Dealer service history - Essential?

yop

Lads,
I have a Mazda 6 MPS which is due its 50k mile service.

Rang 2 local(ish) dealers and both looking at over 300 euro to service the car. Now I used to service all my other cars or when I was stuck left it over to a very competent mechanic, I know he would it a hell cheaper and equally as good a job.

Is the official dealer history really important do you think? The car currently has full Mazda service history.

I will have to move it on in a month or so as I will be changing job and a 3 hour commute doesn't suit this car , so will the fact that it was serviced by a local mechanic cause an issue?


Thanks

EPM

I wouldn't think so normally but as it's an MPS and you will be selling it soon it might be worth biting the bullet and getting it done in a dealer.

It will probably make it easier to sell on

Stevie Dakota

A mate of mine tried to trade in his car recently, FSH from new, was offered a derisory amount for it, and this against a car they were selling (2008) with NO service history at all. And this was a big main dealer, cowboy stuff.

So I would say it helps, but is by no means essential.

cantdecide

I'd say go back to servicing your own cars only if you ever end up with an old corolla. I wouldn't buy a car like that (or most cars) without FSH from an appropriate garage. While you have expensive cars, they should be serviced accordingly.

Kashkai

I've never been asked about my cars service history when trading it in. When I volunteered the info that my cars had a full service history, the dealer acted like he couldn't give a sh1t.

It might make the car more sellable privately though.

If you're trading it in shortly, why bother servicing it anyway?

R.O.R

I'd say most people probably wouldn't touch an MPS without a full dealer service history.

+1 to EPM - may as well bite the bullet and get the dealer stamp. Should get the €300 back on the sale price.

cantdecide

Prosperous Dave wrote: »

When I volunteered the info thaty cars had a full service history, the dealer acted like he couldn't give a sh1t.

Depends on the car but this is changing. Some are slower than others to start asking about it.

yop

Thanks lads, I was thinking that way if it was a "normal" car fair enough as it didn't make any difference in cars I have sold privately.

It won't be going as part of a trade in so it will be a little more important to have dealer service then alright.

Why am I servicing it? Because its due! Would you buy a car without it been serviced

carmad

I like to see it, but I bought my car with 70,000 miles on it with no service history. I know have a folder of all parts I've bought, service,tyres,timing belt, ect.

But why service it, when your trading it in. No sense they won't care.

Anan1

OP - The way i'd look at it is this: It's a high-performance car, and so far it has a full main dealer SH. What do you stand to save on this service by going indy - €150 tops? Given that you're selling the car shortly, i'd go dealer in this case.

bazz26

Given the rarety of the MPS chances are the person buying it is specifically looking for this particular model. So it would make sense to seek one with a full main dealer service history. I know I would.

yop

thanks folks, I will take yer advice on that and get it booked in.

Cheers

mullingar

Dealer stamps are just not worth it.

If you get your car serviced for say €1000/yr vs €600 indy dealer vs €300 DIY

Over 3 years,
Dealer is €3,000
Indy is €1,800
DIY is €900

Service history is a service history, I doubt you will loose €1200 for not having main dealer stamp.

I service my own cars, I include the motor factor receipts in the folder and mark the date/mileage on both the receipt and the history book.

Am I going to loose €2,100 on a trade in if I have all the DIY servicing done on the car?

I think not

cantdecide

mullingar wrote: »

Dealer stamps are just not worth it.

If you get your car serviced for say €1000/yr vs €600 indy dealer vs €300 DIY

Over 3 years,
Dealer is €3,000
Indy is €1,800
DIY is €900

Service history is a service history, I doubt you will loose €1200 for not having main dealer stamp.

I service my own cars, I include the motor factor receipts in the folder and mark the date/mileage on both the receipt and the history book.

Am I going to loose €2,100 on a trade in if I have all the DIY servicing done on the car?

I think not

I wouldn't buy a car from you.

Anan1

mullingar wrote: »

Dealer stamps are just not worth it.

If you get your car serviced for say €1000/yr vs €600 indy dealer vs €300 DIY

Over 3 years,
Dealer is €3,000
Indy is €1,800
DIY is €900

Service history is a service history, I doubt you will loose €1200 for not having main dealer stamp.

I service my own cars, I include the motor factor receipts in the folder and mark the date/mileage on both the receipt and the history book.

Am I going to loose €2,100 on a trade in if I have all the DIY servicing done on the car?

I think not

Whether this is true or not, it's irrelevant to the OP. Their car already has a full dealer SH, the only question is whether to break this to save €150ish when they will be selling the car soon.

mullingar

@ Cantdecide:

Why would you come out with a statement like that?

You dont know me, or my work, so why would you say you wouldn't buy a car that I owned ??

The cars would have a HIGHLY documented service history, including a much lower service interval eg oil/filter every 7500 vs the 10k recommended.
The only thing that missing is a dealer stamp. WOW, :rolleyes:

I guarantee that you never worked in the trade, if you did you know how bad some dealerships service cars.



/Rant Over


@ OP Good luck in the sale what ever you do!

Anan1

mullingar wrote: »

You dont know me, or my work, so why would you say you wouldn't buy a car that I owned ??

I think you may just have answered your own question.;)

mullingar

Anan1 wrote: »

I think you may just have answered your own question.;)

Golden Rule: you should always buy a car on its merits, condition and service history,

Getting back to the original topic, is the main dealer stamp worth the premium?

If I sell it at a €1000 cheaper than an equivalent car with a dealer service stamp, im €1000 up in profit (from saving €2000 in service costs) and the new buyer will also be happy as they bought a very well serviced car (fully documented history) for €1000 less than the equivalent car with the dealer stamp

Anan1

mullingar wrote: »

Golden Rule: you should always buy a car on its merits, condition and service history,

Getting back to the original topic, is the main dealer stamp worth the premium?

If I sell it at a €1000 cheaper than an equivalent car with a dealer service stamp, im €1000 up in profit (from saving €2000 in service costs) and the new buyer will also be happy as they bought a very well serviced car (fully documented history) for €1000 less than the equivalent car with the dealer stamp

The problem here isn't that your car won't have been well cared for - it's that the buyer won't (beyond trusting you) know that it has been.

In any case - as i've already pointed out - this is all irrelevant to the OP.

cantdecide

mullingar wrote: »

@ Cantdecide:

Why would you come out with a statement like that?

You dont know me, or my work, so why would you say you wouldn't buy a car that I owned ??

I'm not trying to offend you. If I rang about a car of yours and you told me it had ad-hok history and it was DIY serviced, I'd simply say 'thanks but no thanks'.

What you may get for a car subsequently is irrelevent if there are more people like me who just wouldn't have it because it was owner serviced. How many potential buyers would be turned off by DIY history? 50%? What good is DIY servicing if it makes the car twice as hard to sell?

Even if I trusted you, how can the guy who buys it from me be sure you haven't forged this "Service History". If I don't know you, he DEFINITELY doesn't know you. How can anyone be sure these aren't receipts for your wife's Punto or your brother's Focus?

DIY servicing is full of holes. I wouldn't advise anyone to buy a DIY serviced car.

Nothing personal.

barryfitz

OP if i was in your current position, Considering its a rare enough car and that it has its FSH id keep the FSH knowing that you are going to sell it. I guess you could also advertise it for what you want for it minus the price of a service and let the buyer get it serviced (which will probably put a few people off straight away). If it was a bog standard 6 and I was in the market for one i wouldnt care whether it had a dealer stamp in the book or not once there is a history of all the work carried out id be happy.

In short hold on to your FSH (dealer stamped)

mickdw

IN this case, it is worth paying €150 extra to keep the full dealer history.
In any other case, I would say get it done independantly or DIY. If you were to service a car DIY, buying top quality oils etc & keeping the motor factors receipts for everything, then recording the mileage on the receipt & the in the service book, anyone should be 100% happy. It is not so easy to put together a fake large volume of receipts without leaving some obvious mistakes.
So if an owner has had a couple of main dealer stamps, the true mileages per year should be obvious. This mileage should then remain consistant over the next diy services including time between services as recorded on receipt. Very hard to fake all this satisfactorily & any owner who would be prepared to put all that effort into faking it would most likely have done the work to start with anyway. I have found cars at main dealers with fake history/mileage so it pays to go through the history file in great detail

mullingar

@mickdw

Exactly my point.

And the cars do have a 100% complete full service history, receipts down to the last oil drain-plug crush-washer.

(Also NCT certs have mileage records too )

JCDUB

@OP, considering you are about to sell the car, and it's am MPS, I would go with the main dealer, simply because it will be easier to sell.

If it was another more regular car though and you weren't about to sell it, I'd say forget about the main dealer.

Some of the apprentices in main dealers who are servicing cars don't know their arse from their elbow, just as some don't in indy's either.

I'd say it's far more important to know the actual mechanic who services your car rather than just the garage where it gets done.

And the bigger the main dealer, the less chance of getting the same guy servicing your car each time. Plus, if it is the same guy, he could be crap.

yop

I get you JCDub, to be honest I don't know a lot about the Mazda dealer here in Castlebar, had dealing with their salesman once and that didn't go too well

I have heard that there is a good place in Belfast, I would nearly take it up there as a "day away" to ensure its done right. I know a lad who got his MPS done there.

mickdw

mullingar wrote: »

@mickdw

Exactly my point.

And the cars do have a 100% complete full service history, receipts down to the last oil drain-plug crush-washer.

(Also NCT certs have mileage records too )

Most cars that dont have a dealer history have no history. It is very different when all records/receipts are kept in great detail. For me this would show that the car was owned by a very careful owner whereas anyone can have a main dealer stamp.
Solid history is the important thing wherever it comes from.

I enquired about a used A6 one time, private sale. Owner tells me he gets a friend who works for audi to do it for him. No records available. I walked away. If he had a folder full of receipts, I would have gone through them & checked if everything added up based on car condition etc & probably bought the car

yop

mickdw wrote: »

Most cars that dont have a dealer history have no history. It is very different when all records/receipts are kept in great detail. For me this would show that the car was owned by a very careful owner whereas anyone can have a main dealer stamp.
Solid history is the important thing wherever it comes from.

I enquired about a used A6 one time, private sale. Owner tells me he gets a friend who works for audi to do it for him. No records available. I walked away. If he had a folder full of receipts, I would have gone through them & checked if everything added up based on car condition etc & probably bought the car

You are right on that point Mick, I wouldn't touch a car without a history, in the case of the cars which I service myself, I keep a notepad of all parts, dates and prices.
And receipts.

BUT these are "normal" cars so you can't really fup them up

mickdw

yop wrote: »

BUT these are "normal" cars so you can't really fup them up

Just on that point. My last car was a TT quattro. I did the servicing myself. kept records and sold it privately no hassle.
Interestingly, when I went to the dealer parts counter to get the specific oil for the rear haldex unit (rear diff if ya like), parts guy said they didnt stock it at all & offered transmission fluid which was completely wrong. Anyway, I found the Audi part No. myself & ordered it from him again as the factors had nothing suitable.
When I went to collect the oil, the service manager was nearby & said - Why did ya need that? Does the car have a leak? He said straight out that they never change it on any of the audi range. If you look at the service schedule, its a 40,000 mile service item.
Just goes to show that perhaps the dealers are making a balls of the cars more than most DIYers.

af_thefragile

Its not essential.

But it'll help you a lot when you're selling it in the future.

Though you could keep a receipt of any service/repairs you do on the car. Its always good to keep a record of all the work you've done on it. Should help a bit while selling it.

I bought my car with absolutely no service history.
But I plan to keep it for a while anyway. And I keep a record of all the work i've done on the car, service, tyres, parts, the lot.