Has my car been clocked?

[peteo]

I've been wondering about this largely since issues with tyre noise got me thinking about the tyres on the car.

I bought it from a main dealer. The service history showed a long life service after two years and 16,000 (ish) miles. A year later, it had been serviced again at 23,000 (ish) miles. Seems OK - average of about 7,500 per annum by first owner who had the car from new until first MOT.

But how do you explain this mish mash of tyres that were on the vehicle?

1) Front axle, two Michelins. Actually quite worn and I replaced after another, 2,000 miles.

2) Rear axle, two Goodyear NCT5s. Down to about 5 mm. One tyre has uneven tyre wear on the outside edge.

After 23,000 miles, I would expect the car to have all the original tyres. If the front had been replaced, they would surely be almost new? Or, at the very least, allowing for putting the best tyres on the back, at least two of the tyres would be nearly new?

Everything else stacks up but how can you explain two different tyre makes on a 23,000 car, none of them anywhere near having a full tread?

Do dealers routinely take decent tyres off cars?

[Sam]

Were they all (apart from the Goodyear) worn evenly?

Maybe they were punctured and the owner bought replacements from ebay?

[Eshrules]

you're not still on this "dealers are the spawn of satan" trip are you?

worn tyres do not equate to a clocked car, trust me, I know.

Have you had your tracking and suspension checked for faults? Any number of factors could cause a tyre to wear unevenly.

[paul b]

The tyres on my car don't last 20k miles.

fat 235 + lots of torque from a TDI + 60% urban driving = just under 20k on a set of tyres for me.

And it's been running on quality Michelin and Bridgestone tyres.

I wouldn't worry if I were you.

[shark_90]

What car is this on?

[eob]

Agreed, you can't use tyre wear as an indication of genuine mileage.

My passat has three different brands on. Two new fronts due to wear and a rear due to a puncture which leaves one of the original Goodyears.

On the E39 BMW 5series, there was an indicator which would display in the odometer reading to show that the value had been tampered with.
On that car, the mileage was stored in three locations as well as the insturment cluster. If there was a mismatch then this pixel would illuminate.
Some of the guys with highline trip computers had a problem with the LCD matrix becoming corrupt and would replace with a salvaged item. When they adjusted the mileage to read correct for their vehicle, they would be left with this tell tale sign.

Surely VAG would have some similar method?

[peteo]

Thanks for the replies. I am probably suffering from advanced paranoia! As regards my anti dealer stance, I do have "previous" on this although I have found the dealers for this car pretty good on the whole. They even do the cambelt change for a reasonable charge (£330).

The car is a Golf Mk 5 1.9TDI. 05 plate.

I am sure I read somewhere that you can get uneven tyre wear on the rear wheels. Could they be out of alignment? It's something I've never come across before.

[RickT]

As said above, there are many factors possilbe that the tyres are different..

Could be even the owner had replaced some of the tyres with part worns before trading it in??

If you in dobut requiring it been clocked, get VAG-COM onto it and check the recored milage stored.

A lot of clockers only amend the displayed value rather than the overall value. (ps.. its displayed in 'KM' in VAG-COM before you panic!)

Rick

[Captain Answer]

As said above, there are many factors possilbe that the tyres are different..

Could be even the owner had replaced some of the tyres with part worns before trading it in??

If you in dobut requiring it been clocked, get VAG-COM onto it and check the recored milage stored.

A lot of clockers only amend the displayed value rather than the overall value. (ps.. its displayed in 'KM' in VAG-COM before you panic!)

Rick

I've known no end of people who've had two cars, rolled them both down to their nearest ATS and had the worst ones put onto the one thats getting traded/sold where they've got cars of the right size "boots"

[shark_90]

The car is a Golf Mk 5 1.9TDI. 05 plate.

You should be able to verify the mileage stored in the ECU using VCDS. That of course may have been altered too if indeed your car has been clocked, but it's worth a check. :beerchug: