Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 281,618 playable programmes from the BBC

Fake Britain

Series 1

Episode 3: Fake Cars

Duration: 45 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC One WestLatest broadcast: on BBC One Wales

From his 'Fake House' stuffed with counterfeit goods, presenter Dominic Littlewood reveals the extent of fakes and counterfeiting affecting motor vehicles.

When cloned vehicles - cars that have been stolen and given fake identities - are sold on, their unsuspecting new owners can lose both the car and their cash when they are confiscated by the police. The programme shows how to spot a clone by investigating two identical vehicles: one is real, the other is a fake.

A massive service book scam means fake service histories can be bought online to disguise high-mileage or damaged cars. Some sellers of vehicles pay a fee to be introduced to a buyer for their car, only to find out they do not exist. Victims of the fake seller scam where buyers are asked to send money for a car which doesn't exist also tell their stories.

There's a look at tyres which are being sold in the UK entirely legally, and which look similar to leading brands, but are lower-standard copies made in the Far East. On a testing circuit in Germany, the dramatically longer braking distances of the cheaper and potentially dangerous copies are evident. Show less

About this data

This data is drawn from the data stream that informs BBC's iPlayer and Sounds. The information shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was/is subject to change and may not be accurate. More