discussion Service History debate

[YozTruly]

There is another side of the coin though. Who ever I sell this car to will have a full breakdown with pictorial evidence on this forum, I am yet to start a thread on this car, but I will. being able to tell a possible buyer to check a link out for the entire history of everything you have ever done on the car in your ownership can definitely count for something more than a stamp in a book.

Just to add this this. Chances are high that the buyer will not be an average Joe from the streets. The buyer will be knowingly buying a toy (looking at you @MR_Y , lol) and will definitely appreciate a well taken care of toy. Horses for courses as the other gents have been highlighting.

Also, the age of the car plays a massive role in this. Not a lot of people are silly enough to think a car older than 10 years old still goes to the dealer, especially not a “special” car.

 

[Mytfine]

FSH paper history is all nice and well, but when you open the bonnet and find broken clips, exposed wiring, missing covers, mis routed looms and such I wonder at the care taken especially by independant RMI workshops.

I DIY and document everything done to my cars and only hand over to a mechanic when im really pressed for time or if the job requires a lift. Too many workshops have messed me around and the very good ones are too pricey for the scrooge that I am.

 

[AshG108]

FSH paper history is all nice and well, but when you open the bonnet and find broken clips, exposed wiring, missing covers, mis routed looms and such I wonder at the care taken especially by independant RMI workshops.

I DIY and document everything done to my cars and only hand over to a mechanic when im really pressed for time or if the job requires a lift. Too many workshops have messed me around and the very good ones are too pricey for the scrooge that I am.

I agree,
I would rather buy a documented and privately maintained vehicle from a trusted person or Fanatic than any dealership now, every dealership is trying to make a buck everywhere...very difficult finding honest and trusted ones. They are there, but they have become the extreme minority...

 

[osiris]

I agree,
I would rather buy a documented and privately maintained vehicle from a trusted person or Fanatic than any dealership now, every dealership is trying to make a buck everywhere...very difficult finding honest and trusted ones. They are there, but they have become the extreme minority...

It's so unfortunate that this is the reality these days. A decade or so ago, going to the dealer to get things done was always going to be expensive but you knew that things would get done properly! Now you pay top dollar to get a car back with swapped out parts sometimes. A friend of mine(Member on this forum) took his "New secondhand" E89 to BMW to get plugs done and injectors, and they swapped parts out for old ones. He brought the car back to my place as it had a missfire and wasn't running right so we took the coil packs out and they had been replaced with seriously old clapped coil packs as well as the spark plugs. They told him they put brand new coil packs and plugs! (Who knows what else they swapped out).

He brought this to their attention the next day and after much fighting and investigation they found that the mechanic working on his car was stealing parts from customers cars! This is at BMW!!! And this type of thing is the classic situation of, "I brought my car to the mechanic for an oil service and now I need to replace this and that and all these big ticket items" Car drove to the dealership fine, now its falling appart unless I drop 50+ grand..".

 

[///M3FAN]

when we bought my wifes car, the dealer advertised it as having FSH, when viewing the car the service book was incomplete but there was a M/plan printout with whole host of others invoices for the tyre replacements and its insurance, the alignments done over the ownership period, the towbar purchase and install, the bluetooth receiver, the various items replaced under m/plan. I also called BMW to validate the information as per the M/plan printouts and replacements and everything checked out. Condition of the car also indicated to the previous owner being meticulous. It felt almost as if I was the previous owner LOL. I have since asked BMW to update the service book with all the previous services, and then of course with the last service done last month, even after asking the service advisor twice to make sure the book was stamped, what happens when my wife gets home after collecting the car, book not stamped. No stress as we have the documentation but I know in the future should we want to sell people want to see that book and its stamps. I think as with what everyone is saying here, do you own due diligence before signing the dotted line or handed over your hard earned monies, you cant go solely on the word of the salesperson or even the seller. Busy looking at lower price bracket vehicles for my son, he wants to buy his own car so has budgeted up to R60k, wow dont know why some people just dont end up scrapping what they have!

 

[VinceM]

="after much fighting and investigation they found that the mechanic working on his car was stealing parts from customers cars! This is at BMW!!! And this type of thing is the classic situation of, "I brought my car to the mechanic for an oil service and now I need to replace this and that and all these big ticket items" Car drove to the dealership fine, now its falling appart unless I drop 50+ grand..".

What! Sad, very sad that this happens at a “trusted” dealer (stealing and swapping out parts). Imagine the agony to the many customers (including the single moms).

I took my car in for a gearbox service, the screws that hold the board to access the battery were not screwed back on, I had to look for them (fortunately, they were still in the car). The car was also released to me with sunroof errors (tilt function did not work, i had to recalibrate it myself), also came with missing clips (the back panel in the boot), no idea what was being done there.