Cars are complex, and need regular maintenance and servicing to stay in top shape, not doing so can affect not only your car’s reliability but its resale value too. In this article, we take a look at how to check the service history of your car.

Whilst it’s best to look through the service records before you purchase, there are some benefits to locating and servicing it mid-ownership too, including getting a better deal on a sale or trade-in.

How to Check Service History on a Car

If you’re buying a second hand car, or have never checked your current car’s history, it’s a good idea to know where to look. 

Service History Stored on the Car’s Infotainment System

If your car has an onboard infotainment system with car information built in, this should be the first place to check your car service history. Many cars have this, but typically only those built after 2010 ish. Searching online for your car’s make, model and year should show you how to access it. 

Onboard service history usually only shows the date and mileage of the service and a brief description. Some models and years automatically synchronise with the manufacturers service servers, check your user manual for more information on this.

Paper Service History

If your car doesn’t have the service history logged electronically, the next place to look would be in the owner's manual pack. If you’ve never seen it before, check in the glove box and any storage compartments. 

When inspecting paper service history, look for evidence of what work was carried out, such as “oil & filter changed” on the receipts, invoice or in the service book. Also take note of the date and mileage, this is the critical info to analyse.

What to Look For in a Car's Service History

Service history can be an extremely useful tool in evaluating how well a car has been looked after, it can also indicate the reliability and longevity of a potential purchase, as regular servicing is key to maintaining the health of an engine.

When looking at a car for sale, it’s good to know the recommended service intervals and any large service items. For instance, some manufacturers recommend a service every 12,000 miles and need a cambelt replacement at 100,000 miles. 

Look for invoices, receipts and bills from garages and dealerships, these will show if the relevant service items have been covered by a previous owner. Be sure to also check that the vehicle's registration number matches both the document and the car itself.

How to Find Lost Service History

If you have lost your service records, or your car didn’t come with any, finding or replacing them could massively help the resale value of your car. Unfortunately recovering lost paper records will be very difficult, as most garages or mechanics will only store information for a certain period of time.

If your car has dia gital service history though, or has been serviced at the dealership every time, there may be a chance to recover it there. Note down your VIN and registration number before contacting the dealership. In some cases, a report can be printed that documents previous work.

What is Service History?

The servicing requirements of your car will depend on the type of powertrain it has, the manufacturer and its age. Regardless of the level of servicing required, the service history logs everything that has been done to the car throughout its life. 

The history should stay with the car even when sold, so new owners can check what maintenance has been done. It may consist of a manufacturer supplied service book, handwritten notes, a stack of receipts, or a combination of all three. 

Many modern cars have their service history stored in their infotainment systems, a copy of which will be stored by the dealer.

What is Included in a Service History?

Whilst this will differ from car to car and make to make, in general, service history can include:

• Records of services carried out, and the parts changed. E.g. Oil & filter changed
• Other repair work carried out e.g. New clutch fitted
• Receipts of parts and/or from the mechanic that fitted them
• Stamps from dealer or garage certifying work was completed by them
• Recall notices and work carried out

Why is Service History Important?

Regardless of the type of ownership or how long you intend to keep your vehicle for, maintaining its service history is a worthwhile task, it helps the car retain value and serves as a log of what's been done and when, for you or future owners.

Many sources suggest that cars without full-service history are worth between 10 - 20% less than those with a service history.

What is Full-Service History?

As car makers detail exactly when a car should be serviced, for a car to have FSH it needs to have each and every service ticked off, either in the service book or electronically. 

This may or may not include work such as replacement cam belts or brake fluid flushes, but at the least: engine oil & filter changes, gearbox fluid changes, air and fuel filter changes.

Does Full-Service History Add Value?

Definitely, most sources claim that cars lose between 10-20% of their value if they don’t come with service history. Not only does it make a car worth more, but it increases the number of potential buyers, especially if it's of high value, or a performance or special model.

This is because buying a second-hand car is a risk already, and without service history, it’s an even bigger gamble; has the engine been looked after? Has the necessary maintenance been done that will prevent the engine blowing up?

Zero-Interest Financing on Car Repairs With Bumper

Regardless of whether your car has FSH, part service history or none at all, routine maintenance and repairs bills alike can quickly rack up. Bumper offers zero-interest finance on car repairs through one of their nationwide service partners.