Does fully stamped dealer service book matter?

barrie2, Jun 17, 8:35pm
If selling in p/x or private does the full service history ie fully stamped main dealer book make a difference re price? Thanks

laurelanne, Jun 17, 8:51pm
It does to me. I purchased my current vehicle from Turners. It had a stamped service record. Maybe it is just me, but I appreciate the fact that someone else has taken care of a vehicle.

poppy62, Jun 17, 8:57pm
Doesn't reflect how the vehicle is treated between services.

laurelanne, Jun 17, 9:01pm
Yes poppy62, but when you look at the overall condition and the tyre wear, it generally represents good buying.

cjohnw, Jun 17, 9:08pm
I honestly don’t know if it matters or not.
Thing is, I have always kept a full service book and every single receipt for any work done on every car I have owned.
I recall the few times I have sold a car privately the buyer has looked thru the documentation.
Matters? Yeah, probably.

marte, Jun 17, 9:36pm
Yes, definitely if its a European car.
Then you know that the maintenance has been done & by who. What maintenance was done & that they used original brand parts to do it.

franc123, Jun 17, 9:50pm
Depends on how clued up your potential buyer is, decades of Jap imports and dealers trying to convice customers that such things arent particularly important because they dont really know whats involved anyway have kind of put such things off the radar a bit. To me its a no brainer that a vehicle with a FSH is worth some premium in the used market compared to an identical car without it. It goes without saying that on a late model NZ new car thats under say 6-7 years old and 150k, having it will make any claim against the manufacturer easier in the event some major component that affects the cars operation blows up or is otherwise dysfunctional (its not impossible even with good maintenance). It can make the difference between a goodwill claim being approved or not regardless of whether its statutory warranty is still current.
After that, I think its value is less but still indicative that the owner has been keen to ensure its up to scratch.

kazbanz, Jun 18, 11:03am
Its a really strange situation here in NZ.
It is very rare to get a vehicle arrive with full service history.
Not just stamps but also the invoices.
But equally it is a rare customer that asks for service history.
About 50% do look under the bonnet and check the oil/water condition. beyond that mostly nada.
I'd say in high end/performance vehicles it has more provadence. In my market sector -4-30k its rare

budgel, Jun 18, 11:29am
I think it is more important if you are the second or third owner. Once you get past that, and a few years have gone by, then general condition and a PPI take over.
I think if it is a high end car, it can help justify spending a few grand more than on others of the same age.

gazzat22, Jun 18, 12:20pm
If i buy a JDM import there are 2 rules i follow .1 I am the first NZ owner.2. I buy from a dealer I know. works for me. !

s_nz, Jun 18, 2:47pm
A service history matters to me (on vehicles with engines). Don't really care if it is dealer stamps in the book, or if it is a stack of receipts from a third party mechanic, or even a plausible explanation as to how maintenance on an ex-fleet car was done.

gman35, Jun 18, 3:02pm
As a small independent bicycle shop I can tell you that there are some very average "Main dealer" bike services done as the mechanics are often told by the manager to "give this one a really quick checkover because there are new bikes (see CARS) over there that need to be prepped for the showroom" or the mechanic just does the very least as its just another cookie-cutter type job for them. And if some of the Euro dealer stories of terrible after-sales service are true a "local" garage with the right diagnostic equipment at least is often worth more than a Main Dealer's stamp collection.

gumboot999, Jun 18, 6:12pm
Very definitely makes a difference to me when buying used cars as I want to have some degree of confidence the car has been regularly serviced ie "cared for". I also keep all service records and receipts ( even for a Jap import I bought at 60thouk) for the next buyer and this has worked well for me over the years. I'm also keen on a PPI and if I have both of those makes me feel I've done everything I could to ensure a sound purchase. And yes, I'm old and pedantic when it comes to buying cars and parting with my $$ss.I don't buy at car fairs and prefer to meet the seller at their home , not a petrol station or parking building etc. Looking for a genuine seller- Carjam helps as does length of time the previous owner has had the car and given reason for selling. When buying just remember the golden rule. " he who has the gold makes the rules".

poppy62, Jun 18, 7:40pm
A Stamped book only says that the car has been serviced at appropriate times. There is no history on how the car has been treated between services.

franc123, Jun 18, 8:08pm
A car thats been serviced by the book and driven hot and hard is preferable to something thats been serviced rarely or not at all and driven cold for most of its kms. Thats where a good PPI by someone familiar with the model and how things should look and feel is valuable. Abuse (in whatever form) is generally not difficult to spot.

stevo2, Jun 18, 8:15pm
In my opinion, it may or may not make the car worth more $$$ but it will make it easier to sell.

likit, Jul 23, 4:53pm
Doesn’t bother me on jap imports, they are just runabouts for me but, when I buy an HSV I always check the service history, the book doesn’t need to be stamped, I just check with the HSV dealer