The Big Service Debate

[LOCKE]

Not sure if this has been spoke about before.

How important is a dealer service stamp to a DIY record?

I personally do all my servicing myself - let's face it anyone with half a mechanical mind and the correct tools could service their own cars. I have being doing this since I started driving back in the early 90s and have gained quite a bit of knowledge and gathered a good few tools. I am no way a professional mechanic but feel confident enough to do my own work on my cars and bike. I always buy genuine parts and keep all invoices and record mileage etc. In the biking community 9/10 guys will service their own bikes and buy bikes with DIY service history.

So the big question is would you pay more for a car with dealer service history rather than invoiced DIY servicing? Do you trust a dealer more than a DIYer? Would you walk away from a detailed DIY serviced car?

If you put your car into the dealers do you think the top technician does your oil and filter change or the new trainee? Are you happy to pay over the odds for a simple task? For instance you don't even need a tool to replace an air filter but does that go down as 0.5 hours labour? Do you think the mechanic cares as much as you about your pride and joy or is it just 'another car' on a Friday afternoon?

I genuinely find it rewarding servicing my own vehicles and know that I have done it with care.

Thoughts and opinions for and against appreciated.

 

[Mossy]

Good question/topic.

I have no issues with buying a car that has been partly self serviced as long as any BIG service such as the cambelt and any other major work (gearbox, clutch etc) has been done by a professional with receipt/stamp and at the correct time duration.

Changing brake pads/discs, oil and filter, spark plugs etc is fine and a bit of no brainer for me but i would need to see the receipts with date and mileage written on them when they were changed.

I would also go to say that a car with Renault history as apposed to a specialist such as Mick Diamond would put me off a little - particularly in the v6 world.

 

[jasonlovesfrench]

My car has full service history partly with Renault and partly at specialists, I trust the latter more than Renault dealers and DIY if I'm honest, although there is something to be said about DIY, at least you know what's been done, I've always wondered if garages actually do all the work they are supposed to?.

 

[LOCKE]

Good question/topic.

I have no issues with buying a car that has been partly self serviced as long as any BIG service such as the cambelt and any other major work (gearbox, clutch etc) has been done by a professional with receipt/stamp and at the correct time duration.

Changing brake pads/discs, oil and filter, spark plugs etc is fine and a bit of no brainer for me but i would need to see the receipts with date and mileage written on them when they were changed.

I would also go to say that a car with Renault history as apposed to a specialist such as Mick Diamond would put me off a little - particularly in the v6 world.

I would get belts etc. done at a specialist, aswell as anything else out my capability.

My wife bought a new Fiesta and we got the first 2 services done at the local Ford dealers, after the warranty was up at 3 years I serviced the car myself and found that they had charged us each year for a new pollen filter which was obviously not changed! I also went to the local Renault garage to buy Elf oil for the 182 and they tried to sell me Motrio oil, I questioned why I would want that when Renault recommend Elf, only to be told if you put the car in here to be serviced that's what would be used anyway! The parts guy couldn't understand why I wanted more expensive branded oil.

 

[sevenfourate]

At work not much time to reply. Good topic though

But: I'm a mechanical engineer. I do a lot of my own servicing - and keep both a paperwork and photographic trail of all my work. And bigger jobs I obviously keep the receipts from my garage.

I always only use quality parts - and when having sold on over. 30 vehicles I've never had a single buyer question the servicing / service record of any of those vehicles.

And if I'm happy with the vehicles servicing whilst owning and my buyer is happy when I'm selling - that's surely the crux of it......

 

[Matty m 197]

If you are confident to-do the job yourself and your keeping the car for some time your not going to loose any money for example if you save on average £200 a year working on the car yourself in five years is a fully stamped car worth an extra 1k? providing you keep proof that it's fully maintained you won't be at loss other might feel different about that but I'd rather buy one with loads of documents for individual items than a stamp

 

[LOCKE]

If you are confident to-do the job yourself and your keeping the car for some time your not going to loose any money for example if you save on average £200 a year working on the car yourself in five years is a fully stamped car worth an extra 1k? providing you keep proof that it's fully maintained you won't be at loss other might feel different about that but I'd rather buy one with loads of documents for individual items than a stamp

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Adam_C]

I think as long as you are confident that you can do the job correctly service history does not overly bother me as long as all invoices are kept for buying the parts for proof.

Personally like has been said above self services is pretty straight forward.

with regards to the belts etc being changed well if you do it yourself that would not bother me either, as it is one of them jobs that is either right or wrong!

 

[RossWoods93]

I'm not a spanners man myself but my fathers background is in agricultural engineer and one of his workers is a former garage owner who specialised in MOT's... dependent on the size of the job, I'll get him to do it saving money in my pocket... I'll hit 36,000 in the next month or so, so I'll get him to change the spark plugs over for example! Main services I'll always use Renault, albeit some questionable pricings but I've had good customer services from my local dealership, and I trust them with the work they do!

From a buyers perspective having a service history completely by the main dealer would be advantagoeus for most cars, but for something like a 197/200 I think if its a private sale, and the seller is enthusiastic and as passionate about the car as members are here, you know full well it'll have receieved the right treatment and have been properly maintained!

 

[matt9566]

Always had my local garage do all my work simply because it's cheap enough for me not to have to attempt it, one of the guys who works there is my dads neighbor, I know he knows what he's talking about and he's always been good to us.

Last service was - Oil and filter change, front and rear pads changed, air filter (K&N) cleaned and re-oiled, plus he found a coolant leak I had, told me the solution (needed a new bleed screw) and offered to change it and flush + change the coolant free of charge if I sourced the screw and it was £100 - I sourced the oil & brake pads so £160 ish in total and that included the MOT test. Don't see why people need a specialist to do an oil change etc, wouldn't bother me as long as the car has service history.

Got my timing belt etc done there too about 2 years ago too and never had a single problem with it - I do understand people use specialists for this usually but this was before I joined the forum and read it's a specialists job.
Sometimes I do get slightly paranoid with people saying "the correct tools need to be used" etc but as I've said, I've never had a problem (Not that I'd know what to look for lol)

Don't see why people need a specialist to do an oil change etc, wouldn't bother me as long as the car has service history - DIY (with receipts), main dealer, local garage. I find you can usually tell if the car has been looked after by the seller.

 

[Jimmy]

Up until recently I was always of the opinion that a dealer stamp in the book each year was essential. However after having been extremely disappointed with the outcome of a main dealer service last year (and hearing stories from other people), I've changed my mind.

As suggested above, you might get the red carpet treatment by the service manager, however it doesn't mean the person actually doing the work gives a damn whose car they're working on - it's just another car that needs work doing, RS or not...

It it's a more specialized car such as ours, I wouldn't object to a previous owner having done the servicing, provided there was the paperwork to back it up. The general public though may well see it differently.

 

[Gordini]

I think the question largely depends on the car. I think for our cars if you have decent evidence of it being maintained it shouldn't have a big impact on residuals. On some marques such as Porsche though you'll knacker your resale. Porsche buyers in particular ask a lot of questions over provenance and if it isn't spot in you won't sell the car. My friend bought a 911 off the PCGB president (or similar title) and it was mint. He then had his dad, an RAC patrolman service it for the next 6 years and he couldn't sell it after that

 

[Big Ben]

I think if I was ever mad enough to buy a brand new motor I'd be tempted to put the dealer stamps in the book.

As I never buy new I'm happy to find my own solutions to servicing be it by myself or using an independent

 

[Adam_C]

Lets be honest here, what do we all think our cars will be worth if we had full main dealer service vs our own service?

What do you think the difference would be, if any?

 

[Mattb_197]

I wouldn't pay more for a car that has full dealer service history over one that's been done DIY/independently and has a load of invoices. Full dealer history doesn't necessarily mean the previous owner(s) have looked after it. The number of previous owners is something I look at and would pay a bit more for to have that be a low number. My Clio only has two previous owners prior to me getting it last year, some I went to look at had well over 5 and you do have to ask why. Is there something wrong with it or an underlying problem because it's changed hands so many times!

I guess on something more premium as mentioned it can be quite important to have that dealer stamp but on something more run of the mill it's not.

 

[Chris]

As Gordini has pointed out, very much correctly, it depends very much on the car, and also the age. I do think at least for the warrantee period of the car, then the dealer stamping the book is something that id expect to see buying a car second hand, and equally, I would always do owning a car in that range.

However after that, as long as receipts are provided for items used, and some evidence that its been changed, then theres nothing wrong with doing it yourself. Infact, its been that way for a long time, only recent times do people rely so heavily on garages to do basic things for the cars (obviously vehicles have got more complicated, electronics etc) but its crazy these days how people will pay to get a bloody bulb changed at halfords/qwik fit.

The main dealers really aren't anything special these days either, I mean my local renault garage (i have to use a more further afield one now), I had the chief mechanic there come out to try and identify a knocking noise I was getting, he put grease on the rear seat clasp, then the other garage found out to be an engine mount in the end, but seriously? Common man. I even told him it was from the front.