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• GARAGE SERVICING: How can I find a reputable garage  to service or repair my car? (FAQs)
  DISHONEST JOHN'S GUIDE TO SERVICE SCAMS Sun, 16 Sep 2001 (A RIP-OUT RIP-OFF GUIDE FOR WORKSHOP MANAGERS TO HELP MAXIMISE SERVICE REVENUES) After extensive research, Dishonest John presents 26 top tips for dodgy service managers who prefer to put profits before punters.
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  How to sell a classic car (Article)
  Most dealers will tell you that it improves the chances of selling your car, but all you're doing is swapping one classic for another.  How to avoid classic car scams Classic car scams come in all shapes and sizes and are constantly changing – they are innovative, fluid and believable.  Most people think it will never happen to them, but unless you’re extremely careful then you’re definitely at risk of falling foul of the scammers.
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  How to sell your van (Article)
  If you are called this way, take as many details as you can about the person and company involved, and report them to  Action Fraud . The 'shady buyer' scam As with all these things, the target is your money and the shady buyer scam can get this in a couple of ways – most commonly by a fake ‘overpayment’ and occasionally by starting a payment dispute after collecting your van.   Why do people fall for it?
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  Cheap Van & Pick-Up GAP Insurance (Article)
  If you plan to sell the vehicle, part exchange or have some other change of circumstances where it is no longer required you can save yourself months of premiums by cancelling as soon as it has no further use. GAP insurance scams and tricks Designed to ensure you suffer no financial shortfall if your vehicle is written-off or stolen, GAP (guaranteed asset protection) insurance can be a useful financial product for some people.
• CREDIT HIRE: What is it and how can it affect me if I am involved in a crash? (FAQs)
  If your Micra is damaged and a credit hire company offers you an Aston Martin the insurer of the at-fault driver cannot be expected to pay the additional hire costs. Falsely "upgrading" you is a well established scam. Never accept a credit hire vehicle which is better than the vehicle it is replacing unless the hire company guarantees in writing that it will be charged to the third party at the same rate as your own vehicle.
• PARKING FINES. What are my rights regarding parking penalties for parking in private carparks? (FAQs)
  
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  OFT WARNS OF £3MILLION CAR-SELLING SCAM 28 May 2009 (News)
  The OFT is today warning consumers about vehicle matching scams which cost UK consumers nearly £3 million every year. Vehicle matching scams work by approaching consumers selling their cars and promising falsely to match them with definite buyers.
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  Buyers warned over classic car brokerage scam 15 May 2019 (News)
  Classic car buyers are being warned to be vigilant over a new scam which claims to be using Honest John.co.uk as a brokerage. As part of the con, fraudsters clone a recent car for sale advert – copying the words and pictures of a real car that has been advertised for sale.
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  Warning of UsedCar Internet Scams 6 Mar 2008 (News)
  With more used car buyers choosing to shop online, HPI is warning of internet scams. HPI, the leading independent vehicle information provider is highlighting a spate of online scams involving non-existent vehicles being sold online using fraudulent vehicle checks. “We are urging used car buyers to be just as vigilant when buying online, as they would be using any other method,” explains Nick Lindsay, Director of HPI.
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  Volvo issues 'congestion charge scam' warning 18 Jan 2011 (News)
  Volvo has taken out adverts in several newspapers warning drivers in London about a scam involving the unauthorised sale of Volvo DRIVe boot badges for the avoidance of the London Congestion Charge. The notice states that vendors are offering badges to unsuspecting members of the public for upwards of £800 on the false premise that the badge will, on its own, exempt them from the daily £10 congestion charge.
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  Watch out for ‘virtual car seller’ scam, warns HPI 8 Oct 2013 (News)
  Car history check provider HPI is warning buyers about a ‘virtual car seller’ scam, which allows criminals to make off with the payment for a car without ever delivering the car itself. The ‘seller’ will list a top-of-the-range car online with an irresistible price, claiming the sale is urgent.
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  A quarter of used cars have outstanding finance to be paid 6 May 2015 (News)
  .” He also recommends carrying out a car history check before you buy. You can also find out how to avoid the most common car scams by visiting our scams page here , plus you can find a trustworthy, highly rated dealer on our Good Garage Guide . 
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  Fraudster jailed for £29,000 insurance scam involving fake Ferrari 4 Apr 2017 (News)
  This  established that Khayer had hired the Audi A1 jut days before the incident occured. For his role in the scam, Khayer received a 12 month custodial sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to compensate his hire company, and its insurer, more than £10,000. Neil Thomas, Director of Investigative Services at APU said, "The sentence is a victory for both the insurer and motorists across the country, whose premiums are increased by these fraudsters."
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  DISHONEST JOHN'S GUIDE TO SERVICE SCAMS 6 Oct 2001 (News)
  The Multipurpose Lubricant Leglifter Similar to the screenwash scam. Always supply a spray can of multipurpose lubricant at every service, and charge for it, of course. The Oil Filter Flanker Instead of changing the oil filter at a routine service, tell the fitter to simply give it a good clean over with a rag.
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  DISHONEST JOHN'S GUIDE TO SERVICE SCAMS 16 Sep 2001 (News)
  The Multipurpose Lubricant Leglifter Similar to the screenwash scam. Always supply a spray can of multipurpose lubricant at every service, and charge for it, of course. The Oil Filter Flanker Instead of changing the oil filter at a routine service, tell the fitter to simply give it a good clean over with a rag.
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  Car cloning on the rise - half of all used car checks reveals hidden history 2 Mar 2019 (News)
  Cases of car cloning has soared by 50 per cent in London  and some history check services provide little protection against the scam that allows criminals to copy legitimate registration plates to sell stolen or unroadworthy cars with false documents. “The RAC vehicle history check does not give a guarantee against cloned cars," said Rod Dennis of the RAC, "The check looks up whether a car’s number plate has been changed and can confirm if the number plate and vehicle identification number (VIN) match those recorded at the DVLA.
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  Honest John's Website in a Book 17 Oct 2001 (News)
  Contents include: Good Garage Guide, Car Clubs Directory, Step-by-Step Guide to Buying and Selling Cars, FAQs and Answers, De-mystified Motors ('Jargonbusters' from the paper), Dishonest John's Guide to Service Scams, and, of course, the Car by Car Breakdown as it was about a month ago. If you haven't got a satellite linked notebook computer in your car, it's the only way to carry the website around with you. And, of course, it makes an excellent Christmas present for Uncle Ernest.
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  It is possible 'to avoid clones' 21 May 2009 (News)
  Cloning occurs when a car is stolen and given an identity that is very similar to one already in circulation. In order to avoid falling foul of this scam, auto buyers have been advised to check that all vehicle identity numbers on the model tally. People should then get HPI to verify the IDs match the registration, the group stated. This service comes with a guarantee that means customers will be reimbursed up to £30,000 if the car in question is not as it should be.
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  Rare surviving 'Brocket Rocket' Ferrari up for auction 22 Jun 2011 (News)
  Part of his 42-strong collection of Ferraris and Maseratis, many of which were tragically destroyed in an insurance scam for which he did time, Brocket owned the ground-breaking Pininfarina styled GT for 15 years.  It was the first 2+2 to feature power steering, hydro-pneumatic self-levelling rear suspension and the luxury of air-con as standard.
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  SMMT Calls For Licence to Trade 18 Sep 2001 (News)
  To read of more successful and attempted rip-offs by franchised dealers, see 'Dishonest John's Guide to Service Scams' among these news items, and refer to the thread: 'Dishonest John's Guide: all true' in The Backroom on this website. The last thing the public needs is a scheme which gives the big boys a licence to steal at the expense of the little guys who keep this country on the road at prices we can afford to pay.