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Are HPI checks worth having?
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Author Post
artisan100   
Thu Jun 05 2014, 07:02pm
Joined: Mar 15 2014
Member No: #1625
Location: Herefordshire
 I'm looking at buying a C6 from an independent dealer and the day before I went for the test drive I paid for an HPI check (£20). It said 'Alert - there may be a mileage discrepancy on this vehicle'. When I got the figures I guess it's because about 2 years ago it went from 22,000 to 52,000 in three weeks. But six months later it was MOT'd and the recorded mileage was 34,000. Doing 30,000 in three weeks seems unreasonable to me and I guess it has been been 'miswritten' or 'misread' or entered into the computer wrongly. Subsequent mileages all make sense.

I've checked the HPI website and they stress that the figures in the 'National Mileage Register' are dependent on people submitting accurate data, and so I guess that's not what happened here. They will change data if they have proof it's wrong, but of course the logic quoted above would be impossible to prove.

So although I might be happy to buy the car, when I come to sell it there's bound to be the same 'Alert....' message on the HPI check.

My question is, would a dealer then sting me if I tried to p/x it, and do you think I would stand a chance of convincing a private buyer that the problem is a false one?

Geoff
drummond   
Fri Jun 06 2014, 07:31pm
Joined: Sep 20 2010
Member No: #238
Location: Aldeburgh
 How old is the car, and how much are you thinking of paying for it? Has it got a verifiable history? The mileage is not really of relevance if the rest is ok.
artisan100   
Sat Jun 07 2014, 06:20am
Joined: Mar 15 2014
Member No: #1625
Location: Herefordshire
 The car is Exclusive 2.7, Lounge pack, late 2009, on offer at thick end of £10k. First stamp in the service book was a Citroen dealer, and the rest are from the same independent who seems now to be closed.

Geoff
ChrisHunter   
Sat Jun 07 2014, 10:36am
Joined: Jul 20 2010
Member No: #188
Location: Lancashire
 know nothing about HPI checks, but do they really have week by week data ?

either way, how & when to they collect the data ?
Cisco   
Sat Jun 07 2014, 10:53am
Joined: Sep 10 2013
Member No: #1429
Location: Glasgow
 I had a look at the ad. They seem to have priced it based on the 32k mileage. You have found that there is an issue with the mileage which is not addressed in the ad.. which they will have known all about.

Walk away or make offer based on the 52k mileage..around £7k-8k max.

There is always another car.

Good luck with your search.
artisan100   
Sat Jun 07 2014, 10:59am
Joined: Mar 15 2014
Member No: #1625
Location: Herefordshire
 Cisco - I know which ad you're looking at, but it's not that car.

Geoff
artisan100   
Sun Jun 08 2014, 04:10pm
Joined: Mar 15 2014
Member No: #1625
Location: Herefordshire
 "know nothing about HPI checks, but do they really have week by week data ?

either way, how & when to they collect the data ?"

Apparently dealers are invited to submit the data when a car changes hands. Likewise, HPI apparently send out forms to a small percentage of buyers inviting them to submit data on the car they've just bought.

Of course none of this data is checked and so is just entered into their 'National Mileage Register' database as is. Then when an HPI check is done on a car's mileage if there's a discrepancy it comes up with the Alert message shown above. That allows HPI to say in their advertising that "1 in 20 cars we check has a discrepancy with its mileage meaning it may have been clocked." (Straight quote from their website.)

Now call me a cynic if you like, but the higher the percentage of cars that 'may' have a mileage discrepancy then the likelier it is that Joe Public will hand over some dosh to have the HPI check. So would it be in HPI's interests to have more or fewer cars in their 'National Mileage Register' with possible mileage discrepancies?........

Geoff
ChrisHunter   
Sun Jun 08 2014, 07:18pm
Joined: Jul 20 2010
Member No: #188
Location: Lancashire
 in which case, they would seem to be of doubtful value ...

either way, from all the posts to this forum, and the trends they suggest, it would seem mileage & what needs to be fixed are fairly-well correlated ... so, unless needlessly abused. buying a 'C6 ought to be a fair bet, given it's an automatic, given its age, and given a trustworthy service record (oil changes etc being so very important) ...

wife's 'Berlingo will be going through 100k before very long, wonder what should be next ... ?
Dave Mc   
Mon Jun 09 2014, 07:18pm
Joined: Mar 02 2010
Member No: #64
Location: Weston-super-Mare
 They collect data by contacting previous owners. I recently had a questionnaire about a Fiat Punto I bought from new, big mistake!! They enquired about mileage, servicing where purchased and who it was sold to. First time in over 40 years I've ever been contacted.
 

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