Keeping up service history

dale1uk · 7 Mar 2010 at 14:36

My Civic will be due a service in the next few weeks and I'm torn between doing it myself or taking it to Honda. My service book is fully stamped (first 3 from Honda, last one from an indi by the last owner) so keeping that up to date is appealing, but I've always done my own servicing as i can do it just as good and save a nice chuck of cash.

Now with this being a bit more of a special car from my previous ones I'm just wondering how impotant it is to get it done at a garage just to get a stamp in the book? I normally just keep all the reciepts from the parts I get for servicing it myself and keep them with the service book.

Car is a 2004 Civic Type R with 61k on the clocks.

The_Abyss · 7 Mar 2010 at 15:04

Depends on how long you're going to keep it. A service history will add a little value, but make it an easier sale. If you're going to keep it a while longer and are confident in your abilities, just do it yourself.

Joshy · 7 Mar 2010 at 15:17

Ask yourself if are you willing to spend £XXX on a Stamp?

MrMoonX · 7 Mar 2010 at 15:58

stamp it yourself lol get a stamp saying Dale's garage or something

dale1uk · 7 Mar 2010 at 16:00

Well I've always did it myself and I'm more than confident in my abilities to do a standard service. I'm quite handy with the spanners, changed the front disks and pads, and caliper this morning on my old car (now my flatmates) and including bleeding the brakes it only took me an hour and a half, a service is easy. I've never been to a dealer for work unless it's major, I'll be replacing the rear disks and pads, along with the rear heel bearings myself in the next few weeks as there's no change I'm paying dealer rates for simple jobs.

The only reason I'm asking is that all my old cars have been worth less than £3k so keeping the service history book up to date wasnt quite as important. Now with this one being worth more than double that, and it being a hot hatch, I just wondered how important it is to keep the stamps up to date. I'm thinking more along the line of when I come to sell it how put off would a buyer be of buying it if it had been self serviced,with reciepts to back it up, compared to going into Honda for the services?

dale1uk · 7 Mar 2010 at 16:02

MrMoonX said:
stamp it yourself lol get a stamp saying Dale's garage or something

Well, I have actually thought of getting a stamp made just saying 'self serviced by owner, reciepts in file' or something along those lines and stamping it myself.

iaind · 7 Mar 2010 at 16:25

My car has had it's service history stamped by the same dealer, which was the supplying dealer, for every service. It costs me a bit more to take it there than an indy, but I think a good service history is important so I keep it that way.

Remember a proper service isnt just a fluids and filter change, it should be a pretty comprehensive inspection which will pick up on a lot of things you might otherwise miss, and wouldnt be covered by an MOT.

I wouldn't be put off a self serviced car necessarily, but not something more specialist, like a CTR. I'd walk away if I was looking at buying a CTR and the owner had started to service it himself - it's not like it's an old cheap car! Just get it done at a decent indy

dale1uk · 7 Mar 2010 at 16:53

iaind said:
My car has had it's service history stamped by the same dealer, which was the supplying dealer, for every service. It costs me a bit more to take it there than an indy, but I think a good service history is important so I keep it that way.

Remember a proper service isnt just a fluids and filter change, it should be a pretty comprehensive inspection which will pick up on a lot of things you might otherwise miss, and wouldnt be covered by an MOT.

I wouldn't be put off a self serviced car necessarily, but not something more specialist, like a CTR. I'd walk away if I was looking at buying a CTR and the owner had started to service it himself - it's not like it's an old cheap car! Just get it done at a decent indy

Well the car's well looked after and I change the fluids after I go to the Nurburgring anyways. I'm aware that a service is more than just the fluids and filters, and gets fully checked over when I do it (brakes, brake lines, suspension, boots, exhaust ect) For the big 75K service (valve clearances ect) it will be going to a garage to get done. The car definitely isnt just looked at once a year during the service and expected to last 12 months without being checked again.

Buyers being put off is my main worry

iaind · 7 Mar 2010 at 16:56

My point was that it would certainly put me off buying one and I cant imagine I'm the only one. My service history is full of the complete official inspection reports, with reciepts for any remedial work that was needed

Joshy · 7 Mar 2010 at 17:05

I doubt that the sort of buyer a Type R is going to attract will care about where the car had it's book stamped.

I cannot think of a single car enthusiast I know who would walk away from a car because the book wasn't stamped if there was obvious proof that the car has been regularly serviced (Oil and Filter recpiets, etc).

dale1uk · 7 Mar 2010 at 17:07

iaind said:
My point was that it would certainly put me off buying one and I cant imagine I'm the only one. My service history is full of the complete official inspection reports, with reciepts for any remedial work that was needed

Oh I understand that, and like said thats my main worry.

Personally I'd be happy buying a self serviced car by someone who can prove whats been done and comes over as a car enthuiast. Unfortunatly it seems like a stamp is worth more and buyers may dismiss the car due to me doing it myself, even though I believe I do as good a job as a garage would, but don't have a stamp.

fonzee · 7 Mar 2010 at 17:11

exactly, certainly wouldn't put me off.

as long as its been done on time, then i'm happy. half the time better than some monkey apprentice mechanic anyway.

as i service all my cars myself, i store an exact history and receipts of absolutely everything in a word document, full descriptions of stuff done etc.

i think if its a fairly new car then obviously it will be held against it, but for an EP3 worth £4-6k most potential buyers won't care, as long as the work has been done.

[TW]Fox · 7 Mar 2010 at 17:15

And they've no proof its been done. Thats the problem.

dale1uk · 7 Mar 2010 at 17:21

[TW]Fox;16107636 said:
And they've no proof its been done. Thats the problem.

Well my proof would come in way of reciepts for all the parts used and a description of what was done and checked. I keep all the reciepts for any other work I do and file all those, just depends if thats enough 'proof'?

Moeks · 7 Mar 2010 at 18:37

iaind said:
My point was that it would certainly put me off buying one and I cant imagine I'm the only one. My service history is full of the complete official inspection reports, with reciepts for any remedial work that was needed

I agree with iain, if I was looking to buy a CTR like yours, I would not even come to look at yours if I phoned you up and asked you about things like FSH/FMDSH and you said you'ed done it yourself ...not unless you could prove to me you had been a Honda tech or something ...and then I would want to pay less because it doesn't have a FMDSH.

Fact is, no one cares if you can do it yourself as well or better than Honda because they don't know you and your abilities and you can't prove anything anyway, a lot of people that might otherwise buy it, wouldn't even look at it without those stamps there. So I think it'd be a bad idea to not get it service and stamped by the dealer.

If you plan to keep the car until it's virtually worthless it's fine, if you want it to retain some resale value, keep that service history intact.