Service History

[dan00T]

Just how important is service history?
I have seen a vehicle for sale in otherwise good condition but no service record. Lots of receipts for work done but none for services.

The vehicles 9 years old and has done 120K.
Would it have got this far without a service?

Should I walk away or buy on visual condition?

[blueovercream]

I would be avoiding that, unless there’s good evidence that the car has been serviced regularly by a competent owner. It’s also possible that the book has been lost, in which case you may be able to get details from whichever garage it has visited.

To me a service history isn’t just the mechanical stuff, but it reflects an overall level of care throughout the cars ownership. If someone can’t be bothered (or can’t afford) to have it serviced properly then it probably hasn’t been looked after in general.

[Terzo123]

Alot of service histories are now held online by the franchise dealers and sometimes even specialists. Might be worth a few phone calls to track it down.

[CRA1G]

Terzo123 said:

Alot of service histories are now held online by the franchise dealers and sometimes even specialists. Might be worth a few phone calls to track it down.

But they can't and won't divulge that information anymore....