Whats the big deal about service records?

[Vin Diesel]

Maybe im not seeing the big picture, but why would someone want service records of a car?
I mean i fix everything myself and the car will never see a shop in its life (E28).
Is this because some people lie about say, the engine being rebuilt? or something the other?

I changed all the bushings, springs, shocks, tires, starter, alternator, all maintenance myself. Not to mention countless other parts.
Will be doing the motor soon enough.
Im not ever selling my car, but why would someone want those records and even if so, they wouldnt be able to get any as there are none ya know? I consider myself a true enthusiast and a good wrencher by all means without bragging.

Is this considered for newer cars generally like the E46 for example?

thanks

[Mitch]

Service records are so important because the lifespan of a car is not determined by mileage but by maintenance. Most people do not do their own service, so in that case service records are critical. If service was done, there would be receipts and paperwork for it. There's no reason for an owner not to keep up with that stuff, so it's generally assumed that if the owner doesn't have that stuff, the work was never done. Not a good progress report for a car that is up for sale.

Now you do your own work, and I think that's awesome. I think if you ever wanted to sell your car (that's a big if), most buyers wouldn't care about service records because of the fanatical attention people who do their own work give to their cars. I would however recommend keeping personal records of what you did and when, the parts and costs, and time spent. It's good because you'll have a list of everything you've done, just so that there's not "I think this was changed" or "I can't remember if I used this or that".

I just got a new Civic and I'm keeping meticulous records for it. I've documented every tank of gas in an Excel spreadsheet. I have an overall MPG rating for the car and individual intervals so that I can tell if the MPG ever fluctuates (MPG is the equivalent to taking the car's temperature). It's not necessary, but it's information that I want to have for my own purposes. I'm sure the next owner of my car someday will be very pleased to have "too much" information on the vehicle.

[ehlpitel]

If you do all your own work, it wouldn't be a terrible idea to save the reciepts.

[420325es]

I think they are most important for parts such as the timing belt. Or other parts detrimental for the life o fthe car.

The more recipts you have the more problems youve had and the more your cars been taken apart. having a ton of recipts may not necessarly be a good thing.

[moroza]

I think they are most important for parts such as the timing belt. Or other parts detrimental for the life o fthe car.

The more recipts you have the more problems youve had and the more your cars been taken apart. having a ton of recipts may not necessarly be a good thing.

A careful buyer (i.e one that would want records to begin with) can look through them and determine any patterns. If there are five different receipts for headgaskets, then yes, that'd be a car to stay away from. But to some extent, there's a difference between a car's reliability and how well it's been taken care of. If you're looking at a car, you should've already done the research of how reliable it's supposed to be. Base reliability is something owners can't do anything about, so if you're looking at a car that you know (or should know) is unreliable, that has nothing to do with the records. On the other hand, records show that the car was taken care of. In this day and age, cars are perhaps the most popular means of scamming someone, so if there are no records, it's safe to assume you're dealing with a careless PO at best, a scammer or car thief at worst. I'd much rather buy a car from someone who beat the shit out of it 50k miles a year, but maintained it religiously and immediately fixed the slightest problem, than from someone who drove it every other weekend and maybe changed the oil once or twice.

Me? I do most of my own work, save receipts for major parts, but most of all, keep a detailed maintenance log that describes what the problem (or scheduled maintenance) was, how to fix it, what I did, what parts were needed, and how it turned out. It'll come out to a few pages printed, if and when long down the road I ever sell it.

[ohnoes]

Service records are incredibly important. It isn't so much about "trust" as it is having a thorough awareness of what has been replaced and serviced on the car, and most importantly, when. Without service records, you have nowhere to start. For instance, on M20s, keeping up on timing belt replacements is absolutely critical; failure to replace the belt at least every 60k (preferably 40-50k) will result in it snapping and blowing the motor.

Thus, not having service records will be a real disadvantage when you have interference engines like the M20. In this case, you'll probably have to change the timing belt and adjust the valves just to be on the safe side. However, it is a real disadvantage with any car--not having service records for basic things like oil filter, fuel filter, oil changes, fluid flushes/changes, etc. is pretty annoying and inconvenient.

Now do you see why having service records can make a real difference?

[ohnoes]

Oh, and it's totally worth it to keep records for both your own review later and for the next owner. Believe it or not, it really does increase the value of the car later (even if minimally) but most of all, it creates a sense of security and confidence for the next owner. For every part I buy and every service I pay for, I get a receipt and stick it in a manilla folder. It takes 10 seconds and it allows me to go through them later and see what I've done and what needs to be done.

[moroza]

Oh, and it's totally worth it to keep records for both your own review later and for the next owner. Believe it or not, it really does increase the value of the car later (even if minimally) but most of all, it creates a sense of security and confidence for the next owner. For every part I buy and every service I pay for, I get a receipt and stick it in a manilla folder. It takes 10 seconds and it allows me to go through them later and see what I've done and what needs to be done.

I see you bought an E30?

[ohnoes]

I see you bought an E30?

I sure did. For $1,195. '89 325iS loaded. Has some cosmetic imperfections (to say the least), but it runs and drives well and handles like a friggin' go-kart.

And I enjoyed demolishing an early-90s Civic by a couplea buslengths yesterday.

[moroza]

I sure did. For $1,195. '89 325iS loaded. Has some cosmetic imperfections (to say the least), but it runs and drives well and handles like a friggin' go-kart.

And I enjoyed demolishing an early-90s Civic by a couplea buslengths yesterday.

AFAIK, the M20 shares engine mounts with the M30....and I'm sure there's enough room under there for a turbo to go with that M30...

[ohnoes]

AFAIK, the M20 shares engine mounts with the M30....and I'm sure there's enough room under there for a turbo to go with that M30...

[moroza]

You know you want to.

[ohnoes]

You know you want to.

I may want to, but doggone it, I can't afford to.