In today's auction report, HJ says
"With haircutting now an extremely risky occupation...."
I've been out of the UK for some years now. What's risky about it all of a sudden.
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"Haircut" is another term for clocking the mileage. BMWs have always been a prime target for this and so high mileage cars have attracted a premium at auction from those prepared to "get the scissors out" and take the risk of the clocking being spotted.
No Do$h - Alfa-driving Backroom Moderator
mailto:moderators@honestjohn.co.uk
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But why the increased risk? Are DVLA finally going after the people doing it?
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::shrugs::
Dunno guv, it was like that when I bought it.
No, seriously, don't have the answer to that one.
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I met someone recently when I was changing Leonesses Golf who told me of some software which he had on his laptop that could wind back the digits! He offered to do it for £60. Obviously I refused (do on to others and all that).
It got me thinking - surely with the amount of microelectronics in the brain of the average car - manufacturers could / should have a means of irreversibly storing mileage in a second, backup register or storing it in an encrypted format some place???
Any mileage in this???
Leon
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That's a relief. When I read the piece, I assumed that it was about hairdressers' cars.
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I think 'winding back' is still very prevalent. There are quite a few characters in my part of the world who have the kit - I gather the 'going rate' is about £70. In fact modern electronics seem to have made it easier, rather than more difficult.
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I understand that BMW have tried all sorts of things, including storing the mileage on the keys - immobilising the system if the mileage on the key is higher than that shown on the dash.
None keep the crooks deterred for long, unfortunately.
Recording of mileage at every service, MOT, change of owner still seems to be the best way of reducing the fraud.
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So far, my brushes with the National Mileage register have only lead to confusion!
I sold a BMW that I had had for 6 years with a complete and full BMW service history. The buyer did an HPI check and discovered something like this :-
1/1/1999 29000 - when I bought it
1/1/2000 36000 - BMW service
1/6/2000 15000 - NMR 'Trade' figure
14/6/2000 42000 - BMW service
Despite the obvious nonsense of this, it really got to the buyer.
I HPI'd my present BMW just before I bought it a couple of weeks ago and got an almost identical set of figures as the above. I simply ignored it.
Surely, if the register cannot be kept accurately then there is little point in having it?
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Surely any kind of clocking will be irradicated once VOSA sort out their computerised MoT system, so all cars recorded mileage will not only be recorded on certificates, but on computer as well?
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Mike Farrow
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Surely any kind of clocking will be irradicated once VOSA sort out their computerised MoT system, so all cars recorded mileage will not only be recorded on certificates, but on computer as well?
I am afraid you made the assumption that records from VOSA will be visible by the system at DVLC? or anyone else for that matter, or even that government departments talk to each other or even use the same mail system!
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I am afraid you made the assumption that records from VOSA will be visible by the system at DVLC? or anyone else for that matter.
I'm assuming the latter would make economic sense as they could they sell this data to HPI etc. and anyone else who wants to know yearly mileage history of their car instead of just whenever it gets sold.
Only problem is for cars under 3 years old.
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Mike Farrow
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I know of somebody who gets alot of employment from a large car supermarket in my area, adjusting milages. I don't know if there are ways of legitimising this, but I wouldn't buy a car from this outlet personally now I know this. The said person has told me he does this himself, so I have no reason to doubt him.
Reggie
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Maybe it would be useful to see exactly how many MOT's are also issued on a car. It is possible for a car to be failed at one test station and then tested elsewhere where it passed.
Many years ago I did this because a garage failed my 3 year old car saying the brake pipes were corroded and needed all the pipes to be changed. I thought the garage was pulling a fast one so I tried another garage where it passed on everything. Afterwards I had a chat with the tester and mentioned the earlier test, he said he could find no rust on the brake pipes.
Although my situation was unusual, it could easily be the other way round and a faulty car is deemed roadworthy.
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"With haircutting now an extremely risky occupation BMW 320ds have become very mileage sensitive."
I am not quite sure how to interpret this comment from last week.
Is it that altering the mileage is not easy to do with all the latest gadgetry?
Or is it that if you get caught the penalty is high, or you almost certainly will get caught and the penalty is always high?
Why are 320d's so special viz a mileage?
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I haven't looked at a copy of Autotrader or similar for a few months, but the last time I did the front section was full of people offering to 'correct' the digital mileage on your car - for a few tenners.
So, if you have a new engine put in, you can get one of these chaps to come to have the mileage from the old engine put onto the new one. No really.
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