-hand car was bought from a Car Dealer who said he had done a HPI check. The car was bought as it was low mileage but I suspected otherwise: but the MOT\'s showed a low mileage. I have now traced a point, prior to the first MOT when there was a very high mileage noted, but VMC will not disclose where this info comes from. They use Data Protection as a reason not to disclose to anyone other than the Motor Trade. (Data Protection only relates to people not cars!.)
I do not want to fgo the long route of Trading Standards.
I need this exact information so, please, can any one help?
In hope, thanks,
v b
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Surely a criminal offence has been commited and they are obliged to help you, directly or indirectly? Do you have a mate in the trade who would act on your behalf, to contact these jobsworths?
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Thanks for your reply. I too think a criminal offence may have been committed but unless I get exact details of who put the large mileage down then I could be stirring up a storm. Maybe I will anyway. As you say, I could do with someone in the know.
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Data protection relates to personal information so the vmc wouldn't give out personal details of the person who said there was a mileage discrepancy. Did they tell you what the discrepancy is?
I think you can write to the DVLA for previous keepers then it would be a process of elimination.....unless the person that disclosed the mileage problem still works for the dealer that clocked it or one of dealer's friends or relatives who could get wind of what they had said in which case protecting their identity is quite important.
The trading standards route shouldn't be that slow. You have to write to the dealer and ask for either a full refund and return the car or a partial refund of the difference in value between the odometer mileage and the actual mileage. If they don't pay up then it is small claims court or use of consumer credit act if you paid more than £100 on a credit card or took out finance to buy the car. TS will want to investigate anyway regardless of whether you involve them with getting money back as it is a pretty serious offence.
teabelly
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How many owners has the car had? I presume you are at least the third owner. The V5 will show the details of the last owner, however, who may have had nothing to do with the clocking of the car and may be able to help out with the details of the car's history.
If not, you can contact the DVLA and explain the situation. If you have a genuine reason for tracing a car's history, they may - they do do it but I'm not sure what their policies are - give details of the car's previous owners.
A HPI check costs £36 and I think releases this information as well.
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When my last company car was sold, on the new owner registering my car, the DVLA wrote and asked me to verify the mileage when I pxed it.
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Thanks for you interest. Yes I am the fourth owner & from the DVLA I have all previous owners. Some time back I even contacted the one owner who I wondered about, insomuch as this car looked as if it had done more miles, yet the MOT's showed low mileage. I now have info that shows a high mileage when those people whom I contacted actually had the car. I need to be sure that the VCM are working from correct information (not just a garage that has inadvertantly put the wrong mileadge down). I tend to think that VCM are hiding behind the Data Protection Act as, for money, one could get this information!.(The dealer I bought the car from said he'd done a HPI check: obviously not a good one.)
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Thanks for you input.
Yes I have traced that there was a huge mileage put down in October a couple of years back.
I have got all my entitled information from the DVLA (fee £5.00) & well worth it as it led me to the car having gone hrough a Auction House, who gave me the mileage info.
In my area the Trading Standards Offices are fairly appalling in the way the respond to tax-payers complaints, as is the underfunded CAB. Obviously this matter will have to be passed on but I want to get all the information if I can.
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How much of a haircut do you think the car has had?
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I do not know if this is supposed to be funny are some coded serious question. I just know that thousands stand to be lost and through no fault of mine.It is most distressing and I have a potential dangerous fault on the car, to also contend with. I twice told the dealer/seller that I thought the car looked more used but he showed me 'valid' m.o.t's--all after the 50,000 miles clocked!
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Ben is being completely serious and helpful. A haircut is trade jargon for a car having the mileage wound back. If it's had a 50k haircut - from what, to what? 150k to 100k will make no difference if the car is 10 years old.
How long have you had the car? And what is this potentially dangerous fault? Overwhelmingly, people are here because we like talking about cars and like helping people - so ask away and give us lots of details, because we're interested, but also because that's how we can give the best advice.
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The auction house SHOULD have a record of who bought the car. However, they too may not be prepared to give out that information to you. I would contact Trading Standards, and tell them what you know. It is not the fault of the dealer who sold you the car, normally a full set of MoTs is good enough to warrant the mileage, if the car had the same owner for the first three years.
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reply and thanks for teabelly and DavidHM.
See comments attached to other replies.
Thanks vb
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VB - One last point. Please don't think I'm being smug, and I know it's easy to be wise after the event, but why did you buy a car with low mileage that seemed well worn for the miles?
Low mileage cars usually go for a premium that is rarely justified - there is loads of discussion about this - but the consensus here is that you buy first on condition, then on price, and only then on mileage.
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