Sudesh
06-02-2010, 08:37 PM
Stolen logbooks continue causing cloning chaos - what to watch out for
Several thousand V5 logbooks stolen from the DVLA in 2006 are continuing to assist car cloners in creating false identities for stolen motors.
The story goes that the logbooks had a minor misprint and had been earmarked for destruction - but somewhere between the printers and the shredder, the papers went missing, only to surface over the next three years (and counting) being used to create false vehicle identities. So far over £13m worth of cars have been stolen and cloned in this way, and Police are still recovering around 10 stolen logbooks every week. It is estimated that 120,000 to 130,000 stolen blank documents are still in circulation. Fortunately a contact at the Police told PH that if you're savvy, these cloned cars can be spotted before that fateful knock at the door from plod.
First and foremost, check the nine-digit V5 Logbook code. You can find it here:
http://images.pistonheads.com/nimg/21470/tn_Logbook1.jpg
According to the DVLA, all logbooks with codes in the range of BG8229501 to BG9999030 or BI2305501 to BI2800000 are stolen, and should be immediately reported to the DVLA.
Other than that, be sure to perform all of the normal checks you'd look to do when buying a used car. An HPI check is a must, but in itself its not enough - most clones will appear to be fine on the database. Always check that details on the HPI report match up with the vehicle you're looking at - clones aren't always perfect copies, and discrepancies in colour or spec could possibly be indicators that something is amiss.
Also, be sure to visually inspect all VIN plates to see if they appear tampered with or replaced. You can find the location of these plates by typing your car's name into a search engine and having a dig around.
We love used cars here at PH, and it always makes us sad to see this sort of thing going on. But we won't let a DVLA ****-up come in the way of finding a pre-loved bargain, and nor should you - just be sensible, do your checks and for goodness sake check that logbook code!
Several thousand V5 logbooks stolen from the DVLA in 2006 are continuing to assist car cloners in creating false identities for stolen motors.
The story goes that the logbooks had a minor misprint and had been earmarked for destruction - but somewhere between the printers and the shredder, the papers went missing, only to surface over the next three years (and counting) being used to create false vehicle identities. So far over £13m worth of cars have been stolen and cloned in this way, and Police are still recovering around 10 stolen logbooks every week. It is estimated that 120,000 to 130,000 stolen blank documents are still in circulation. Fortunately a contact at the Police told PH that if you're savvy, these cloned cars can be spotted before that fateful knock at the door from plod.
First and foremost, check the nine-digit V5 Logbook code. You can find it here:
http://images.pistonheads.com/nimg/21470/tn_Logbook1.jpg
According to the DVLA, all logbooks with codes in the range of BG8229501 to BG9999030 or BI2305501 to BI2800000 are stolen, and should be immediately reported to the DVLA.
Other than that, be sure to perform all of the normal checks you'd look to do when buying a used car. An HPI check is a must, but in itself its not enough - most clones will appear to be fine on the database. Always check that details on the HPI report match up with the vehicle you're looking at - clones aren't always perfect copies, and discrepancies in colour or spec could possibly be indicators that something is amiss.
Also, be sure to visually inspect all VIN plates to see if they appear tampered with or replaced. You can find the location of these plates by typing your car's name into a search engine and having a dig around.
We love used cars here at PH, and it always makes us sad to see this sort of thing going on. But we won't let a DVLA ****-up come in the way of finding a pre-loved bargain, and nor should you - just be sensible, do your checks and for goodness sake check that logbook code!