So you have bought an eight-year-old used car with a mileage of just 50,000km? Well, you may have been conned.
Unscrupulous motor traders keen on satisfying Kenyans’ quest for vehicles with low mileage are hoodwinking thousands of motorists by rewinding odometer readings.
Known as “clocking” in the motoring industry, some dealers with computer-savvy agents are rolling back the odometer by up to 100,000km without batting an eyelid.
The tampering is done by brokers at garages in Mombasa town at a cost of Sh10,000 per vehicle.
“Experts work on the meter to reduce the mileage to the desired kilometers. There are those who deal with the electronic meter, which is more expensive to handle because it requires a special device,” said a source.
They then disguise it by washing the car, changing the tyres and getting an oil change. But it is now possible to confirm whether you were swindled by checking the real mileage online – in less than two minutes.
All you need to do is log on to the Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Centre Co Ltd (Jevic) website (www.jevic.com) and key in your car’s chassis number. This service is only available for vehicles with a Jevic sticker.
Jevic was appointed by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) to conduct pre-export roadworthiness inspection of all used motor vehicles from Japan, South Africa, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, destined for use within Kenya.
The inspection is intended to minimise the risk of unsafe and substandard vehicles entering the market.