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Re: MOT Test result check...

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2015 1:37 pm
by StressedDave
Oh god... Just checked the status of my old 911. It's still out there but the current owner is doing around 1000 miles a year in it. That is, not to put too fine a point on it, absolutely criminal. He should give it back to me for a proper rogering :lol:

Re: MOT Test result check...

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2015 3:26 pm
by Silk
My old Audi has just had it's first MOT. jont will be pleased to know it hasn't been clocked. Interestingly, it failed on tread depth. What sort of muppet would put a car in for an MOT without first checking the tyres?

I know there are a lot of people out there who never check their tyres between MOTs - a mixture of can't be arsed and don't know how. Another good reason not to change the MOT test to every two years.

Re: MOT Test result check...

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2015 7:05 pm
by Synchromesh
Silk wrote:In the end it's a victimless "crime"

Probably not if, for example, the new owner doesn't replace the cambelt* thinking it doesn't need to be done, when in fact its well overdue and snaps, totalling his engine in the process.

*other mechanical parts that should be replaced with mileage are available

Even the driver of the 340k taxi I went home in the other night said he wouldn't be clocking it, as he thought it was unethical. As much I generally don't have a problem with your benign trolling, I'm with the cabbie on this one.

Re: MOT Test result check...

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 7:11 am
by StressedDave
Synchromesh wrote:
Silk wrote:In the end it's a victimless "crime"

Probably not if, for example, the new owner doesn't replace the cambelt* thinking it doesn't need to be done, when in fact its well overdue and snaps, totalling his engine in the process.

Presumably checking that it's filled with oil falls into this particular criterion... :mrgreen:

Re: MOT Test result check...

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 10:10 am
by Synchromesh
StressedDave wrote:
Synchromesh wrote:
Silk wrote:In the end it's a victimless "crime"

Probably not if, for example, the new owner doesn't replace the cambelt* thinking it doesn't need to be done, when in fact its well overdue and snaps, totalling his engine in the process.

Presumably checking that it's filled with oil falls into this particular criterion... :mrgreen:

Different criterion - changing the mileage deceives the next owner, running the engine dry on oil impacts the current one.

Re: MOT Test result check...

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 7:40 pm
by Silk
Synchromesh wrote:
StressedDave wrote:
Synchromesh wrote:
Silk wrote:In the end it's a victimless "crime"

Probably not if, for example, the new owner doesn't replace the cambelt* thinking it doesn't need to be done, when in fact its well overdue and snaps, totalling his engine in the process.

Presumably checking that it's filled with oil falls into this particular criterion... :mrgreen:

Different criterion - changing the mileage deceives the next owner, running the engine dry on oil impacts the current one.


What if you let it run out of oil and top it up quick before it does too much damage. This is much more likely to happen to a low mileage car that gets serviced once every two years and only then because the owner gets a reminder in the post. All the cars I've owned get checked regularly.

Re: MOT Test result check...

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 8:32 pm
by Silk
Synchromesh wrote:
Silk wrote:In the end it's a victimless "crime"

Probably not if, for example, the new owner doesn't replace the cambelt* thinking it doesn't need to be done, when in fact its well overdue and snaps, totalling his engine in the process.

*other mechanical parts that should be replaced with mileage are available

Even the driver of the 340k taxi I went home in the other night said he wouldn't be clocking it, as he thought it was unethical. As much I generally don't have a problem with your benign trolling, I'm with the cabbie on this one.


You're over thinking it. For one thing, I'm not convinced that cambelt wear is all down to mileage - it probably has some effect, but I'm suggesting age and environment, including how the car is driven, also contribute.

The thing is, if you want a guaranteed low-mileage car, then you need to get one with a verifiable history, which usually means going to a dealer and paying more than you would at an auction or from a private seller. If you decide to take a chance at the auction, you can always use some of the money you've saved to give yourself a bit of peace of mind and get the cambelt changed ASAP.

Getting back to your cabbie. If he had clocked the car, he's hardly likely to tell you is he? A car with that kind of mileage is probably already at an age and overall condition where giving it a "haircut" isn't going to affect the value a great deal in any event. If you're going to clock a car, you do it when it's relatively new, otherwise there's very little incentive.

As I've said before, even if it seems to have gone in one ear and out the other, I've never misrepresented the history of any car that I've sold, including its mileage. I'm aware that clocking goes on and it probably improves the resale value of my high-mileage cars and, to be completely honest, I couldn't care less. It's no more my problem than it's the manufacturers problem if their sales improve because their cars are popular with third world dictators.