01/08/2013
Clocked Car Dealer Sentenced
A Limavady car dealer has been found guilty of selling or offering for sale six 'clocked' cars to consumers.
Mr Michael Alexander Gahan, formerly of 8 Petrie Place, Limavady, pleaded guilty to 13 charges.
The investigation followed a consumer complaint alleging that Mr Gahan was selling clocked vehicles. Investigations by the Trading Standards Service then revealed that he had sold four such vehicles to separate customers.
Mr Gahan also offered a further clocked car for sale to two Trading Standards Officers and advertised a sixth clocked car for sale on the Used Cars NI website.
One consumer purchased a second hand vehicle with around 70,000 miles on the odometer from Mr Gahan in November 2010, but later discovered that the vehicle had been clocked.
The car had displayed a mileage of 145,000 miles when sold at an auction house in England in September 2010.
A further car sold by Mr Gahan had a previous mileage of 168,996 miles reduced to 76,000, while another had been altered from at least 166,862 miles down to 72,000 miles. A fourth clocked car was sold to another consumer.
Damien Doherty of the Trading Standards Service said: "This is one of the worst cases of car clocking that the Department has seen for many years. The number of vehicles uncovered by this investigation and the degree by which their mileages had been altered, points to a systematic clocking operation by Mr Gahan. He purchased cars with high mileages, reduced the mileage and sold them to unsuspecting consumers in Northern Ireland with the sole intention of committing fraud.
"Mr Gahan also went to great lengths to deceive his customers. He created false service books for each vehicle using fake garage service stamps to add another layer of deceit to his business operations and to help 'authenticate' the mileage of that vehicle."
Trading Standards advises the public to buy from a reputable dealer, and if possible, to consult with someone who knows about cars before buying.
Online vehicle mileage checks can also be carried out.
(IT/JP)
Mr Michael Alexander Gahan, formerly of 8 Petrie Place, Limavady, pleaded guilty to 13 charges.
The investigation followed a consumer complaint alleging that Mr Gahan was selling clocked vehicles. Investigations by the Trading Standards Service then revealed that he had sold four such vehicles to separate customers.
Mr Gahan also offered a further clocked car for sale to two Trading Standards Officers and advertised a sixth clocked car for sale on the Used Cars NI website.
One consumer purchased a second hand vehicle with around 70,000 miles on the odometer from Mr Gahan in November 2010, but later discovered that the vehicle had been clocked.
The car had displayed a mileage of 145,000 miles when sold at an auction house in England in September 2010.
A further car sold by Mr Gahan had a previous mileage of 168,996 miles reduced to 76,000, while another had been altered from at least 166,862 miles down to 72,000 miles. A fourth clocked car was sold to another consumer.
Damien Doherty of the Trading Standards Service said: "This is one of the worst cases of car clocking that the Department has seen for many years. The number of vehicles uncovered by this investigation and the degree by which their mileages had been altered, points to a systematic clocking operation by Mr Gahan. He purchased cars with high mileages, reduced the mileage and sold them to unsuspecting consumers in Northern Ireland with the sole intention of committing fraud.
"Mr Gahan also went to great lengths to deceive his customers. He created false service books for each vehicle using fake garage service stamps to add another layer of deceit to his business operations and to help 'authenticate' the mileage of that vehicle."
Trading Standards advises the public to buy from a reputable dealer, and if possible, to consult with someone who knows about cars before buying.
Online vehicle mileage checks can also be carried out.
(IT/JP)
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10 December 2003
Co Antrim car trader fined
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13 February 2017
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09 January 2012
Car Sales Drop Most In NI
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According to recent figures the UK new car market has done better than predicted in 2011 but it is still in decline with Northern Ireland sales showing the biggest drop. A regional breakdown of new car registrations has shown that sales in Northern Ireland fell by 11.7% in 2011 to 47,229 vehicles.
21 August 2006
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.