Car Buyers beware-flaw in HPI mileage checks

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oat

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Yesterday I returned home from doing a deal on an S3 at an Audi main dealer. Did a quick MOT check using VOSA and it transpires the previous owner has done a Marty McFly and gone back in time with my S3.
I would have thought an HPI check would have picked this up but it did not.

Dealer refunded my deposit and is as shocked/gutted as I am, although they are in utter shock this hasn't been unearthed during their HPI check
This got me thinking and after a lot of research I've discovered ANY HPI mileage checks are NOT linked to the VOSA MOT database!!:keule: Talk about a major flaw in the system!! I still can't believe this hasn't been unearthed by anyone before!!

Be careful out there guys when buying, make sure you do a VOSA MOT check for the mileage as well as full HPI for any outstanding finance/insurance write off etc.


http://www.motinfo.gov.uk/internet/j...ry-Request.jsp
 
glad you got your money back mate, don't think it was ever in doubt, Audi would be as ****** off as you were I'd imagine...it pays to do your own homework now a days...
 
Yea lol, O well at least it was that simple and they wasnt pushing you to buy it still.
Good luck on the hunt still!
 
glad you sorted it and got your money back.didnt think you would have much of a problem to be honest

my friend is looking at a S3 today,showing around 50k told him to do a vosa check as well as a HPI check.better to be safe than sorry

how much is a vosa check by the way?
 
afcjay said:
glad you sorted it and got your money back.didnt think you would have much of a problem to be honest

my friend is looking at a S3 today,showing around 50k told him to do a vosa check as well as a HPI check.better to be safe than sorry

how much is a vosa check by the way?
Click to expand...

It's Free!:busted_cop:
 
Google VOSA MOT CHECK - I have a bad feeling I might end up ruining a few peoples days as clocking is more rife than you would imagine...:angrymod:
 
Guys how would you check a car that you have just seen on sale, because on the vosa site it asks for the regestration and MOT test number from VT20 MOT Test Certificate or VT30 Refusal of an MOT Test Certificate (failure notice) or Document Reference Number from the V5C Registration Certificate issued by the DVLA??

Im just asking because my mums seen a audi a3 8p 2.0 tdi going pretty good price, done a hpi but after eading this thread yesterday its got me thinking as the car shows 36,000 on the clock which for a 2004 is pretty low.
 
S3 AJ.X said:
Guys how would you check a car that you have just seen on sale, because on the vosa site it asks for the regestration and MOT test number from VT20 MOT Test Certificate or VT30 Refusal of an MOT Test Certificate (failure notice) or Document Reference Number from the V5C Registration Certificate issued by the DVLA??

Im just asking because my mums seen a audi a3 8p 2.0 tdi going pretty good price, done a hpi but after eading this thread yesterday its got me thinking as the car shows 36,000 on the clock which for a 2004 is pretty low.
Click to expand...

call the seller and ask for the imfo you require.if they have anything to hide they will refuse
 
Just checked mine, all ok thankfully. However I checked my 1998 Pug 106 on the database and it shows the first MOT being done in Jan 2006! Im hoping this database has only been around for a few years and thats the reason why. However I did buy the car last year with rediculously low mileage (46k for a 10 year old car) so im starting to worry a little!
 
It does state on the site that records only go back to the start of the computerised MOT's i have a couple of the old style MOT certificates in my history folder that didn't show up on the VOSA site..... i think it goes back to around 2005/2006 something like that
 
666markyboy said:
It does state on the site that records only go back to the start of the computerised MOT's i have a couple of the old style MOT certificates in my history folder that didn't show up on the VOSA site..... i think it goes back to around 2005/2006 something like that
Click to expand...

Thats put my mind at ease then!
 
As someone has pointed out, be careful guys as this is not 100% as it requires the mileage being recorded correctly. Just checked mine and it shows 158.000 miles, i bought it with 79k on the clock!!!!!!! This does appear to be a mistake though as the service history ties up with the odometer reading. I've now got the hassle of getting the DVLA to change it, i don't know how helpful the dealer will be as i got it in March from an independent. As always human error can happen.
:wtf:
 
A bit of an update on the mileage discrepency i found on my car by using the VOSA link at the start of this thread. After well over a month of wrangling with the independent dealer i got the car from, it turns out the braincell who carried out the MOT wrote down the last six numbers from the VIN number and used that as the mileage!!!!!! The Audi main dealer service history ties up exactly with the current mileage shown, so i always knew it was correct. This just proves that no matter how many checks you carry out on a car, at the end of the day you are still relying on some t%&* at the garage being able to write a number down properly!!! The best bit is, the MOT was carried out at one of the places that ONLY does Mot's so if they can't even get it right, what hope do we all have. RANT OVER, lol.
:keule:
 
one of the audis i came across had been clocked, when i look for a car, not only i do a hpi and vosa and vin check, but i get the last owners details on the log book and try and research the number.
one car i came across had full audi history and all seem genuine, even on vosa it all tallied up, but when i manged to trace the contact of the last owner, witch was'nt easy! he told me the car had done 17k more than what it had on the clock! who ever did it was clever, thay just pulled it back to the last service!!!!

but the problem you got there is you cant alway trace the last owner! now i looked at a few audis and hpied a few, think ive spent more money on hpis than i have buying the actual car i finely found! some of the hpis have shown recorded mileage, some hav'nt. maybie now the dvla get the notified the miles when the owner gives up the car
 
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i had a similar occourance around 10yrs ago i went to a auction a wanted a cheap dog for work as was fed up of having my pride getting covered in crap by a nearby foundry and puntures all the time in my not so cheap tyres so i went out to my local auction and along came a 1.7td cavalier on a N reg tbh it was very very clean even inside i won the car for around 475quid so not drastic amount to loose even back then..... only had the present mot not any previous when i contacted the previous owner to check cambelt history etc the geeza on the phone said yes we got a history folder on every car as it ended up being a taxi company he said yes its due a 326000 miles got me thinking as the clocks was showing a mere 126000...... i asked him to explain it again he told me it was last done on 266000 and is due on 326000 ever since ive been a little more precuatious since.....

when i brought my b6 i done hpi and also mot history check all it brought up was around 2008 1 tester advised the n/s steering play in suspension but ever since not noted down and every test also has advisorys on low tyres for the last 3 years ive just had it fully serviced by a very good specialist who advised me on my gearbox mtg splitting and my rubber brake hoses are little perished and need doing for the test in april......

i put this down to the strength of the different testers on the day
 
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