I feel awful - unwittingly just bought a tampered car :(

[MaXXeH]

i am not being rude to you mate but it is £900 car, if it has no rust and runs, it is all good. dont get worrid about it, it is 900 not the end of the world! dont get much for £900 these days.

 

[Scania]

I really would'nt lose sleep over it, my BMW is 7 years old, and, has supposedly covered a mere 104k from new, I have detailed history of the car, but, thb it all means very little imo. I'm pretty certain my car is "genuine", but, who really knows?

I would'nt know if it had actually done 200k! - Its got a digital odometer that any numpty with a laptop can alter to his hearts content, and service records are easily reproduced and I've seen stupid mileage cars that really don't show it at all ,my old man has an e39 5 Series, just passing 200k you'd think it had done less than 70k to look - closely - at it.

BTW, I paid £5k plus my old car for my BMW.

I don't lose sleep over it and for what you've paid mate, you certainly should'nt.

 

[Stiff_Cookie]

Whether or not it has been tampered with what you need to take from this is a lesson in paying closer attention when you are spending big bucks.

I am pretty sure a lot of people in here have been ripped off at least once in their life, the idea is to take something from it and not let it happen again. The next time you buy a car, make a check list of things you want to look over and go through that checklist.

At the end of the day you have a running car that you didnt pay too much for.

 

[chopchop]

a cars odometer reading rarely lines up perfectly....
now instead of whining like a baby, that my cars been clocked, waaaaaa waaaaaa......
why dont you contact the previous owner that is listed on the logbook and ask him what the mileage was...
if he says 120k, then you will have a case against the guy u bought the car from.

£900 isnt a lot of money for a car either.....

 

[GT3]

I know what it's for but i'm pretty sure my 106 didn't have one...

I think base model 106/saxo's which don't have a rev counter just have a light which flickers on if it gets too hot - very retro

Mine has a gauge, and GTI/Rallye/VTS' have an oil temp gauge - wish mine had one!

 

[benneh]

I really wouldnt stress about it. With cheaper cars really the main thing is how the engine runs. 50 or 150k, makes no real difference so long as the engine is in good running order. Which i presume it is, being as you bought the car.

But like fox said, the temp guage is VERY important IMO, it's one of the few visual representations of how the car is behaving. I'm forever checking mine.

 

[chopchop]

But like fox said, the temp guage is VERY important IMO, it's one of the few visual representations of how the car is behaving. I'm forever checking mine.

only because you had a rover

 

[Firestar_3x]

Did you buy this with your eyes closed?

I mean its one thing to buy the car knowing its got damage on it, you stated a 3inch crack, but its quite another thing to use that against the car after buying it with the knowledge its got that damage...

All the above advice is good think you should follow it.

 

[D4VE]

maybe it has been clocked but im sure the temp dial doesnt work since i was driving it for and hour today and it didnt move from base line.
Also, should the rev needle be at '1' when the car is running and no accelator applied, and in nutral also? [need to check that again tomorrow to see what it goes to when the engine is off].

Its probably just the thermostat, very common and easy to replace, probably about £5 from Ford

The rear of the gauge pod should have anti tamper screws. If it really worries you, why not remove the guages and have a look to see if its been messed with?

The mileage gauge is probably just naff Ford build quality

 

[jpmonkey69]

only because you had a rover

Lol...

I check mine all the time, and I drive a Rover 620Ti

hehehe

 

[Tesla]

I expect that the dial is fine and faultless but the temp. sender is at fault. They are about £10 from Ford and screw in like a spark plug.

I spent £900 on my Mondeo and it had a few niggly faults like this. Cost me about £100 to cure all of them so for £1000 I got a faultless car.

I say get stuck in and cure these little faults yourself.

Also it doesn't sound clocked. It would be nearer to 50k than 100k if it was clocked.

 

[Jonny69]

Well the clocks in my Anglia are falling to bits and I've bought another set to replace. In fact my old ones are sold and gone so I now have no record on how far the car has gone. No-one really cares.

I agree with Fox today, it's not such a big deal and if it runs fine and drives straight then it's no big deal.

 

[-Neil-]

I think base model 106/saxo's which don't have a rev counter just have a light which flickers on if it gets too hot - very retro

Yes, the base models have only a light for temp indication. So far mine hasn't come on once in 2 years of thrashing the car within an inch of its life bouncing off the rev limiter (diesel ).

Neil.

 

[volospian]

Personally I wouldn't be worried about the mileage, but I'd get the temp gauge fixed asap, it could be hiding a silted up or otherwise dodgy cooling system which could result in overheating and potential damage.

I'd get it working and if it indicates a normal running temp, I'd be a lot happier.

 

[Dogbreath]

I know what it's for but i'm pretty sure my 106 didn't have one...

I'm pretty sure you'll find it did! Even the most poverty spec Pacific rim poo will have a temperature gauge if it has a water cooled engine.

 

[Simon]

I'm pretty sure you'll find it did! Even the most poverty spec Pacific rim poo will have a temperature gauge if it has a water cooled engine.

My old 205 GT just had a light that sayed 'STOP' when it got too hot

 

[GT3]

I'm pretty sure you'll find it did! Even the most poverty spec Pacific rim poo will have a temperature gauge if it has a water cooled engine.

As you can see in this pic, there is no temp guage at all. Just speedo, petrol guage and clock.

 

[Firestar_3x]

As you can see in this pic, there is no temp guage at all. Just speedo, petrol guage and clock.

Funny looking clock!

 

[GT3]

Funny looking clock!

LOL didn't notice that! Didn't realise some 1.1s came with rev counters.

 

[geiger]

Dont worry too much about it, I tend to do the same after spending a lot of money in one go. Having a crash would be a bigger disaster and people waste more money on evil finance agreements and massive insurance premiums by buying silly cars for their circumstances, you've allready done well by avoiding these mistakes.

In a years time your'll know for sure wether you made a mistake today or not, in the meantime get a Haynes manual and make sure the car is well maintained in your care.