Mileage Alterations (Clocking)

The mileage on your vehicle gives you the actual figure of how many miles the car has done since it was manufactured, the higher the mileage the less the car is worth due to the engine life. Therefore unscrupulous  sellers may alter the mileage readings so cars appear to have done less miles than they have actually done. It is not illegal to alter the mileage reading on a vehicle, however it is illegal to sell a car which has had the reading changed without letting the purchaser know.

You should make sure that the mileage is in line with the cars condition, for example if it is showing as having completed 10,000 miles, however there is considerable wear on the peddles and the seats are looking warn, then the car may have done more miles than stated. You must also check the cars history to make sure the MOT certificate and service history is in line with the mileage. Every year a car is required to have an MOT, during the MOT, the tester will look at the mileage and record the number of miles.

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