How To Check For Signs Of Car Clocking

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Technology )



Car clocking is the act of manually altering a vehicle’s odometer, so that a vehicle’s mileage appears less than the vehicle’s actual driven miles. Vehicle sellers take advantage of car clocking to be able to sell a vehicle at a higher value. Car clocking can be performed to a digital odometer with the use of a small handheld computer. Analog odometers are easily altered with the use of a drill to move the odometer numbers up and down.

Car clocking differs from the term clocking in and out. Clocking in and out refers to the process of recording the time that an employee starts and finishes work daily. Car clocking also differs from clocking machines, which is the actual equipment that records the daily time records of employees.

There are ways to tell whether a vehicle has been clocked. When you buy a second hand car make sure you check the vehicle’s pedal, carpet and driver’s seat. If all these seem to be overly worn out, and the vehicle mileage is low the chances are that the vehicle is clocked. A clocked vehicle will show signs of serious body chipping, and its steering wheel overly shiny. Probably the easiest way to tell whether car clocking has been performed on a vehicle is when the odometer numbers are not properly aligned. If the vehicle uses an analog odometer, you should take a look at the vehicle’s dashboard to look for signs of tampering. If you discover that the painted screws on the dashboard are chipped or damaged, then this is a positive sign of car clocking.

Finally, if you are convinced that the vehicle isn’t clocked, it is best to take note of the odometer of the vehicle before you leave the vehicle’s premises, and when you return to make the final payment, and pick up the vehicle. There should not be a difference between these two figures. If there is a big difference between these numbers, then the seller would have ordered the vehicle back to its original mileage, and is thus clocked.

It must be noted that car clocking is considered a crime, and is punishable by law.


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