The Used Vehicles Importers Association (UVIA) has suspended two dealerships that were allegedly tampering with the mileage gauges of cars imported from Japan.

It said it took the action last week and has prohibited the said members from importing and selling such vehicles.

MaltaToday reported earlier on Sunday that as many as 300 cars may have been affected in a racket which started in 2019 and saw high-mileage cars bought cheaply in Japan and brought to Malta where their gauges were tampered with to show a far lower mileage. The cars were sold after false information was imputed in local systems and forged Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Centre (JEVIC) certificates were printed in Malta.

 (JEVIC) has a publically available online system where mileage and other vehicle details are logged, but the data was not checked by Transport Malta, the newspaper said.

Albert Fenech, the Secretary General of the Used Vehicles Importers Association urged motorists who were affected by the alleged abuse  to come forward with any information which they might have. 

"As UVIA, we commit to work closely with the authorities in order to stop those involved and to take action against the alleged abuse," he said in a statement. 

Motorists can check the mileage recorded on their Japanese import by entering their chassis number on the JEVIC site here.