Skimming miles off the clock, the dark side of the motor industry

The age-old practice of “haircutting” or clocking vehicles involves unscrupulous car dealers rolling back the odometers of second-hand vehicles, and a recent reader experience confirms that the practice is alive and well in the area.

Blythedale resident, Stuart de Beer recently traded in his 2015 VW Caddy for a newer model as a result of its high mileage.

“Due to the nature of my work as a tour guide, I decided it was time to trade in my old car as the mileage was sitting at almost 350 000. I used it in part exchange for a 2018 model at the Ballito VW dealership.

“A few days later my son recognised my old car on Facebook being advertised for sale at a local second-hand dealership, Lifestyle Motors in Salt Rock. I immediately recognised the car from certain distinct marks and it still had my old number plate and sticker,” he said.

However, much to his shock, he discovered the car’s mileage was recorded at 175 000 km, less than half of the original mileage. The odometer would appear to have been tampered with.

Automobile Association of South Africa’s (AASA) spokesperson Layton Beard said just as any component of a vehicle can be altered, the odometer can be rolled-back to take hundreds, or as in this case, thousands of kilometres off.

“This reading is an important data point for prospective buyers, and unfortunately the odometer rollback is a trick people have been using for decades.”

However Beard said modern dealerships operate service departments with highly detailed digital filing systems, and as long as a vehicle has been maintained by the official agents, crooked used car-dealers can sometimes be caught out with VIN identified service records.

“Odometer tampering fraudulently increase the vehicle’s monetary value and even though automakers switched from analogue to digital displays years ago this practice still happens and if you can prove it, it is obviously fraud,” added Beard.

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South Africa’s Motor Industry Ombudsman said the problem was that it was difficult to prove exactly who had performed a deed like this and without hard evidence, civil claims against dodgy dealers were impossible. Second-hand dealers accused of selling clocked cars usually just pass the buck and claim that they receive the vehicles from wholesalers in that condition, making it hard to trace the when and whereabouts of the actual ‘haircut’.

However, Ballito VW dealer principal Jacques Schutte has distanced themselves from this incident and confirmed that the VW Caddy had been used as a trade-in but the car’s mileage was too high for their second hand car division, MasterCars, to sell as it was out of warranty so the vehicle was listed on the motor industry’s website.

According to the dealership’s records the car was listed with it original mileage and bought online by an industry trader.

The Courier verified the VW Caddy was the model traded in at Ballito VW and was able to confirm previous ownership with the VIN number and the original service records, which Lifestyle Motors did not have.

When approached for comment, Lifestyle Motors owner, Werner Cox denied the vehicle was bought by his dealership and said it was merely consignment stock from a new owner. Cox said he did not know the vehicle’s odometer had been tempered with and told the Courier he would look into it. When pressed for further comment Cox was not able to talk to the Courier.

However, when the Courier visited the dealership earlier this week under the guise of looking to buy the VW Caddy, we were told the vehicle did not come with a service history book as it had been bought without one.

This is in contradiction with De Beer’s statement that the full service history had been handed in with the vehicle when he traded it in. The VW dealership confirmed that the book was handed in with the car.

Speaking under anonymity a local car mechanic said giving a car a “haircut” was not complicated.

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“Even someone with little experience can manipulate the digital odometer and take thousands of kilometres off the life of the vehicle. A lot of used car dealerships turn back the clock. It’s really not difficult. There is a device that plugs into the car’s ECU (electronic control unit) and they do what they want. The tools start from less than a grand for some car brands while R15 000 buys you one that covers most car brands. I know a few guys that for a price, can even rebuild you a full-service history, including the stamps,” he said.

With low mileage, anyone selling a car can inflate its value and con a buyer into paying far more than what the vehicle is worth.

However, the problems for consumers are vast. Not only does it put the new owner at risk for expensive repairs, but it also jeopardizes the safety of drivers, passengers, and other motorists.

For car-related complaints consumers can contact the Motor Industry Ombudsman at info@miosa.co.za or at 086 11 64 672 or 010 59 08 378.

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