DIY service history or stamped?

[sierraman]

When buying chod what do you prefer to see? Attention from the garage every year by way if a service or owner maintenance? Used to think owner maintenance but after several cars with stuff done up way way too tight/ loose, missed or just done plain badly I think I'm happier seeing it when an experts had his hands on it?

[dollywobbler]

The price I usually pay, I'm happy if it has oil in the engine. 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Define 'expert' . I don't think that bad workmanship is the sole preserve of the home mechanic.

Also remember how easy it was to create a nice looking service history in the days before it was all available centrally from the manufacturer.

A so-called expert in Rolls Royce and Bentley created an impressive history file for the time I owned a car a few years ago, it came to light when the new owner wrote to me about the new diff I'd had fitted. Needless to say it hadn't seen the inside of a proper workshop at all during my ownership. The only thing that stopped the dealer getting done was the death( natural causes!) of the poor sod who got stitched up.

[Junkman]

Shite has no service history.

[HMC]

There are always exceptions to every generalisation; Leafing through the Rover 220 records it's when it went to a ' professional' garage in its earlier life that it had compromised repairs on the head gasket, whereas since its fallen into shiters hands its had DIY maintenence and repairs, of a far higher standard. Your typical home mechanic is unlikely to have the skillzorzzz or patience of Bo11ox however!

[steve_earwig]

Mate of mine works in a motor factors here. A few years back he had a guy in a Glof pull up outside, he's on his was back from having it serviced at a VAdGe franchise and the oil light's come on. Mate pulls the dipstick out, there's a little drop of oil on the end. It's black as soot.

 

I think I'd prefer a file full of reciepts than a book full of dealer stamps but then there's no substitute for using your eyes.

[dave21478]

Pretty much every car I have bought has come with a V5. Sometimes an MOT too. And thats about it. Occasionally there will be a handbook pack and the service book sometimes has a few dealer stamps at the start, which then give way to hand-written scribbles sometime in the '90s and then nothing apart from maybe a crumpled receipt from ATS for an exhaust section in 2001.

 

 

The exception to this was a 106 diesel I got this summer which came with a notepad full of tiny giffer handwriting detailing EVERYTHING the car had ever had done, with date, mileage and price paid. Servicing, repairs, bulbs, wiper blades...it was all there, including a log of every tank of fuel he had ever put into it with the calculated MPG next to the mileage.

[sierraman]

It must just be me that buys cars that Charles Atlas has done the nuts up... When I say expert I'm not talking a sheaf of bills from Kwik Fit. Their only expertise is up-selling. I'm talking in an ideal world, usually its a few old MOTs some dog eared receipts for some air freshners from a few years ago.

[xtriple]

Ideally, full main dealer history all nicely stamped up with every receipt to back it up. But as that is as likely as me getting laid, I prefer to go by the owner themselves. If they are a mouth breathing, knuckle dragging moron that insists it's 'always been well looked after mate' I walk regardless of what history it has. However, if it's an old boy or an enthusiast that knows his arse from a hole in the ground and has looked after it, kept receipts and a logbook if at all possible, it'll do for me!

 

As anyone who has worked in the trade knows, corners get cut all the time in garages - when I worked for Dovercourt (Hull) VW dealers, all the fitters were on piece rate and most could fit 16 hours into an 8 hour day!

 

For resale, main dealer history is best, then independant dealer history, then garage history and... that's your lot! No dealer will keep paperwork so all your carefully kept receipts and logs will instantly get filed WPB the moment you step away. The exception to this is of course dedicated chod dealers (do they exist?) and specialists/hich end dealers... and of course, we all frequent these guys daily... don't we?

[cort16]

If it's 500 quid I don't care but on my CL it was nice to see a big folder full of Mercedes receipts with lots of zeros on them for work done. If it didn't have that history I wouldn't have bought it (for the money I paid) as everyone else looking to buy one is looking for history so it would be impossible to shift on. 

[Bamboocarman]

Bought an expensive Smart Roadster from a Smart 'specialist' in Hampshire some time ago (Hampshire, and I was living in Co. Durham at the time).

 

It was supplied with a pre-sale full service.

 

When I got it back North and checked it over, the engine oil was black runny water, and the front brake pads were down to their backing plates.

 

Yes, should have checked before I set off from the dealers, but where does 'trust' in an established specialist begin and end?

 

Important lesson learnt by me that day.

 

I hope the thieving bar stewards rot in Hell, or Middlesborough.

[beko1987]

I go for owner servicing and what he's like rather than main dealer 'skimpy' servicing

 

When I bought the XM, campbell explained everything it had had done and he ws spot on right about everything, hence no real issues in my ownership

 

When I bought the ZX, there wasnt really much paperwork, but the engine bay is full of dymo labels detailing the date and mielage of all the work. There's one for the clutch, one for the cambelt, one for the last oil and filter change, one for the last gearbox fluid change, the lot! I dont own a dymo labeller, so will start the tradition of handwritten notes when I start it's next round of servicing/maintenance!

 

SWMBO's car came with the last MOT and V5, that's it! nothings gone wrong yet that wasn't wear and tear, although it's due a cambelt soon, any shiters near oxfordshire any good with 1.6 8v orlvoxhallsrshit cambelt/waterpump/pulley changes for beer money?

[MarvinsMom]

on my bangers, it kinda depends onn whether or not its a job i could comfortably, and safely finish.

 

so the xjr has been serviced at a local specialist, with stamps in its book, the rover has been serviced by a 75 club member, and as its original service book is full, i got a generic one for it, just to keep a record of the servicing, while the mini and metro both have giffer style pages listing when and at what milage things were attended to.

 

as i'm ok with a-series engines, but dont understand these new fangled electronical things so i send it to someone who does.

 

but i am wiered and anal over tings like that...

[Matt]

Shite has no service history.

 

 

- Shite has no undertray

- Shite has no service history

 

Anything else shite doesn't/shouldn't have?

[fordperv]

service history is nice but means nothing really, but the home mechanic usually* takes extra care, i always service my car regardless of what it is at 5000- 6000 mile intervals, its peace of mind more than anything, my cars do get pampered 

[trigger]

My father in law has just bought a new Skoda Roomster and the dealer said they don't do service books anymore, everything is now computerised which seems utterly mental to me.

[sierraman]

Most autoshiters I imagine do maintain their cars to a high standard. It's the 'had the oil changed every other year whether it needed it or not' brigade that give it a bad name

[Lord Sterling]

Bit of a minefield this. What with the dealer stories heard on here and elsewhere I'd be very wary of what I've bought, whether it's has full service history or not.

 

If the car is fine and drives Ok, then a good service should see it continue to give good service. A pile of receipts and some dealer stamps don't exactly prove that the service was done well. Service history is great is everything was done properly and probably more often than not it may have been, but often this seems to be used as a tool to bump a price up or to make a buyer feel better about thier purchase.

 

All of my own cars have very little or no service history. All of them ran well for at least a good year. Only 2 of them suffered any engine failure much later on

 

I once bought an 820E on behalf of a mate. The lady seller Handed me a load of receipts with work costing £150 to £300 a time. She regaled how the garage she used used to look after the car for her (costing £150 - £300 a time) but sifting through the receipts there was nothing that looked like a service, all the receipts were laboutpr fir fitting silly minor clips etc... the car itself didn't run well when cold and apparently the garage were stumped themselves. A good service and refitting an air pipe solved the cold rough running and it almost felt like a different car, and this was something that a garage couldn't do/be arsed to investigate.

 

Service history is great whe you understand what you are paying for, if a car has been looked after by a home mechanic, again this can be minefield. So reckon they're good at it and some are, but there is nothing like having access to ramps and all the right tools, it can difficult doing even a service on your driveway at home with limited tools, it can be done but not always correctly.

[Junkman]

- Shite has no undertray

- Shite has no service history

 

Anything else shite doesn't/shouldn't have?

 

Computers.

[danthecapriman]

The age of the cars I buy means having service history really doesn't matter. I mean, the car must have been looked after at least reasonably decently just because it's still here and wasn't scrapped years ago!

 

If there is service history it's still nice to see it, old receipts are better but still not the end of the world if they aren't there. Generally when I look at a car I'm pleased in my own mind if it's any good or not just because I know what I'm looking at/for.

I always give things a good service and any other bits as needed once I've bought a car anyway.

[Bren]

Lots of old MOT's backed up with bills is far better than a stamped service book.

 

Many moons ago my brother viewed a mondeo in one of the less salubrious parts of manchester - the paperwork consisted of a current MOT and nothing else.

[AlabamaShrimp]

I honestly don't care. I've had cars with paperwork but I never look at it so it might as well not be there. Dealers stamps are nice (and my ST has got them all) but again they really don't count for much as if the car been mistreated by bad driving and stuff it doesn't matter that the oil, breaks and stuff have been changed.

[gordonbennet]

I judge the seller and the car equally, if there's history then great, but i reckon you get more info from your eyes ears and senses about the car you're buying and the person selling it.

 

Good set of undamaged wheels and decent quality tyres with clean rust free discs and calipers showing, no visible damage, lights working, windows in good order etc....if the car passes first post on these there's a fair good channce its been cared for,

 

Be interesting when i come to sell the 124, had it 12 years and its been serviced every year at MOT time by my MB indy, and he's done all the other many indepth jobs too apart from fitting the LPG system, but i haven't got a single bill to prove it.

 

I won't be selling this to the average Joe anyway, it will probably go to an MB enthusiast who should already know who Albert Lock is and a simple phone call to the man will confirm its overmaintenance.

 

 

Am i the only one who won't buy or sell from/to someone i take a dislike to or get bad vibes from?...yes it's cutting nose off but do we owe our long service old faithful cars more than just a monetary value?

[HH-R]

I've had them with full dealer service history, and more commonly, absolutely nowt.

 

I like to have a service book or some old receipts, but especially with car traders you don't find out til after money has changed hands that the remote key has been lost and the handbook pack contains a list of dealers and some intructions for the radio, but nothing of any actual use. I just look at how the car stands there and then if it's a cheapy, does it drive OK and does the engine sound ok. Some of the crappiest driving and poor mechanical sympathy I see inflicted on cars under 3 years old... chances are that they've all been ragged by someone at some point. A favourite is owners of fauxX4s like those Kia monstrosities, Mokkas, Pukes and shite like that being smacked up kerbs at 20 odd MPH with their huge alloys and rubber band tyres when parking because the driver can't be bothered to wait 5 seconds for something.

[MarvinsMom]

i can agree in new cars been thrashed.

 

i used to work where i got a company car and in all cases i abused them all mercilessly all the time i had them. so much so that they were pretty kippered after 3 years, they were all but scrap.

 

i pity the poor sods who got them after i'd had them.....

 

the difference with the way i treat my own cars couldnt be greater. but then, it is a car that actually belongs to me, and not some lease company.

[tooSavvy]

I have an Excel spreadsheet..... & receipts.

 

I am a bit obsessive..... should a blindman, without his dog, ever make me an offer for my FeuOrange (+ FREE car) then he (& dog) can FRO if they get sniffy about Dealer Stamps.

 

OK?

 

 

TS

[brickwall]

If it ain't nicked, I'm cool with it.

[lisbon_road]

This is difficult.  You ask if it has had a cambelt.  They say yes.  You then ask did it have a water pump?  Did it have a kit, with tensioners and pulleys?  Were they decent quality parts?

 

They look blank, think you're an anal weirdo (probably true) and no-one can answer the questions.

 

This is autoshite.  Sadly I normally end up taking it all to bits to check it is ok regardless of the paperwork. 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Its not difficult at all. When you're buying shite you don't get any choice in the matter, and even if there is some history, you don't get any useful input from it. its just a placca wallet cluttering up the glove box

[bigfella2]

At the end of the day, blank service books can be bought from dealers or even ebay, service stamps are easy enough to copy. So to create a bullshit service history is very easy and very lucrative for dealers. If i was buying a sub 5 year old car i would want a stamped book, but i would ring the dealer who seviced it to check authenticity. Anything over 5 year old i would be happy with home diy servicing if all the receipts were available, receipts are a lot harder to copy. Anything without history its best to use your eyes and common sense and get a feeling for the car, and budget for a cambelt change.