Car dealers - Gangsters the lot of them

[Declan]

Car dealership directors admit price fixing
24/11/2008 - 20:32:33

A car dealership and its two directors are to be sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in relation to price fixing in the selling of Citroen vehicles in Leinster over a period of six years.

Gowan Motors (Parkgate) Ltd, Parkgate Street, Dublin, pleaded guilty through solicitor Mr Anthony Lang, that on dates between July 1996 and May 2002 within Leinster it entered an agreement with other undertakings to attempt to prevent, restrict or distort competition in the motor vehicle trade by directly or indirectly fixing the selling prices of Citroen vehicles.

The company directors, Brian Smyth, of Castlelands, Balbriggan, and Michael Patrick Gibbs, of Upper Carrickhill Road, Portmarnock, pleaded guilty to authorising or consenting to the same offence.

Judge Katherine Delahunt remanded Smyth and Gibbs on continuing bail until the sentence date next year when full facts will be heard in the case.

How many more stories about this game? Between clocking price fixing etc - Absolutelly hate dealing with them

[Ash Smoker]

Is there any handy way of telling if a car is clocked?
I have looked at some second hand cars where you have to wonder about the low mileage!

[stevo-08]

Is there any handy way of telling if a car is clocked?
I have looked at some second hand cars where you have to wonder about the low mileage!

Ask to see the service history. This will have a record of the dates and mileage for each service visit. If the mileage has been rolled back, there should be a discrepancy in the service history somewhere.

[Bud Wiser]

I was coming back from Kilmore Quay one night along the Arklow By-Pass and a big SUV passed me by and on the spare wheel cover he had an add for  ' Speedometer calibration for all types of vechicle'.  And so I rang the mobile number on the back and I said to him that he had just passed me towing a boat and the guts was pulled out of my littkle Freelander and that as a result I thought my speedo was out of calibration by about 35,000 miles.  He said he could fix it no problem and offered to meet me the next day.  He was only a little f**ker about 18 obviously making a fortune.  Can't understand if the two Gowan boys are before the wigs why this type are not?

[mylestheslasher]

I was coming back from Kilmore Quay one night along the Arklow By-Pass and a big SUV passed me by and on the spare wheel cover he had an add for  ' Speedometer calibration for all types of vechicle'.  And so I rang the mobile number on the back and I said to him that he had just passed me towing a boat and the guts was pulled out of my littkle Freelander and that as a result I thought my speedo was out of calibration by about 35,000 miles.  He said he could fix it no problem and offered to meet me the next day.  He was only a little f**ker about 18 obviously making a fortune.  Can't understand if the two Gowan boys are before the wigs why this type are not?

Clocking cars is not illegal. Selling a car that has been clocked is against the law. Pretty stupid laws really. Look in the buy and sell and you'll see guys advertising their "recalibration" services all  the time.

If buying a BMW 2nd hand you can bring the car to a BMW garage and stick it up on their diagnostic machine and you'll find out the proper mileage. BMW stores the mileage in a on board pc, in the key and in the clock.  Not sure about other cars.