Dodgy dealing in the used car sale sector is fuelling record numbers of complaints from unsuspecting buyers.
Fair Trading has prosecuted multiple car dealers across suburban Sydney this year through new laws aimed at weeding out car dealers tampering with vehicle odometers, falsifying documents and working without a license.
NSW Fair Trading is cracking down on dodgy car sales.Credit: Nikki Short
Recent convictions include a north-west Sydney husband and wife duo who were last month found guilty of odometer tampering.
The watchdog received 503 complaints from buyers about odometer tampering in 2023 – more than double the 242 received the previous year.
The surge is partly attributed to new technology which makes winding back odometers easier, as well as misleading advertising in the booming online car sales market.
Wentworthville father Shukan Thakkar was left thousands of dollars out of pocket when he bought a secondhand Mazda MX6 for $6800 on an online forum.
“As soon as we started driving it something was off – it constantly needed to be taken for repairs to be fixed,” he said.
It was eventually discovered that the odometer had been wound back from 200,000 kilometres to 140,000 kilometres.
“The mechanic eventually told us it wasn’t worth spending any money trying to fix the car so we ended up just scrapping it for parts,” Thakkar said.
Odometer tampering – to falsely inflate a vehicle’s perceived condition and value by making it appear newer and less used – is among offences targeted by new laws introduced in December, which also include prohibitions on possessing or fitting tampering devices.
Since laws were introduced, compliance activity by Fair Trading NSW has led to the licences of two dealers being cancelled for producing false vehicle inspection reports, while three others have been prosecuted for odometer tampering, unlicensed motor dealing, and using falsified documents.
Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said the new laws sent a message.Credit: Steven Siewert
Kellyville Ridge husband and wife duo Pedram Hemmatifarahani and Neginsadat Nabavieh were convicted in the NSW Local Court last month after pleading guilty to offences including odometer tampering.
The pair were convicted and sentenced to community corrections orders. Hemmatifarahani was also ordered to repay $16,900 in compensation to four buyers.
In a separate case, dealers James Steven Power and Anthony James Baysari had their motor tradepersons certificates cancelled and were disqualified from holding a licence or being involved in the management of a business for which a licence is required, for 10 and six years respectively.
Power pleaded guilty to producing vehicle inspection reports knowing the documents to be false or misleading, as well as issuing reports without inspecting vehicles, and Baysari was convicted for producing false inspection reports.
The NSW government is currently considering expanding car sale regulations through amendments which would include requirements for all cars advertised in online platforms to be physically sold in NSW, to enable pre-purchase inspections.
NSW Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said the recent convictions send “a clear message that dishonest conduct will not be tolerated”.
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