Hi honest john members,
I am looking for honest advice since I have just recently had a new dashboard computer fitted in my fiat punto but the counter now has zero miles on the clock. i asked the mechanic why he did not programme the counter with the correct mileage and was told that this is illegal. This seems odd to me and I would like to know if this is correct as I am annoyed that now people will think that i have clocked my car since as it does not tie with my last MOT and has effectively advertised my car as a lemon.
i would really appreciate your honest opinon on this because i would prefer to have the correct mileage on the clock.
Thanks in advance for you help,
David
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It is standard practise for new speedo's to be left at zero. Usually people keep the bill as proof that the speedo was changed for correct reasons,
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Thanks tour van man. when I asked the mechanic to put the correct mileage, he said that this was illegal and that he could only have done this at the time the car wa being programmed. Now I have a receipt that anyone could have made up and a car which says "dud". Is it true that the mechanic can no longer correct the mileage or is he being awkward?
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get the mechanic to stamp the service book with the date and the mileage before the speedo change. This will verify the exact mileage that the car has covered.
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excellent idea although I would have preferred the less hassle of having the correct mileage in the first place. Is this no longer an option?
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>>I am annoyed that now people will think that I have clocked my car since as it does not tie with my last MOT.
Unless you are going to sell the car before the next MoT what is the problem ?
All I can see is a star ship mileage between the older MoT and speedo replacement could be hidden.
You will have the mileage on the Mots and a bill for a new speedo on a date between the Mot dates.
IMO that should satisfy any buyer. I would not consider such a car as clocked.
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If it's a digital odometer, then try looking through the classifieds section of numerous car mags / Autotrader, etc, and you'll find companies offering 'mileage correction' services.
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Could someone answer the original question - is it now illegal to alter a mileometer so that it shows a higher, but correct, mileage?
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If you use a mileage correction bloke, expect him to be very shocked when you ask for the clock putting forwards! Most of his punters want to reverse time. I very much doubt it is illegal to genuinely correct the mileage on an odo - otherwise these "mileage correction" places would not still be trading. They claim they only correct the mileage rather than clock it and that is how they stay in business.
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Obviously not 100% sure of the accuracy of this but I've seen similar written in many places:
"Adjusting a vehicles digital milometer / odometer is not illegal. It only becomes illegal if you knowingly sell the vehicle without disclosing the correction in the speedoreading."
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Don't know the legality but if I was fitting a new one I would expect to leave it at zero mileage with a receipt/invoice stating old one was removed at x mileage.
As long as paperwork kept with Mot's then it wont upset any purchaser.
Its better than driving a car with no speedo for months on end ( seen many cars for sale in that condition!).
But if the garage "altered" the mileage to suit the owners desire they could just be opening themselves open to all sorts of alledged problems etc?
Its the same as if a new engine was fitted, would you not expect some paperwork to say when it was fitted ?
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.......... but if I was fitting a new one I would expect to leave it at zero mileage with a receipt/invoice .......>>
Now if I were buying one I would expect it to be reprogrammed with the correct mileage.
Is this difference between the job done and the customer's expectations down to a legality or a technicality?
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No-one seems to know. As a buyer, I would be happy (happier?) if the car I was seeing had an MOT with 45k miles, garage receipt for new speedo, and Mot with 1k miles. Its a good clean chain of unaltered evidence.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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If i fitted a new head i wouldnt clock the speedo to the old mileage in case there was an anomoly somewhere further back in the cars history.
I would give the customer a receipt with old and new mileage on though.
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www.mileagecorrectionleicester.co.uk
This company can sort out mileage corrections and some other sorts of programming.
Give them a try if you have any problems with you odometer.
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I had this situation before on a motorcycle when the speedo on a secondhand bike was replaced by a bona fide dealer under warranty. The dealer supplied me with a statement on his headed notepaper that the speedo was replaced at such-and-such miles by their workshop.
Simples!
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Cannot remember which car it was, possibly a Nisssan, but there was a section in the service book where details could be filled in regarding a speedo change.
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