As a consequence our parent company Benchmark Automotive has a Senior PHP Developer position open.

This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of a young dynamic team at one of Ireland’s most innovative organisations in the automotive industry.

As well as operating Ireland’s leading Car History Provider, Benchmark Automotive facilitates all manner of business requirements for Insurance Customers, Parts Distributors, Maintenance Operators…etc.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for someone who can take a lead role in helping us to create, extend and optimise our database(s) as well as enhance the company’s core products with innovation and problem-solving skills.

A reputation of getting things done quickly and efficiently would be great. People who work with you will describe you as a smart, get it done, make it happen person.

What skills should you have?

• Experience with OOP PHP 5.
• Strong MySQL skills (with experience working on large databases preferable).
• Comfortable working with XHTML, CSS, Javascript especially JQuery and de-bugging cross-browser compatibility problems.
• Familiarity with Apache and Unix/Linux.
• Experience developing and / or working with APIs and MVC framework are a distinct advantage.
• A number of years experience working in a similar role with a proven track record as well as a relevant third level qualification would be preferable.

Where’s the Job and What will it Pay?

Our offices are based in Swords. Hours are 9am-6pm, mon-fri. The salary is negotiable and commensurate with experience. If you’re the right person the sky’s the limit!

How to apply.

If you’re interested in throwing your hat in the ring please forward your cv by email marked for the attention of human resources to hr@benchmark.ie

Related posts:

1. Custom Reports
2. Scam Warning for Irish Motor Trade
3. Merlin Car Auctions is Ireland’s Best Managed Company

This fraud involves a seemingly genuine vehicle that has been advertised at a fantastic price. The ad will contain pictures of what we call a ‘Ghost Vehicle’. This is a car that was once genuinely advertised and the fraudster stole the pictures for later use in a fake ad.

The fraudster may even purchase a Motorcheck report for the vehicle and publish a link to it for the unsuspecting buyer to view. Normally the ‘Ghost Vehicle’ will have a very good record with Motorcheck which can give buyers the false impression that the ad is genuine.

At Motorcheck we use a variety of methods to identify these reports. If you see this page when attempting to view a report you’ve seen mentioned in an online ad you can be fairly certain that the vehicle being advertised is being used as part of an elaborate scam.

There are of course other ways of identifying a scam which every buyer should be aware of.

Further Checks

For further advice from Motorcheck on how to identify and avoid car related scams click here.

Boards.ie also have a popular scam thread on their motor forum

If you think you have come across a car related scam or would like our advice on any advertisement you can leave a comment below and we’ll be in touch.

Related posts:

1. Scam Warning for Irish Motor Trade
2. Stolen Cars Seized in Balbriggan as part of Garda Operation
3. New Car Sales Disappoint With Small Rise (4.6%) On Last Year

In an effort to see if the problem was still as bad as ever we conducted a study of 6,000 Motorcheck reports that were produced this year for Irish consumers thinking of buying a car. The results were staggering - 1 in 5 of the vehicles we reported on were returned with an odometer discrepancy and potentially clocked.

One of the reasons people get conned by car clockers is that there simply isn’t enough awareness amongst the general public about the extent of this problem. We’re now a nation of bargain hunters and when we think we’ve found the deal of the century we’re inclined to act without thinking and hand over the cash.

The amount of people who contact us for advice after handing over cash in a supermarket car park to a stranger for a car that later turns out to be clocked (or worse) never ceases to surprise me.

In the News

RTE’s Nine O’Clock News featured the results of our study on tonight’s bulletin and I’m positive that this will help. At least for the moment….but more needs to be done. Our detection rate is increasing but it’s intrinsically linked to the quantity and quality of data our researchers can gather.

More Mileage Readings Required

Since 2007 the NCT programme has tested over 4 million cars (not including re-tests) and recorded an odometer reading at each test. Our own National Mileage Register has just under 4 million readings currently available to Motorcheck customers. If we combined the two we would have a greatly enhanced and effective weapon against car clocking.

For vehicles in the UK or previously imported to Ireland our UK partners provide our customers with access to over 50 Million odometer readings and our detection rate on clocked imports is benefiting greatly as a result.

RTE’s Will Goodbody reports in the piece above that Government officials are looking into the possibility of sharing the NCT data. SIMI’s Alan Nolan supports the proposal and Motorcheck is more than willing to do the heavy lifting (technically speaking). Here’s hoping it comes sooner than later.

In the interim, while it continues to be easy for a car clocker to modify the odometer reading on a car, it’s not so easy to explain the discrepancy when it shows up on a Motorcheck.ie report. Thankfully our detection rate is growing and we’re seeing more and more of these rogue sellers being caught out by our valued customers.

Related posts:

1. Car Clocking Costs Irish Consumers Up To €40 Million
2. FAQ – Is this car clocked?
3. Do You Want Free Motorcheck Reports?

The 64th motor show, this years event is subtitled “Future comes as standard” and the new selection of concept and electric cars certainly backs up the feeling that we’re moving into a new age. Tickets start at €15 and if you’re thinking of going you’ll need to book online here.

We’ll be adding pictures to this post over the coming hours so be sure to check back often!

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2. Barcelona Harley Days 2011
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In its report the BBC points out that the Northern Ireland Trading Standards Authority (the Northern Ireland equivalent of our National Consumer Agency) confirm that clocking is on the rise in the provence. The authority said that “We would be hard pushed to identify a town or city where there isn’t a clocker or a number of clockers operating”.

The threat to the Irish consumer continues to rise as buyers opting to import a car from Northern Ireland or mainland UK risk falling victim to the illicit practice. In 2011 alone there have been more than 19,000 passenger cars imported into the Republic.

BBC Consumer correspondent Martin Cassidy said the evidence was that for an increasing number of cars in Northern Ireland, the mileage you see is not the mileage the vehicle has actually done.

The undercover investigation targeted a car dealer who had been the subject of previous prosecutions for clocking. They visited Seven Towers Autos near Ballymena and test drove a peugeot car that had been advertised with 117,000 miles. A closer look at the cars history uncovered that it had previously been recorded at an MOT test with over 182,000 miles.

In November 2009 Motorcheck assisted RTE’s consumer show ‘Buyer Beware’ in a similar undercover operation. The results from the BBC investigation almost mirrored our previous findings proving that amongst dishonest traders, clocking is still alive and well.

Motorcheck Calls For Release of NCT Data

This example highlighted the significant contribution MOT records can make to the buying decision. In the UK if you have the MOT test number or V5 certificate number  you can obtain the previous MOT test results and their mileage readings free of charge online (click here).

Motorcheck strongly believes that the readings recorded by the Department of Transport in the course of an NCT examination could prove to be a significant addition to its National Mileage Register and we continue to lobby the Department of Transport for access to this data.

Our National Mileage Register currently holds in excess of 3.3 Million readings. Readings obtained from private trade sources as well as industry partners make the register the largest of its kind in Ireland with more unique readings from trusted sources than any other database.

We have helped thousands of people avoid the pitfall of buying a clocked car but would continue to advise that no matter what the result on its Motorcheck history check a thorough examination of the cars service history is vital in establishing its true mileage.

For further tips on how to avoid buying a clocked car click here.

Related posts:

1. Car Clocking Costs Irish Consumers Up To €40 Million
2. Clocking costs UK car buyers more than £500m a year
3. Motorcheck.ie Highlights Car Clocking on RTE News

If however you’re a shy person that values your privacy, you won’t relish the thought of publishing your mobile number in front of thousands of prospective buyers in an effort to convince complete strangers to come to your home just so you can adopt the role of ‘used car salesman’ for a day in the effort to flog your pride and joy.

Thankfully there is an alternative. Paraic Mooney has just launched a new website at www.epmooney.ie and he’s looking for cars!

Mooney’s are the first dealer in Ireland to implement their new ‘Cash for Cars’ service through Motorcheck and they’ve asked us to spread the word. They have plenty of cash waiting for good quality used cars so if you’re thinking of selling your car for cash why don’t you fill in the form and see what Mooney’s will offer you.

You may be pleasantly surprised!

Related posts:

1. Mooneys Cash For Cars Interactive
2. Mooneys Submission Form
3. Cash For Cars

The worst cases come from individuals who call to confirm the result of a finance check after they’ve bought the car rather than before, which kind of defeats the purpose, but I suppose knowing sooner is better than not knowing at all!

Whilst we don’t have any official statistics on the number of cars being repossessed in Ireland, when RTE’s The Consumer Show called us, we thought it was high time we conducted a survey of the current market and tried to uncover the chances of buying a used car with outstanding finance.

Certainly the figures coming from Motorcheck results suggested a high probability (in some cases as high as 1 in 3) but would this be reflected in a live survey?

We visited one of Ireland’s leading used car classified websites and from an initial search that included private advertisers, franchise and non-franchise dealers advertising vehicles registered 2006 and younger we randomly selected 100 listings.

Survey Results

The results were very interesting. Of the 100 cars surveyed -

• 30% of the sample turned up positive for finance on the official records of the Irish Credit Bureau
• After we contacted the banks in question, 21% of the sample were confirmed to have been on finance on the day they were advertised &
• 14% of the sample still have finance outstanding today.

Buying a car where an outstanding finance agreement is verified by Motorcheck is not a good idea!

The seller is not legally allowed to transfer title of the car to anyone until the finance is paid and if the seller disappears, goes bankrupt or refuses to clear the loan, you could be left shouldering the debt or facing a repossession order.

Stop! – Get Proof Before You Buy

Always ask for proof that finance has been cleared before taking ownership of a vehicle.

If in doubt give us a call – 01-8839230. We are always on hand to call the bank and independently verify every finance check free of charge.

If you need to check finance on a car right now you can enter the registration number in the box below.

Related posts:

1. BOSI Motor Finance to Withdraw from Irish Market
2. Are Dealers Still A Credible Source For Car Finance?
3. Audi R8 to Go Under the Hammer

VRT Calculator

The Revenue Commissioners introduced its online VRT calculator a number of years ago to determine the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) and VRT for any car or motorcycle being imported to Ireland. The service meant that anyone could shop for a car in the UK and calculate the taxes due without leaving their computer.

At Motorcheck we are constantly looking for new ways to improve the quality of automotive data available to our customers, so it was with great enthusiasm that we embarked on a project to improve and enhance the way VRT Calculations are sourced on the web.

Saving You Time

Having looked at the Revenue calculator we realised that Motorcheck could automatically populate the majority of information required directly from the registration number.

Our UK vehicle database is the best of its kind and by harnessing the power of the registration number we were able to bypass all of the manual form-filling required by the Revenue.ie website.

Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator

Now instead of spending 5 minutes entering 14 different fields of information at Revenue.ie (which you may or may not have to hand), you can use the Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator.

Simply enter a registration number and odometer reading and Motorcheck.ie will do all the work for you. It’s absolutely free of charge and it takes less than 10 seconds to get your VRT figure.

Not only that but you can also get a full UK history on the car you’re thinking of importing from Motorcheck with one click!

Delivering Accurate Results

VRT Calculations in 10 Seconds!

The VRT estimate provided by the Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator carries the same disclaimer as the Revenue.ie service.

A different amount may be payable if the Open Market Selling Price has changed and/or if a different rate of CO2 emissions is applicable and additional VRT may be payable if the vehicle is fitted with chargeable enhancements/accessories.

What Is VRT?

VRT or “Vehicle Registration Tax” is chargeable on registration of a motor vehicle in the Republic of Ireland. Every motor vehicle in the State, other than those brought in temporarily by visitors, must be registered with the Revenue Commissioners and VRT paid by the end of the next working day following its arrival in the State. A vehicle must be registered before it can be licensed for road tax purposes.

What does the Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator do?

The Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator uses the registration number of a vehicle to determine its Make, Model and Variant as well as its first date of registration and its CO2 emissions. With this information it calculates the Open Market Selling Price (OMSP) for VRT purposes and the amount of VRT payable. Please note that some Makes / Models / CO2 Emissions of vehicles are not included.

The types of vehicles that are included are typically:

Category ‘A’ Vehicles
Passenger Vehicles e.g. Saloons, Hatchbacks, MPVs, Jeeps, Coupes, Convertibles etc

Category ‘B’ Vehicles
Car Derived, Jeep Derived Vans, Crewcabs

The types of vehicles that are not included are typically Classic Collectable,  Motor Caravans (Campers), Kit Vehicles and vehicles that require to be assessed on an individual basis.

Category ‘C’ or Commercial Vehicles are not included in the calculator, but VRT is assessed at a flat rate of €50.00 on these types of vehicles.

Would You Like A VRT Calculator On Your Website?

If you would like a customised version of the Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator for your website please contact us at support@motorcheck.ie.

Try out the Motorcheck.ie VRT Calculator now!

Related posts:

1. Motorcheck introduces a ‘new’ New Car Search Engine
2. VRT Calculator
3. Motorcheck Saves Bill Cullen 40,000 Euro.