Odometer readings - Miles/KM

[Danith]

Me again!

OK so another myth I'd like to dispel if anyone can help?

Are cars genuinely on a mix of KM then miles? Ore are they converted (existing KMs too) at the point when registered in the UK and continue for those miles as miles?

What I can't get my head around is where a car may come in EG: 50k km so 31k miles approx, then be driven on UK roads for another 70k miles - the odometer will show 50+70=120k but it will actually be 31+70=101k miles?

Also how is it recorded at MOT? As sometimes the recorded miles on the MOT history only indicate the odometer reading?

thanks

 

[nails]

According to the documents and history I have with mine, it was converted from km to the equivalent in miles and now counts in miles so when mine states 55,000, it is 55,000 miles not a mixture.

 

[Torque GT]

I can't speak for every importer, but when we bring a car over (and providing the buyer wants us to do it, some like the car left in KM) we'll convert the existing odo reading from KM over to miles and convert the speedo to read and clock in miles.

 

[MilanoChris]

Mine was converted to miles, as was my first one.

 

[Johngreen537]

I can't speak for every importer, but when we bring a car over (and providing the buyer wants us to do it, some like the car left in KM) we'll convert the existing odo reading from KM over to miles and convert the speedo to read and clock in miles.

Still need mine doing but struggling to get anyone local. Can I pop down?

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[carl hammond]

I can't speak for every importer, but when we bring a car over (and providing the buyer wants us to do it, some like the car left in KM) we'll convert the existing odo reading from KM over to miles and convert the speedo to read and clock in miles.

Mine was imported by Torque GT and the original owner must have wanted to keep it in KM's as it was in km's until the guy I brought it off of brought it from Torque GT again (so I assume it was part ex'd in)?

The only thing that annoys me is that an MOT centre somewhere messed up one of the mileages on an MOT and it can't be changed. It nearly put me off the car but I have a proper bimta certificate from Torque GT to show the conversion etc and all paperwork tally's up so it's cool in my eyes and drivers perfectly etc, but online it looks like my cars mileage went up massively one year and then dropped again...

I contacted the DVLA and they said it cant be changed online :-(

This is it below

Test date: 2 April 2013
Expiry date: 9 April 2014
Test Result: Pass
Odometer reading: 117,006

Test date: 3 April 2014
Expiry date: 9 April 2015
Test Result: Pass
Odometer reading: 157,560

Test date: 7 April 2015
Expiry date: 9 April 2016
Test Result: Pass
Odometer reading: 126,7

Test date: 24 September 2015
Expiry date: 23 September 2016
Test Result: Pass
Odometer reading: 128,856

Test date: 30 August 2016
Expiry date: 23 September 2017
Test Result: Pass
Odometer reading: 87,674

Currently on 92.2K Miles

 

[Danith]

So it totally depends on owners choice then?

The bimta certificate is the only way to show true mileage then? Or is it just a case that on some mods theyve done it wrong and theres no way to prove?

 

[Torque GT]

Still need mine doing but struggling to get anyone local. Can I pop down?

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

Of course! Drop me a PM.

 

[Mark_teg]

The BIMTA Cert shows the mileage on import, after that it's down to U.K. Service history, MOTs, etc.

If the speedo is converted from KPH to MPH the odometer will then count in miles from this point (as they are connected). Over the years I've seen several sellers/car dealers claiming the odometer is all KMs, which wasn't the case.

Secondly you need to know if the odometer was adjusted or not - some are and some are not, depends on various things but no pattern that I've seen.
I bought my car from a certain importer who adjusted the odometer to show the correct mileage. A year later a friend bought his DC5 from the same place and his mileage wasn't adjusted. So you basically have to find out for yourself.

HTH

 

[Danith]

The BIMTA Cert shows the mileage on import, after that it's down to U.K. Service history, MOTs, etc.

If the speedo is converted from KPH to MPH the odometer will then count in miles from this point (as they are connected). Over the years I've seen several sellers/car dealers claiming the odometer is all KMs, which wasn't the case.

Secondly you need to know if the odometer was adjusted or not - some are and some are not, depends on various things but no pattern that I've seen.
I bought my car from a certain importer who adjusted the odometer to show the correct mileage. A year later a friend bought his DC5 from the same place and his mileage wasn't adjusted. So you basically have to find out for yourself.

HTH

Cheers for that mate, useful. So a lot of it is trust then. Not sure any other way of finding out except receipts, service stamps and mot which could be wrong

 

[Chrismartin]

Cheers for that mate, useful. So a lot of it is trust then. Not sure any other way of finding out except receipts, service stamps and mot which could be wrong

Hi Mate

Mark is spot on in what he says. I personally wouldn't be entertaining ones with a "mix" of miles and KMs. Not because they're all dodgey (they're not all bad) but you would need to make sure entirely that the paperwork adds up. And even then you have an unusual odometer reading.

For whatbits worth mines done properly and reads as follows

BITMA Certificate says imported 104,000km (as does torque gts invoice to myself) which equals 64k miles roughly. This tjen marries up perfectly to the first MOT that torque GT did (Will show screen shot below) and from then on the MOT history is asif it's a UK car.

 

[Chrismartin]

There you go mate.

Mind the failures they were for stupid things like fog light being the wrong colour and some red indicator covers haha. You get the idea

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[Danith]

Certainly makes it easier to track!

Oh so a proper mix after the import is a bit of warning signal? Jesus this is becoming a bit of a ballache!

 

[linh-ej9]

I won't even buy a car with mixed mileage. Why don't they just get it converted when it got imported.

 

[Danith]

I won't even buy a car with mixed mileage. Why don't they just get it converted when it got imported.

Bloody minefield this

 

[nails]

If you are worried just ignore ones with a mix.

 

[Danith]

Think 99% of what I've seen have a mix!

 

[Chrismartin]

Certainly makes it easier to track!

Oh so a proper mix after the import is a bit of warning signal? Jesus this is becoming a bit of a ballache!

Just go for one with it done properly mate. Ie

Cars stated mileage matches odo reading.

Cars odo reading looks in line with the mileage declared on the MOTs.

Check if mileage noted on services is in line with MOT and Odo reading.

E.g. if you've got a service 1st Jan 2017 that said 55k miles and an MOT from July 2016 with 60k or anything like that you know youve got a potential minefield.

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[carl hammond]

Personally I think you are safe if the care came in by a reputable garage and has been enthusiast owned, but I too was cautious as you have to be, as said many prefer a car to have been converted as did I and mine was by Torque GT so the odometer matches the mot's now, saying that you never know with imports so seeing is believing, documents, history, attention to detail and so on. Buy on condition not mileage, does the car look and feel as it should, is it straight? if so then that's the important part over most things as it's easy to get a rough low mileage car from japan which has been crash damaged.

I know a lot from SVA Imports have had issues as someone I know does all their paintwork for them (or did when I last spoke to him).

Any car imo that's been imported through Torque GT and enthusiast owned imo is a safe bet as they have such a good reputation.

 

[Liam]

JM Imports left the original KM reading on mine then fitted the MPH converter after its first MOT. It's easy enough to work out as obviously the odo reading on the first MOT cert is all KM and the remainder miles. I was told they do this with all of the cars they bring over and I know others do the same.

If I was to get another I'd probably request it was converted properly before the first MOT, but if you can verify the mileage adds up with who imported the car then I certainly wouldn't let it put you off a good car.