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Too close for comfort

FROM when I began driving my 2006 Hyundai Elantra SLX I noticed cars behind me were driving quite close. It thought I was driving under the speed limit, so I checked my car against a speed check on a local highway. When my car was on 100km/h the speed check device showed 92km/h. On other occasion, my husband drove beside me and when I was on 100km/h his was on 92km/h. He has checked his Holden Commodore against the speed check on many occasions and it has always been correct. My dealer checked the speedo and I was told that a 10 per cent tolerance was allowed in the indicated speed and they could not do anything about my car. They tested with a hi-scan tool and it showed that at 100km/h it was doing 95km/h. Am I correct in saying from what I've read in Carsguide that if it reads 100km/h, it should be 100km/h or it could be greater, not under as mine is.

A SPEEDO must not indicate a speed lower than the actual speed, but it can indicate a speed higher than the speed within a tolerance of 10 per cent plus 4km/h. Your car seems to fall within that tolerance. The check you have done against the highway speed indicator suggests that it is within the band laid down by the ADR, and the check against your husband's car confirms that result. The dealer check is confusing, but also seems to confirm the other two results, in that when your speedo is showing 100km/h your car is actually doing 95km/h.

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