Dodgy A2 in Harlow?

Mr K

Mr K

Member
I've been watching this eBay auction which has now ended: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=120204827995

I asked the seller the following, but got no reply:
"Has the car been in an accident or had any form of paintwork done. From the photos it looks as if the front-end has been re-sprayed - the colour changes very slightly half way along the front doors."

Now I see the winner has left negative feedback claiming it's "Cocked", which is unfortunate to say the least ;-)

I guess he did a vehicle check before collecting it.

Anyway, probably one to steer clear of, or at least check very thoroughly.

For when the listing disappears the details are:
Model: A2 1.4 TDi SE
Year: 2004
Reg: CP53 HWC
Colour: Crystal Blue
Mileage claimed: 49102
 
thought i'd bring this post back, as a warning to anyone spotting this bargain car, my mate won this and he and meant to say clocked!
lets just say the mileage is erm less than half the true figure(100K MILES IN 06)

make sure you do an hpi and check any mileage via mot's(type "mot info" into google with the reg and v5 reference no)and up pops the truth, it's a good a check as can be reasonably done.

HP53 HWC(recently had a cherished plate H20...)
 
Last edited:
I'll add to AndyBoy's warning about dodgy A2's being sold at the moment. Always get a Car Data check done (£5 on the RAC website). I was about to go and look at a decent looking TDI Sport, but the car data check flagged up a very inconsistent mileage and it being a CAT D write off! :(
 
iv'e found more than a few dodgy A2's on my search for an honest car. there's a nice blue sport on autotrader currently with a dealer, once checked we found it's stolen recovered and been damaged.
tbh i'm suprised at the amount of iffy A2's around, what on earth is it with this model that attracts crooks?
 
Cheers for the "mot info" information just had a look at my cars mot history a few things i wasnt told about on there like indicators the wrong color they seem orange but not the right orange me thinks.

The front drivers side shocker not fully workingthought it was a little too bouncey.



cheers david
 
This post is giving me the heebie-jeebies a bit! Aside from the RAC check, is there any sure fire way of telling by visual inspection whether it's a high miler or not?

The check on the RAC website didn't reveal any hidden secrets about my A2 and I'm more than happy with it having had it for nearly 2 months now, but still, there are a few things in the paperwork that niggle me slightly...

Jon
 
I'm sure if your car has a good and solid service history, you can be safe and secure in the knowledge that the mileage is genuine. Something else I've noticed on higher mileage A2's is increased wear and tear on the interior. Have a look at frequently used climate and window switches, excessive marks on trim where fingers have been.

Not wanting to go off topic but all of the Diesels I've found/looked at seem much higher in mileage than many Petrols at the same kind of spec/price level. I'm wondering if going for a 1.6FSI Sport would be better option than a higher mileage Diesel Sport, as the cheaper purchase price (approx £1k! will offset the Diesel savings in fuel, tax and insurance costs?
 
Last edited:
Hmmm... the service history is a replacement and it has a shinier steering wheel than I would expect for a car with 36000 miles on it. I also checked out one of the previous owners who's job would suggest a lot of travelling...

If I took it to a main dealer for a check over could they tell if it's been clocked? Would there be any signs of tampering?

Thanks, Jon
 
Brabazon said:
If I took it to a main dealer for a check over could they tell if it's been clocked? Would there be any signs of tampering?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the long service intervals make it easier to get away with clocking. If the car hasn't changed hands, or the mileage wasn't recorded (it's optional) when sold there's no easy way of telling. The best way to tell is to compare with a car of known mileage. Speaking to previous owners, if possible is the best way of checking. Worth checking as even if a car is fairly durable, you don't want to leave things like cam belt changes too long, which would be very easy if you've been sold a clocked car.
 
andyboy said:
iv'e found more than a few dodgy A2's on my search for an honest car. there's a nice blue sport on autotrader currently with a dealer, once checked we found it's stolen recovered and been damaged.
Click to expand...

It would be nice to see them listed here, to share information & save wasted time & money looking at cars another member has already paid for a HPI check on. What do people think? I guess it's open to abuse, but it's a small risk.

andyboy said:
tbh i'm suprised at the amount of iffy A2's around, what on earth is it with this model that attracts crooks?
Click to expand...

It's probably not this model, rather any car that takes mileage well and is worth a lot 2nd hand.

The reason that you're seeing a lot of dodgy ones is that good ones get snapped up in days. Most people do HPI or similar checks, so bad ones are hard to shift. Another factor is that dodgy ones get sold on much sooner, whereas people hang on to good cars. In other words you get a distorted view of what's out there.

To illustrate this, imagine 10% of a model are dodgy. Of 100 cars, the 10 bad ones will take (say) 30 days to sell, and the 90 good ones, take just 5 days. So that's 300 bad car days versus 450 good car days on the forecourt. If you turn up on an average day, you'll get the impression based on the ratio of 300:450 bad:good, or 40% bad, when the real figure is 10%. In other words, you'll perceive there to be 4x the number of bad cars than there actually are...

The only solution is to be the first to view the good cars, because if you hang around someone else will buy them.
 
some people can get around anything, replace the pedal rubbers and take a few miles off before mot time.
i just bought mine from a lady solicitor who had owned it from new with audi fsh, that's probably as safe as it gets bar buying a main dealers car.
i like the idea of a bad car list on here but not sure if it's legal/possible?
 
andyboy said:
i like the idea of a bad car list on here but not sure if it's legal/possible?
Click to expand...

I doubt there are any legal issues as HPI can tell you about a car's history quite legally, so why not anyone else? You probably can't sell on the report to anyone else, but you could post saying I looked at car reg xxxx xxx and didn't buy it because of mileage/crash repair/documentation issues.
 
Not this guy again, he knows his car is dodgy, last time he said it had genuine mileage on the clock, he knew this as it only had one owner.
when questioned about the discrepency they knew nothing about it, suddenly they have a new story, and it's a good one:eek:


we estimated it may have done 150k miles based on our findings.
 
Last edited:
This car has now been reported to Ebay, who will probably do nothing!

As Chris says, as it is a 2001 car, it will not be congestion charge exempt and it may not qualify for the £35 VED.

The plate information is wrong too: I have been in touch with the DVLA and they tell me that cars imported into the UK are always given a plate relating to the year of manufacture, NOT the date of import into the UK.

So, the car is falsely registered, or has been registered under false pretences and is as dodgy as can be.


STEER CLEAR!!!

Cheersm

Mike
 
I'm sure it's not the same one... :eek:

625851635_9bc8c0d1e8.jpg
 
DVLA will not issue a plate with an date newer than the car is as this could make the car seem younger than it is, so even if you wanted that 57 plate on your car they won't allow it, something very fishy about it, especially if it's the one in Brabazon 's photo he he he.
Also I would have thought only Audi dealers could change the binacle so why haven't they updated the mileage on it, bet a call to customer services would reveal a thing or two.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top