What exactly do you keep as part of your service history?
Discussion
The modern car is all digital, but I keep the odd sheet of paper the dealer gives me after any warranty work. By keep, I say don’t throw away. They’ll probably be in a drawer somewhere.
With the old car, 22 years old, I keep everything. I’ve got a new service book as the original got full. Paperwork is better than a book of rubber stamps, but it’s just nice to have and strangely satisfying to add to the pages and pages of receipts from previous owners dating back to 2001.
The cars not worth much, so I doubt it makes any difference to it’s value. It’s just interesting to have the car’s “story” in a file. Where it came from when new, the end of main dealer servicing, the little garage that looked after it for a few years, the replacements and enhancements the hand written notes and photos of an engine rebuild the previous owner to me undertook with obvious pride - plus the few thousand I’ve spent on it over the past nine years.
With the old car, 22 years old, I keep everything. I’ve got a new service book as the original got full. Paperwork is better than a book of rubber stamps, but it’s just nice to have and strangely satisfying to add to the pages and pages of receipts from previous owners dating back to 2001.
The cars not worth much, so I doubt it makes any difference to it’s value. It’s just interesting to have the car’s “story” in a file. Where it came from when new, the end of main dealer servicing, the little garage that looked after it for a few years, the replacements and enhancements the hand written notes and photos of an engine rebuild the previous owner to me undertook with obvious pride - plus the few thousand I’ve spent on it over the past nine years.
Edited by Wildcat45 on Friday 20th January 20:04
None of it makes a jot of difference on an old car.
We generally just bin everything obviously apart from the service book/ book pack on all our retail cars . All 99% of buyers want to see is a stamped up book.
Keeping receipts for fuel, washer fluid ect is nonsensical and would point to a geeky previous owner..
We generally just bin everything obviously apart from the service book/ book pack on all our retail cars . All 99% of buyers want to see is a stamped up book.
Keeping receipts for fuel, washer fluid ect is nonsensical and would point to a geeky previous owner..
I bought a 17 year old car just before Christmas. Supplied with it was a Lever Arch file, packed with a record of what must have been every penny spent on the vehicle from new - every receipt, every service document and every MOT certificate, each one filed in individual plastic sleeves.
I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years, but I've never seen such a comprehensive history - great to see, IMHO.
I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years, but I've never seen such a comprehensive history - great to see, IMHO.
Draxindustries1 said:
None of it makes a jot of difference on an old car.
We generally just bin everything obviously apart from the service book/ book pack on all our retail cars . All 99% of buyers want to see is a stamped up book.
Keeping receipts for fuel, washer fluid ect is nonsensical and would point to a geeky previous owner..
I think that says a lot about your 99% of car buyers!We generally just bin everything obviously apart from the service book/ book pack on all our retail cars . All 99% of buyers want to see is a stamped up book.
Keeping receipts for fuel, washer fluid ect is nonsensical and would point to a geeky previous owner..
I keep all the receipts - a stamp in the book doesn't tell the whole story.
When I bought my BMW 330i in 2019 it had a stamp in the book for an oil service a week before I bought it, but the invoice showed that it also had a new cam-cover gasket fitted which is a common source of leaks on BMW N52 engines. Without that I'd have probably haggled a bit harder!
Draxindustries1 said:
None of it makes a jot of difference on an old car.
We generally just bin everything obviously apart from the service book/ book pack on all our retail cars . All 99% of buyers want to see is a stamped up book.
Keeping receipts for fuel, washer fluid ect is nonsensical and would point to a geeky previous owner..
Nah, should keep it all together, let the next owner decide if they value it, I love seeing evidence that time and money has been spent, clues that the expensive thing I am buying has been valued.We generally just bin everything obviously apart from the service book/ book pack on all our retail cars . All 99% of buyers want to see is a stamped up book.
Keeping receipts for fuel, washer fluid ect is nonsensical and would point to a geeky previous owner..
I just throw the receipts in a box file with all the others.
I keep the records of servicing for newer cars/bikes only (potential future buyers don’t need to know if it’s been flaky in certain areas). For older stuff I will keep records of any work done. Consumables such as tyres and screen wash I don’t bother but some of the extreme examples above would make me much more likely to buy the car from you. At the end of the day though the price has to be right to get people turning up regardless of paperwork.
SS2. said:
I bought a 17 year old car just before Christmas. Supplied with it was a Lever Arch file, packed with a record of what must have been every penny spent on the vehicle from new - every receipt, every service document and every MOT certificate, each one filed in individual plastic sleeves.
I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years, but I've never seen such a comprehensive history - great to see, IMHO.
I’ve been doing that for a few years with my more cherished cars. A folder with every receipt for modifications, services, MOTs, V5, any garage bill, plus work I’ve done regarding paint corrections and ceramic coating, etc. All in individual plastic sleeves, each document in a specific section. For me it’s part of the fun of ownership and it’s a great thing to pass on to the next owner. I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years, but I've never seen such a comprehensive history - great to see, IMHO.
Mr Tidy said:
I think that says a lot about your 99% of car buyers!
I keep all the receipts - a stamp in the book doesn't tell the whole story.
When I bought my BMW 330i in 2019 it had a stamp in the book for an oil service a week before I bought it, but the invoice showed that it also had a new cam-cover gasket fitted which is a common source of leaks on BMW N52 engines. Without that I'd have probably haggled a bit harder!
Yeah I must admit the last thing I want to look at is stamps in a book or a list of services on iDrive.I keep all the receipts - a stamp in the book doesn't tell the whole story.
When I bought my BMW 330i in 2019 it had a stamp in the book for an oil service a week before I bought it, but the invoice showed that it also had a new cam-cover gasket fitted which is a common source of leaks on BMW N52 engines. Without that I'd have probably haggled a bit harder!
I would much rather see invoices detailing work done, cost etc.
Then again most people haven't a clue what they're looking for.
Pica-Pica said:
Every receipt. Excluding trivia, such as w/screen fluid, wiper blades, and such like.
What does OPer suggest we should not keep?
I've just bought a genuine part which is for a facelift model, as a retrofit to my car. Should I be keeping this invoice? Personally I'd class it as a modification, I never usually keep low value modification invoices but interested in what others think.What does OPer suggest we should not keep?
If I was spending hundreds on a custom exhaust then I would definitely keep that invoice. £20 on a bit of plastic trim? Not gonna bother.
Almost everything. the majority of my cars are quite old, 1 is very old!
Classic car buyers are keen to see a swathe of receipts but I don't include receipts for minor things like clear tubing (windscreen washer), fuses, filaments etc. But if it's relevant; I've put new bolts in when changing dampers for example, I include that.
Not keeping anything seems foolish to me, do you expect future buyers to just take your word for what you've done? Unless it is a 'forever' car? Many of us have had them..... for a while.
Even with modern cars (I recently bought a 2016 Fiat Panda), I much prefer some paperwork, The service book has a stamp in the wrong place, and appalling handwriting on a couple of entries, which alone would have deterred me. The inked stamps were from an obviously well-worn stamp on others. But, there is a typed receipt / invoice to accompany every service as well as extra stuff like new tyres, dampers (Monroe, blimey!) and cambelt & water pump etc. Stamps alone in a book wouldn't do it for me, too easily faked.
Classic car buyers are keen to see a swathe of receipts but I don't include receipts for minor things like clear tubing (windscreen washer), fuses, filaments etc. But if it's relevant; I've put new bolts in when changing dampers for example, I include that.
Not keeping anything seems foolish to me, do you expect future buyers to just take your word for what you've done? Unless it is a 'forever' car? Many of us have had them..... for a while.Even with modern cars (I recently bought a 2016 Fiat Panda), I much prefer some paperwork, The service book has a stamp in the wrong place, and appalling handwriting on a couple of entries, which alone would have deterred me. The inked stamps were from an obviously well-worn stamp on others. But, there is a typed receipt / invoice to accompany every service as well as extra stuff like new tyres, dampers (Monroe, blimey!) and cambelt & water pump etc. Stamps alone in a book wouldn't do it for me, too easily faked.
Edited by sixor8 on Saturday 21st January 12:58
To extend the concept. When we moved, I had a detailed folder for the house we sold, complete with wiring diagrams and photos for the kitchen refurb. I also listed the paint brands and colours for each wall. We have an old house now (1830s), and I am keeping a record of work down (especially where I have ripped off the horrible cementitious render and gypsum plaster, and replaced with lime mortar and lime plaster finished with a breathable clay paint.
Like plenty of PHers here, I like things properly recorded for passing on.
Like plenty of PHers here, I like things properly recorded for passing on.
sixor8 said:
Almost everything. the majority of my cars are quite old, 1 is very old!
Classic car buyers are keen to see a swathe of receipts but I don't include receipts for minor things like clear tubing (windscreen washer), fuses, filaments etc. But if it's relevant; I've put new bolts in when changing dampers for example, I include that. Not keeping anything seems foolish to me, do you expect future buyers to just take your word for what you've done? Unless it is a 'forever' car? Many of us have had them..... for a while.
Even with modern cars (I recently bought a 2016 Fiat Panda), I much prefer some paperwork, The service book has a stamp in the wrong place, and appalling handwriting on a couple of entries, which alone would have deterred me. The inked stamps were from an obviously well-worn stamp on others. But, there is a typed receipt / invoice to accompany every service as well as extra stuff like new tyres, dampers (Monroe, blimey!) and cambelt & water pump etc. Stamps alone in a book wouldn't do it for me, too easily faked.
Ha! If you have worked in a litigious organisation, you know the difference between assurance and reassurance.Classic car buyers are keen to see a swathe of receipts but I don't include receipts for minor things like clear tubing (windscreen washer), fuses, filaments etc. But if it's relevant; I've put new bolts in when changing dampers for example, I include that.
Not keeping anything seems foolish to me, do you expect future buyers to just take your word for what you've done? Unless it is a 'forever' car? Many of us have had them..... for a while.Even with modern cars (I recently bought a 2016 Fiat Panda), I much prefer some paperwork, The service book has a stamp in the wrong place, and appalling handwriting on a couple of entries, which alone would have deterred me. The inked stamps were from an obviously well-worn stamp on others. But, there is a typed receipt / invoice to accompany every service as well as extra stuff like new tyres, dampers (Monroe, blimey!) and cambelt & water pump etc. Stamps alone in a book wouldn't do it for me, too easily faked.
Edited by sixor8 on Saturday 21st January 12:58
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