How to correct HPI / NMR mileage history?

thewagster

Selling a deceased relative's car on behalf of the family. Sale agreed through auction site but buyer's HPI check has flagged a mileage discrepancy and the sale is on hold pending its resolution.

I've got 2 lots of evidence to support the fact that an MOT mileage was entered in error:

• Service history and MOT mileage history (2 MOTs were completed within 6mths of each other during pandemic lockdown by the same national car dealer - mileage essentially jumps from 21k to 34k to 21k).Incidentally this dealer is who my relative bought the car from.
• I've also been given a copy of an HPI mileage report which supports the above with some additional entries at the 21k mileage.

Have written to HPI - they wont speak to me as they are a commercial organisation and I haven't bought a report from them.

Can I press upon the national car dealer that they engage with HPI to correct it. If they won't help, do I take it up with trading standards?

Should this have been caught at the point of sale to my relative - is there any accountability on the dealer that sold the car to my relative (assuming they advertise that all vehicles are hpi checked?)

My big grumble is the evidence is clear a mistake has been made. This is currently holding up the sale and will likely result in a revised offer being made or the sale falling through. Yet my options aren't clear how this can be resolved.? 

Thanks

Mildly_Miffed

The register is a historical record of submissions made as to the mileage. If one of those submissions was incorrect, the time to correct it has long since passed. 

Your relative did not find the NMR or MOT historical entries a problem when they bought it, did they?

Incorrect MOT mileage entries can be corrected within 28 days of the test easily. If the test was longer ago than that, then there's a much higher level of proof required.
https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/correcting-mot-certificate-mistakes

thewagster

@MildlyMiffed - he was in his 80s and clearly thought that by buying from a national car trader that he'd have no worries. I can understand the dealers doing a hpu check before they buy, but if selling vehicles as hpi checked, you'd expect the car to be clear of finance and mileage flags.

Thanks for the link - very useful. I've followed up this morning with the outfit that sold the car to my relative (and where the mileage errors occured). It's now with their after sales team who have access to VOSA - I've offered to pop into their showroom tomorrow to assist 😅

Mildly_Miffed

The HPI report would have flagged the discrepancy - but it's up to a potential buyer to decide what to do about it.

It sounds like it's a blatant error, so nothing terribly worth worrying about.

21k -> 34k -> 21k could have a very obvious and easy explanation... 34,000km is 21,120 miles. Does the car have a digital dash that can be changed from reading miles to km?

Wonka_2

Not sure what you expect to happen - as others have said HPI is a reflection of public records and you’re out of time for changing the MOT record. 

I speak as someone who’s been in a similar situation and my compromise was a written note from the MOT garage accepting that the rogue entry was, to the best of their knowledge, an error given the supporting documentation (service record pre-MOT) 

thewagster

Mildly_Miffed said:

The HPI report would have flagged the discrepancy - but it's up to a potential buyer to decide what to do about it.

It sounds like it's a blatant error, so nothing terribly worth worrying about.

21k -> 34k -> 21k could have a very obvious and easy explanation... 34,000km is 21,120 miles. Does the car have a digital dash that can be changed from reading miles to km?

21k -> 34k -> 21k miles (my shorthand sorry)

thewagster

Wonka_2 said:

Not sure what you expect to happen - as others have said HPI is a reflection of public records and you’re out of time for changing the MOT record. 

I speak as someone who’s been in a similar situation and my compromise was a written note from the MOT garage accepting that the rogue entry was, to the best of their knowledge, an error given the supporting documentation (service record pre-MOT) 

What I hope will happen is that common sense will prevail and the public record can be amended - I'm liaising with the dealer who sold the car and its in the hands of their after sales team. Individuals there have so far been supportive as the error is obvious.

Your suggestion of the compromise is a good one - whether my existing buyer will accept it as they are also trade is unknown.

Mildly_Miffed

thewagster said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

The HPI report would have flagged the discrepancy - but it's up to a potential buyer to decide what to do about it.

It sounds like it's a blatant error, so nothing terribly worth worrying about.

21k -> 34k -> 21k could have a very obvious and easy explanation... 34,000km is 21,120 miles. Does the car have a digital dash that can be changed from reading miles to km?

21k -> 34k -> 21k miles (my shorthand sorry)

Yes, I'm suggesting that the 34k was *actually* 34k km (21k miles), which was mis-recorded by the tester who hadn't noticed the dash had been swapped from miles to km.

thewagster

Mildly_Miffed said:

thewagster said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

The HPI report would have flagged the discrepancy - but it's up to a potential buyer to decide what to do about it.

It sounds like it's a blatant error, so nothing terribly worth worrying about.

21k -> 34k -> 21k could have a very obvious and easy explanation... 34,000km is 21,120 miles. Does the car have a digital dash that can be changed from reading miles to km?

21k -> 34k -> 21k miles (my shorthand sorry)

Yes, I'm suggesting that the 34k was *actually* 34k km (21k miles), which was mis-recorded by the tester who hadn't noticed the dash had been swapped from miles to km.

That had never occurred to me - I'll have to do some digging

Herzlos

All you can do is show the buyer that it's most likely a paperwork error, with the miles/km being the most obvious reason. If they aren't happy with it, then find another buyer and be open about the discrepancy.

Are you selling to a private individual or a trader?
Was the discrepancy made before the car was purchased?

Wonka_2

thewagster said:

Wonka_2 said:

Not sure what you expect to happen - as others have said HPI is a reflection of public records and you’re out of time for changing the MOT record. 

I speak as someone who’s been in a similar situation and my compromise was a written note from the MOT garage accepting that the rogue entry was, to the best of their knowledge, an error given the supporting documentation (service record pre-MOT) 

What I hope will happen is that common sense will prevail and the public record can be amended - I'm liaising with the dealer who sold the car and its in the hands of their after sales team. Individuals there have so far been supportive as the error is obvious.

Your suggestion of the compromise is a good one - whether my existing buyer will accept it as they are also trade is unknown.

Do you have any of the evidence they ask for for a 'post 28 day' change Getting an MOT: Fix mistakes on your MOT record - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ?

If not then there isn't a 'common sense' option - as I found out