Service Records

[supton]

What counts for good records?

As I look around, and am looking at vehicles with clean Carfaxes, I'm paying attention to good records. Which Carfax won't indicate other than what was done at chains or dealers. Lots of missing oil changes, among other things (I don't think Carfax is really going in depth either).

What's a good way to document this sort of thing for future buyers? I keep a log on my VW, in which I write down stuff when it's done: but a prospective buyer would have to take me at my word. My Camry is currently getting serviced by the dealer; but I'm not sure how available that service history is. So as I contemplate prospective new-to-me vehicles I'm left wondering what I ought to do different on my currently owned vehicles for their prospective future buyers.

Is a logbook sufficent? Do photocopies of receipts need to be stapled in, so as to prove proper oil type?

 

[JHZR2]

I want all receipts from new for every service, pm, tire and other thing done, and I want as much of it done at the dealer as possible, and if DIY, a detailed log with receipts.

It's a many thousand dollar proposition in terms of intrinsic value to me. I wont touch a used car without them and a service interval to my liking.

Of course the only used cars I buy are 30 yo MB diesels

 

[supton]

Ha!

I figured on my VW, I was going to run it until it wasn't worth that much anymore. You know, to the point where most prospective buyers wouldn't care--everything was likely worn out anyhow. I've dithered on that a few times since then, and now that I've been used car shopping, I suspect I'm stuck with it: not a bad thing, since at least I know what the service records are. But I won't be getting top dollar if I decide to ditch it...

My problem is, I'd have have to photocopy the receipt. We store ours for a few years, I think you're supposed to, in case of IRS audit. So we store in an envelope per month system. The Camry is dealer serviced, so those records would likely go with the car, unless if we trade in at the Toyota dealer.

Things for me to remember on the next car purchase.

 

[hypervish]

Once I buy a car, I keep it forever and don't sell it. Unless, I really dislike the car, which has happened. But, I do keep service records for myself to look at, and to see how much I am spending.

It's very easy for both of my Lexus'es because I can input my service history online at drivers.lexus.com. It's very convenient everything is saved via VIN, so incase I sell the car the next owner can see the service history. Another good thing about that is that anytime you take the car to the Lexus Dealer that's where they input their descriptions of what was done as well. It makes it much easier for me, I have the complete service history from delivery up until the last oil change on both my RX300 and my ES300.

For my other cars, I use an application on my iPhone called Gas Cubby. I can input gas info (although I prefer Fuelly for that), and I can input maintenance. Best part is it has cloud syncing, and I can even export to excel.

 

[The Critic]

For Toyota/Lexus, any prospective owner can access any customer-pay or warranty service done at a dealership via the owner's portal. There is a national database which tracks this.

This is why I am getting the required services (10k intervals) on my Prius, done at the Toyota dealership (preferably the same one) to ensure that a log is in place and to have ammo in the event of a goodwill claim.

 

[Slick17601]

I sold my 2001 Jeep and 2003 Civic this year. Handing the prospective owner complete service records sealed the deal on both of them.

 

[The Critic]

I have also found that the person/organization who does the work matters far more. A prospective owner would not/should not think highly of DIYing, since skill levels of DIYers are all across the board.

 

[dishdude]

I have sold quite a few cars private party and trade in, and I have yet to see anyone show interest in my service records.

I price them right and ignore the low ballers!

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
I have sold quite a few cars private party and trade in, and I have yet to see anyone show interest in my service records.

I price them right and ignore the low ballers!

Exactly on all counts! When I sold my Trailblazer I had several people look at it, and NOT ONE asked how often I changed the oil - much less ask to see the records.

 

[supton]

Depends upon what they are after. Myself, if I'm buying used, it doesn't matter--I still want very high reliability. But I can see how it wouldn't be on other's radar.

 

[Volvohead]

We rarely sell our vehicles privately.

But when we do, they're usually sold before the first buyer reaches the top of the driveway (or the back of the garage).

Initial condition impression is so very important. Rule 1: unless the car is low-dollar or beat up, invest in a good detailing if you want top dollar. I'll never understand why some folks show a car covered in road dirt and bird droppings and full of trash and expect a good price for it.

Good service and maintenance habits also tend to quickly show on a vehicle. We're very up front and detailed about exactly what we've done to and put in the vehicle. I'll lift the hood and give them a point-by-point tour. Unless it's an exotic or high-dollar resale, they see it's been well-maintained by people who understand the vehicle and are satisfied. It's also clean. Clean sells.

Most folks glaze over if you start explaining the finer nuances of the service and maintenance history. I'll explain the correct coolant chemistry and best fluids, filters and tires for the car . . . and the buyer is busy staring at the cigarette lighter (we're non-smokers).

While I keep a lot of the service records, and make them available for inspection (and refer the buyer to the servicing dealer if applicable), they turn out to be secondary and the buyer not overly interested at that point.

I also agree with pricing them appropriately to weed out the time-wasters. We set a fair price, and don't haggle.

Accidents are what cause most buyers (us included) to dig deeper.

We actually once received a thank you card from a buyer a month after the sale. My wife was floored.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Having bought and sold regularly since 17 I have moved a LOT of cars through the driveway. Had an auction license for ages and spent a lot of time getting good at it.

Most people I have met do not give much credence to paperwork. It's all about the car and its condition. Recently detailed is a bit of a red flag, I want the car REGULARLY detailed.

Won't haggle? Then I walk. Horse trading is part of car buying/selling. And there's more than one car! Never get hung up on one car unless you have no budget.

Always set your price high enough to be able to 'give' a bit. This let's the buyer think he beat you, and yet you still won. That's a "win-win".

 

[supton]

Sure, the price is never set in stone--although it's nice to be up front if one isn't willing to negotiate on price. If the price is good, then so be it.

I'm not sure why regularly detailed matters, other than it may show the owner was "regular" on their maintance too. Yes, it'll be easier to get the carpets clean if it was regularly vacuumed. OTOH so what if it took double the time to get it clean? Can't undo damage from not changing the oil on a regular basis, nor cooling system corrosion issues. While I wouldn't want to waste my time looking at a car that the owner couldn't be bothered to at least remove all the junk from the interior--bad sign--I'm not sure what "detailing" really adds, other than to the price tag, which is going to deter buyers.

[Mind you, I'm assuming my vehicles to be below $5k in value if I were to sell. Why would I sell if they had more value? That just means they had lots of problem-free miles left, and I didn't buy properly in the first place. Odds are I'll be upside down, in terms of TCO/etc, and selling at loss. And trading in at a dealer means they will just detail it anyhow--right after giving you nothing for the trade-in, of course.]

 

[rjundi]

Service records are a great perk on a used vehicle for buyer confidence. However the majority don't care or think about it.

 

[supton]

I can accept that most won't care about service records. I'm not like most though, so from now on I'll spend more time and effort on these things. I mean, if I wouldn't buy a car w/o records--does it make sense for me to not keep records for my cars?

 

[JHZR2]

Good call.

You have to also understand that a car like a TDI likely brings a different type of buyer than someone going for a more standard car appliance. I wouldnt buy my MB diesels without records. TDI fanatics wouldnt buy a TDI without records. Why? Because even at 259k and broken, the vehicle likely has a lot of life left. Average Joe also thinks their car is old and worn out at 100k.

 

[supton]

Yeah, I hear you. I'm just a bit frustrated at the moment, as I'd really like to get a spare vehicle with AWD--but since I know there is life after 200k *if maintained* -- I'm not letting high miles sway me. Especially not in my price range.

But after reading up on cooling issues I'm just as leery about having coolant changed (and documented!) as I would be about oil. HOWEVER Carfax's so far don't list coolant changes, so I can't determine (at a glance) what the records are; and since I'm mostly looking at dealers I know they won't have the answer. [I have looked some at CL, but dealer sites tend to have more photos, and at the price range I'm willing to spend I still want a loan, even if I will just pay off in 2-3 months.]

 

[hattaresguy]

I won't touch a used high end vehicle or boat without a stack of paperwork behind it.

My boat came with a shopping bag full of records dating back to the original sales contract.

Lots of people try to buy a good deal on a used Ferrari or Mercedes with no records...looks clean... Only to bring it to the dealer later and find it needs $5k-$10k+ worth of work, oops.

I want to see regular service and maintenance. Evidence that the owner cared a bit and had a bit of pride in their car/boat. The condition should also jive with the records.

 

[Vikas]

Even with CPO, I would not even look at the vehicle *before* getting the real dealer service records. The CarFax records just don't cut it for me if I am purchasing 30K+ vehicle. Obviously, when I am in the market for under $5K vehicle, it would be rare to have the complete records but having them would seal the deal.

 

[01rangerxl]

I usually keep a folder with all receipts and log maintenance in a spreadsheet. The folder is pretty unorganized, but somewhat chronological. The spreadsheet makes everything easy to view.

It did help when I sold my old Ranger. I told the buyer what maintenance had been done to it, and he decided to buy the truck on the spot without having a mechanic look it over. He also indicated he would be using synthetics in the truck as I had been doing.

This site has 42,138 members...I bet that is 42,138 people who would appreciate maintenance records when buying a car.