Self servicing - Does it put buyers off?
Discussion
All of my cars I have serviced myself, they have all been older, and never covered under any service plans etc.
Every time I have sold one, my signature (with parts receipt as proof) always seems to cause a bit of an issue, as I dont have it "Stamped"
I can understand an issue if I was selling a "sketchy" car, but normally when I have bought a car that has been stamped; things like the pollen filter look like they have never been changed (which is why I now always perform the service myself).
What does PH think about this? Apart from buying a dodgy stamp that is.
Every time I have sold one, my signature (with parts receipt as proof) always seems to cause a bit of an issue, as I dont have it "Stamped"
I can understand an issue if I was selling a "sketchy" car, but normally when I have bought a car that has been stamped; things like the pollen filter look like they have never been changed (which is why I now always perform the service myself).
What does PH think about this? Apart from buying a dodgy stamp that is.
I probably wouldn't buy a new-ish self-serviced car where an extended factory warranty was at stake, but would certainly not rule out buying an old one. It would come down to having a good long chat with the owner and satisfying myself that he know what he was doing, and that he showed all the other signs of professionalism and competence in his ownership of the car.
I'd rather self service a car to be honest, as then at least I know it's done right. When I do I'll take photos of the parts, and them going in with a datestamp and show them with the invoice as well. Some may see it as overkill, but at least then you can see that genuine parts have been used throughout.
PositronicRay said:
Selling older stuff no problem, newer stuff people like stamps. Selling/px to a dealer they like stamps. As a dealer selling a home serviced car is a P.I.T.A
This.If you're selling something older and "enthusiasty", and you're selling it yourself, then a sheaf of receipts and a spreadsheet of work and mileage is one thing. But if you're selling something 4yo and mainstream, or wanting to pass it to a dealer to sell? Death.
Simple as ever - if you were buying, what would YOU think?
I recently sold my other half's MR2 Roadster.
When she bought it it had done 13k miles, had it over 6 years and put another 100k on it.
In that time I serviced and maintained it quite fastidiously, kept receipts and noted services in the book.
I think at first the guy who bought it was a bit put off by this, but it was a good car, and he was also the first person to view it.
He did ask a lot of very sensible questions and I was able to answer them honestly and concisely.
No problem on a 10 year old £2,200 car, I think.
I also do all the work on my 350Z, keep receipts and put EVERYTHING that is done to it in a spreadsheet.
I predict that if I sell it I might get a few hundred quid less than if it had a stamped book, but I'll have saved more than that in labour costs and I know that all the required work (and more) has been done.
Plus I quite enjoy doing the work, so not a problem in my view.
When she bought it it had done 13k miles, had it over 6 years and put another 100k on it.
In that time I serviced and maintained it quite fastidiously, kept receipts and noted services in the book.
I think at first the guy who bought it was a bit put off by this, but it was a good car, and he was also the first person to view it.
He did ask a lot of very sensible questions and I was able to answer them honestly and concisely.
No problem on a 10 year old £2,200 car, I think.
I also do all the work on my 350Z, keep receipts and put EVERYTHING that is done to it in a spreadsheet.
I predict that if I sell it I might get a few hundred quid less than if it had a stamped book, but I'll have saved more than that in labour costs and I know that all the required work (and more) has been done.
Plus I quite enjoy doing the work, so not a problem in my view.
Depends on the car and the buyer in my experience. The newer and more mainstream the car, the more problem it causes. On older cars and particularly models owned primarily by enthusiasts it is less of an issue.
Of course some buyers don't care or don't even notice, others it will be a deal breaker for. It all comes down to the individual buyer in the end. I usually do all my servicing myself though my new (to me) Audi will probably be going to the dealers for its servicing as it has a full main dealer history which it would be nice to maintain.
Of course some buyers don't care or don't even notice, others it will be a deal breaker for. It all comes down to the individual buyer in the end. I usually do all my servicing myself though my new (to me) Audi will probably be going to the dealers for its servicing as it has a full main dealer history which it would be nice to maintain.
If it the way you do so then no problem really, sounds all good to me. I like the idea of signing the service book and noting down mileages, because I am like that. But when people say they've serviced it themselves and have an ECP receipt for oil from 2006, puts me off. Like someone who takes their car somewhere different for every service...
It's obviously a bit of an unknown. At worst, the seller coud be plain lying, and trying to sell a clocked car with a faked service history to cover up the true mileage; or at the other end of the scale he may have just changed the oil, filter, brake fluid and coolant each year and not really bothered to look for other problems around the car, or serviced longer span items like spark plugs etc. Such a car would be bought entirely on trust, and if it's a car you've just found on PH or Auto Trader, then it's hard to trust a complete stranger. Of course, a garage may have been equally dishonest or 'economical' with servicing, but the liklehood is lower than with an individual, which incidentally is why main dealer service history is worth more - whilst they might be inferior to a good independent, at least they're a known quantity.
Muzzer79 said:
It really depends on the car and price point
Would I buy an 15 year old BMW that had been dealer-serviced for 5-or-so years then home serviced? With the appropriate paperwork, yes
Would I buy a 15 year old Porsche 911 under similar circumstances? Hell no.
I find this interesting. What makes you think a Porsche owner brave enough to do their home servicing is any less capable than the BMW owner who did the same?Would I buy an 15 year old BMW that had been dealer-serviced for 5-or-so years then home serviced? With the appropriate paperwork, yes
Would I buy a 15 year old Porsche 911 under similar circumstances? Hell no.
If anything, I might find it more appealing, as it would be less typical for a 911 owner to do his own servicing, so it would suggest specialist knowledge and proper care.
I think its very much about the car. Last person I sold privately too came around to buy my car as I was servicing my other car. He stayed and talked for ages, and was quite shocked at how anal I am about it.
I think it eased him into buying my car, and me not dropping a penny on the price!
I think it eased him into buying my car, and me not dropping a penny on the price!
R2T2 said:
I'd rather self service a car to be honest, as then at least I know it's done right. When I do I'll take photos of the parts, and them going in with a datestamp and show them with the invoice as well. Some may see it as overkill, but at least then you can see that genuine parts have been used throughout.
It does seem abit overkill imo, my plan is to just staple receipts of parts to an A4 sheet and then write the date & mileage underneath those. That way I won't fill up the car's file too quickly! 
if you go around to see a car at some ones house, and he has no tool kit, but claims he has serviced it every year himself you would walk......but if like the post above, you can see the man doing it, get a vibe from the seller that's good, a shed load of receipts....even for wipers......all the tyres it's ever had, and good non evasive answers to everything with a car that's clearly well looked after.......then go for it.
I sold my Corsa privately, with a service history, but.....it was a learner car......most would run a mile at that, but, I showed the buyer all receipts for everything ever done on it, offered him the "winter" wheels and tyres on top of the deal. He could see that my car had been well looked after. They said they had come to try and knock me down on price, but offered full asking price, and bought the winter tyres/wheels on top....because i was honest....receipts/history/honesty count for everything, even if it was done on a budget cause you know what you are doing....go for it
I sold my Corsa privately, with a service history, but.....it was a learner car......most would run a mile at that, but, I showed the buyer all receipts for everything ever done on it, offered him the "winter" wheels and tyres on top of the deal. He could see that my car had been well looked after. They said they had come to try and knock me down on price, but offered full asking price, and bought the winter tyres/wheels on top....because i was honest....receipts/history/honesty count for everything, even if it was done on a budget cause you know what you are doing....go for it
I hope not! I'm selling mine in the next couple of months and have serviced it myself for the last 3 years with all receipts.
If it were me, so long as the person talked a good talk, and seemed genuine enough with all the receipts then it wouldn't put me off. If it was via an auction or dealer where you couldn't talk to the owner I'd be less interested.
If it were me, so long as the person talked a good talk, and seemed genuine enough with all the receipts then it wouldn't put me off. If it was via an auction or dealer where you couldn't talk to the owner I'd be less interested.
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