Does service history really matter?
Discussion
So following on from the Bugatti million pound car service history gap issue..... Does service history really matter that much?
What exactly does it prove.... That the book has been stamped?
Would a car that looks in excellent condition but has a few less stamps than "required" put you off buying? If so, why and how does that compare to the care with all the stamps?
Eg, how certain are you the services were indeed carried out and the proper service items were used?
What exactly does it prove.... That the book has been stamped?
Would a car that looks in excellent condition but has a few less stamps than "required" put you off buying? If so, why and how does that compare to the care with all the stamps?
Eg, how certain are you the services were indeed carried out and the proper service items were used?
It’s critical for me. I won’t view a car that hasn’t got full history. If it was say 12 years old and had 10 stamps with a year missing a few years ago I won’t mind too much, but it is all situational.
More than anything else for me it’s a sign that a car has been cared for, and coupled with condition (no scratches, dings, tears inside etc) it shows that the owner has actually looked after it, rather than run it on a shoestring.
It’s not a sure thing of course, but nothing is with used cars.
Fortunately a lot of other people just buy based on mileage so there are some comparative bargains available for the likes of me.
More than anything else for me it’s a sign that a car has been cared for, and coupled with condition (no scratches, dings, tears inside etc) it shows that the owner has actually looked after it, rather than run it on a shoestring.
It’s not a sure thing of course, but nothing is with used cars.
Fortunately a lot of other people just buy based on mileage so there are some comparative bargains available for the likes of me.
The less service history you have the less you pay compared to one that has service. Where you fall on the spectrum is just how much appetite for risk you have or expendable the money is. I've bought cars with good or full history but equally notably for me 2 Range Rovers with pretty much non existent history available. It helps that they were cheap.
I don't think I could buy an expensive car without history. I bought a 2012 Mondeo estate earlier this year and that is the first car I have ever bought with no service book, but it did come with a massive print out of the last 5 or 6 years of servicing so I was able to phone up the garage and satisfy myself it had really been done. I guess for a cheap (£4.5k) common car that was enough for me on this occasion for something I will run until it dies. For something I would likely sell on I would prefer stamps, invoices really.
It depends what the car is, I've quite often deliberately looked for higher mileage cars with no service history, at the budget end that I generally shop at they can be half the price say of a stamped up low miler. I've owned a lot of cars and I've not found cars with full service history to be any more reliable.
I've often though how easy it would be to forge service history.
I've often though how easy it would be to forge service history.
Depends on the make / age / mileage / price
Dad's a car dealer and I grew up with old cars very few had any history and we bought on condition and how it drove / sounded
History was great as it backed up the mileage, then you could check the mileage on the MOT so that was less important but as cars get more complex and a cambelt change can cost £1k+ it became more important
As stamps and service books are readily available I prefer receipts to stamps
I still buy on condition and if the seller uses certain words or isn't forthcoming I won't even bother to view
A Ferrari, Rolls etc without history would have to be very cheap and I'd assume it was clocked
Dad's a car dealer and I grew up with old cars very few had any history and we bought on condition and how it drove / sounded
History was great as it backed up the mileage, then you could check the mileage on the MOT so that was less important but as cars get more complex and a cambelt change can cost £1k+ it became more important
As stamps and service books are readily available I prefer receipts to stamps
I still buy on condition and if the seller uses certain words or isn't forthcoming I won't even bother to view
A Ferrari, Rolls etc without history would have to be very cheap and I'd assume it was clocked
My Hilux is 25 years old and has 168K on the clock. No book with stamps, but it does have a folder an inch thick with old MOTs and garage receipts for services and replaced parts. That is invaluable, as it shows the car was pretty well cared for and not just abused for its whole life.
What's people's view on digital service histories? I've just bought a BMW 5 Series which has all the required information in the iDrive system. However the dealer would not let me have the paper copies of previous services "because data protection, sir". There's no service booklet since it's a 2015 car.
I previously owned a Mercedes which had no physical invoice copies. Everything was on the Mercedes central computer.
I would much prefer a wad of paperwork, but GDPR gets in the way, it seems.
I previously owned a Mercedes which had no physical invoice copies. Everything was on the Mercedes central computer.
I would much prefer a wad of paperwork, but GDPR gets in the way, it seems.
I bought a shed Honda Civic on eBay and it came with full Honda dealer service history with every single receipt. It had the same owner since a year old (I suspect it was a Honda staff member car before this) and every year went to a main dealer for it's service and MOT. Any time it needed tires or brakes or indeed any other little niggle there was a main dealer receipt in the folder.
I admit I was blinded by this as I quickly realised that the car was a clonky piece of crap to drive with sticking brakes, sticking starter motor and squeaky clutch release.
My Renault Megane shed on the other hand has the usual first couple of dealer services, few services from independent garages and then me changing the oil for the last four years. It drives a million times better than the Honda.
With older cars it is all about condition and how they drive, not receipts and stamps.
I admit I was blinded by this as I quickly realised that the car was a clonky piece of crap to drive with sticking brakes, sticking starter motor and squeaky clutch release.
My Renault Megane shed on the other hand has the usual first couple of dealer services, few services from independent garages and then me changing the oil for the last four years. It drives a million times better than the Honda.
With older cars it is all about condition and how they drive, not receipts and stamps.
Mr Spoon said:
So following on from the Bugatti million pound car service history gap issue..... Does service history really matter that much?
What exactly does it prove.... That the book has been stamped?
Would a car that looks in excellent condition but has a few less stamps than "required" put you off buying? If so, why and how does that compare to the care with all the stamps?
Eg, how certain are you the services were indeed carried out and the proper service items were used?
Stamps mean nothing but receipts showing what work has been carried out mean a lot, missing history/no receipts will not stop me buying a car (I buy on condition) but it does mean I won't be paying as much as a car with full documented history.What exactly does it prove.... That the book has been stamped?
Would a car that looks in excellent condition but has a few less stamps than "required" put you off buying? If so, why and how does that compare to the care with all the stamps?
Eg, how certain are you the services were indeed carried out and the proper service items were used?
Service history is the gatekeeper to the research into the car you're considering it. If there is none then you're into assumed high risk territory, that's all it is as it may have been well looked after but without evidence.
If there is FSH then you can start to fill the gaps to support it, invoices, contacting the service agent(s), previous owner etc. It starts to build a picture along with the seller who you can often tell a lot by (but not always).
There is no silver bullet, you have to glean as much info as possible then make a call. I've not made a huge mistake yet in later years but plenty as a youngster!
If there is FSH then you can start to fill the gaps to support it, invoices, contacting the service agent(s), previous owner etc. It starts to build a picture along with the seller who you can often tell a lot by (but not always).
There is no silver bullet, you have to glean as much info as possible then make a call. I've not made a huge mistake yet in later years but plenty as a youngster!
The latest thing I've seen on mainly trade adverts is:
Full VOSA history
Wtf?!?!? So, you've just used the MOT history checker and printed it all out. Whoop dee doo. Then you call up to establish further if any history and usually goes like this:
Me - "Does the car have any service history?"
Dealer - "Yes, it has full vosa history".
Me - "No (you f***wit), does it have any proper service history records or a service book stamped?"
Dealer - "No."
Me - "So it's not full history then?"
Dealer - "Yes, we've got all the vosa documents detailing every MOT, it's all complete"
Me - "FFS, thats not a full history (you absolute knob cheese of a dealer) - (hangs up phone and sighs).
I see this so often recently, its ridiculous.
Full VOSA history
Wtf?!?!? So, you've just used the MOT history checker and printed it all out. Whoop dee doo. Then you call up to establish further if any history and usually goes like this:
Me - "Does the car have any service history?"
Dealer - "Yes, it has full vosa history".
Me - "No (you f***wit), does it have any proper service history records or a service book stamped?"
Dealer - "No."
Me - "So it's not full history then?"
Dealer - "Yes, we've got all the vosa documents detailing every MOT, it's all complete"
Me - "FFS, thats not a full history (you absolute knob cheese of a dealer) - (hangs up phone and sighs).
I see this so often recently, its ridiculous.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff