I used the link below yesterday and just now to to check the MOT history of 2 cars my son was considering buying - and in the process headed off what would have been 2 very expensive mistakes.

http://www.direct.go...Mot/DG_10020539

Yesterday's car was a very clean-looking 2003 VW Golf TDi with a full VW service history and 95K on the clock being sold by a trader in Peterborough who had swapped it for another car. The car had a current MOT certificate due to expire on 1 March 2011. Armed with the registration number and the document reference number of the V5C, an MOT history request revealed that the car had failed an MOT test on 5 October 2010 - which came as a shock to the seller. Certificate issue had been refused because of windscreen damage (a clearly visible crack) and also because the nearside subframe mounting prescribed area was severely distorted. An advisory notice was issued for the nearside steering arm which was damaged but serviceable. There was no visible damage to the body apart from a loose offside headlight and a slight ripple on the front offside wing, ie the car looked good. Had my son bought it he would have been faced with it being off the road when the current MOT lapsed in a matter of weeks pending him paying for possible expensive accident damage to be sorted. He took my advice and walked away.

Today's car was a 2002 VW Golf TDI with 95K on the clock being sold by a trader in London. Apparently the trader had bought it at auction just before Christmas and had put it through an MOT test on 21 December 2010 prior to advertising it. The test certificate showed the mileage as 94,999 miles and no advisories were listed. However the mileages recorded on previous MOT tests were interesting to say the least, ie:

Sep 2006 - 106,617

Oct 2007 - 124,6784

Dec 2008 - 148,810

Dec 2009 - 160,352

So once again my son walked away. Both cars are currently advertised on AutoTrader.

The Directgov website has been worth its weight in gold for my son. Dare I say it also helps to have access to a dad at home who is sitting in front of a PC with phone to hand...

Well done Denis! Certainly a useful, and probably underused resource.

That, plus a finance/history check through someone like Autocheck are invaluable.

He owes you a few beers now I'd expect

I thought that a trader had to sell a car with 12 months MOT now? Is this not the case?

I would be reporting both traders to be honest to trading standards for essentially selling fraudulent cars. Especially as one has had 70k plus shaved off its clocks!

Just use this to check mine, and it's only failed once (last year)

I've found it useful for the opposite purpose - the list of past failures/advisories is the closest thing I have to a service history!

I thought that a trader had to sell a car with 12 months MOT now? Is this not the case?

I would be reporting both traders to be honest to trading standards for essentially selling fraudulent cars. Especially as one has had 70k plus shaved off its clocks!

I would also suspect the MOT too. Done by a mate in the trade possibly? Odds on that it was the seller who clocked it too....Bl@@dy sharks. I did thje same with our Felly. Milage tallied, and showed it failed its last test on indicator bulbs not orange on the back and a CV joint gaiter....

That site is worth it, and something useful from the government for once

I thought that a trader had to sell a car with 12 months MOT now? Is this not the case?

Never heard of that before, pretty sure its not true, or all the local traders are well illegal

matt

Never heard of that before, pretty sure its not true, or all the local traders are well illegal

matt

Well the Vauxhall garage a few years back have put 12 months MOT on my mrs 2.5 year old Astra she bought. Dad has also just bought a 2nd hand Golf from a dealer and it had 8months MOT on it yet have put 12 months MOT when he picked it up.

Perhaps this is just main dealers but i thought it was strange MOT'ing a car that didn't need it!

Oh yeah, all the big places round here like perrys and that do it, but i dont think its a legal requirement, all the little back street traders have "short mot" cars for sale

Matt

Another 'fail' this morning - this time a 2003 Golf TDI PD Match with 129,000 miles on the odometer being offered for sale on AutoTrader by a trader. The most recent service recorded in the Service Schedule was at 96,*** miles on 1 May 2009. My son didn't check the service history any further once I passed him the online MOT history below:

01 Oct 2010 - 127,235 miles

26 Sep 2009 - 74,343 miles (that isn't a typo by me!)

17 Sep 2008 - 133,422 miles

18 Sep 2007 - 124,262 miles

14 Sep 2006 - 118,164 miles

10 Feb 2006 - 111,271 miles

Yet again more than enough inconsistencies to walk away.

Scary really. And more proof, as if it were needed, that buying from a trader or dealer isn't a guarantee of a better car!

There's probably a pretty large group of people that are lulled into a false sense of security, and don't maybe check to the same level as they would with a car sold by a private party - all because it's sat on a forecourt somewhere.

Back in the mid eighties, I sold a 3 yr old Metro with 30k on the clock that I'd purchased at a car auction, to a trader in Manchester.

Got a 'phone call from a girl about 2 months later asking me what the mileage was when I sold it. to manc trader?

Told her and she burst into tears.

He'd cut the mileage in half apparently.

Advised her to report the matter.

Never heard from her or him, so don't know what the outcome was.

Edited 20 January, 201115 yr by Mr Ree

Shows not all can be trusted - not that really comes as a surprise sadly. Had this a lot looking at cars - drive for an hour to 2 to see something, for it to have a puncture, or not start despite ringing in advance to confirm it's avaliable. (All of these dealers too.) Got all this to come again in March when my sister starts driving - joy.

Checked mine for piece of mind - never failed one, and did about 5k miles a year for most of its life.

Edited 20 January, 201115 yr by TriggerFish

The site is very good, I used it to check SWMBO's car's before they were bought. The problem is with the correct software, clocking a car is very easy to do.

Denis maybe worth making this (or a similar thread) a sticky as a reminder to all members to check BEFORE they buy a car?

The site is very good, I used it to check SWMBO's car's before they were bought. The problem is with the correct software, clocking a car is very easy to do.

I believe so, but isn't the true mileage always held on the ecu regardless?

To use this service you will need the vehicle registration mark along with an MOT test number from one of the following:

• VT20 test certificate

• VT30 refusal certificate

So just the reg number will not suffice then?

That would have been handy for checking cars out on Autotrader before deciding wheather to bother ringing or not.

I believe so, but isn't the true mileage always held on the ecu regardless?

I believe so on most cars yes (not all though) BUT you would need something like VCDS to read the mileage stored on the ECU.

To use this service you will need the vehicle registration mark along with an MOT test number from one of the following:

• VT20 test certificate

• VT30 refusal certificate

So just the reg number will not suffice then?

That would have been handy for checking cars out on Autotrader before deciding wheather to bother ringing or not.

Correct. It's so you can't use it for casual checking.

very useful website used it in the past for a car I bought...........needless to say the mileage on the speedo was erm...................just a tad out (some 300k)!

When question about it the garage said it had a recon engine fitted and that was the mileage on it.

Used it also to prove mileage on cars I've sold.