No Service Book, Skoda, Audi, VW

[Lord Tyrion]

Anyone out there with one of these brands? They no longer give service books with their cars, they have not done for at least 3 years. What do you do if you get your car serviced outside of the dealer network? Have you had issues when you went to sell your car and did not have a traditional service book to give with the car?

I have a digital record via the skoda app but this method seems designed to keep you within the network and I don't necessarily want that going forward.

 

[Daveg99]

You can still get an itemised invoice from a garage outside of the network. Whether or not the warranty will still stand afterwards is another story.

 

[PJ87]

Anyone out there with one of these brands? They no longer give service books with their cars, they have not done for at least 3 years. What do you do if you get your car serviced outside of the dealer network? Have you had issues when you went to sell your car and did not have a traditional service book to give with the car?

I have a digital record via the skoda app but this method seems designed to keep you within the network and I don't necessarily want that going forward.

Ive always found a receipt for the work from the garage will be proof of service

Plus you can always buy a service book and just get it filled in

Generic Service History Book Suitable For All Audi Cars https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/7412390651/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_3.10EbMRMAGQG

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Once outside of the warranty period that stops being relevant.

Instead of a service book do you now just keep service invoices in a file? When selling on do I just show people the file then?

 

[harpo_72]

Anyone out there with one of these brands? They no longer give service books with their cars, they have not done for at least 3 years. What do you do if you get your car serviced outside of the dealer network? Have you had issues when you went to sell your car and did not have a traditional service book to give with the car?

I have a digital record via the skoda app but this method seems designed to keep you within the network and I don't necessarily want that going forward.

It forces the servicing to stay inside the dealers. Like the diagnostic tooling and funny fitting that are uncommon and require different tool heads.
Dare I say it they are making the business unsustainable because the cars cannot be maintained.. suggest you sell the car back in to the system, or pay main dealer service prices.
My MX5 has a digital history and a book. But I don’t bother and align with my MOT certs all major services, component changes. Realistically you need to understand that belt changes have to occur and that work is done to a schedule laid out in the hand book, plus follow a lubrication regime. All the other stuff falls apart eventually, it’s lifed at 240k kms and if not deemed consumable and all affecting consumables have been maintained you could argue for a free replacement...

I hope that helps

 

[Lord Tyrion]

It forces the servicing to stay inside the dealers. Like the diagnostic tooling and funny fitting that are uncommon and require different tool heads.
Dare I say it they are making the business unsustainable because the cars cannot be maintained.. suggest you sell the car back in to the system, or pay main dealer service prices.
My MX5 has a digital history and a book. But I don’t bother and align with my MOT certs all major services, component changes. Realistically you need to understand that belt changes have to occur and that work is done to a schedule laid out in the hand book, plus follow a lubrication regime. All the other stuff falls apart eventually, it’s lifed at 240k kms and if not deemed consumable and all affecting consumables have been maintained you could argue for a free replacement...

I hope that helps

I'm intending to buy my current business lease car, I've had it for 3yrs. The car has been great, it makes sense to buy it as I know it's history, know it is solid. I just want to get my head around this aspect. It didn't matter when I was going to be handing the keys back but now that I am likely to keep it I want to understand this better, work out if there are any consequences.

If it is common and people are used to it then that is fine, I just need to catch up with my thinking ?

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Mazda do the same, but there are some specialist third party garages that can access and update the service history.
Personally, I prefer a written service history book. I also think not having a service book makes it harder to keep up to speed on when your next service is due, and whilst I accept most cars have self diagnosis of when it's due for service when it's no longer under warranty I immediately go back to the old yearly/10k servicing. I then would keep all reciepts.

 

[OnTour]

I buy for a living, paperwork is 100% better than a stamp - you can stamp anything with no record of anything being done.

Buy your own stamp off ebay - speaks for itself :-( as for warranty any VAT registered garage with genuine parts can service a car and keep the warranty.

 

[Daveg99]

I buy for a living, paperwork is 100% better than a stamp - you can stamp anything with no record of anything being done.

Buy your own stamp off ebay - speaks for itself :-( as for warranty any VAT registered garage with genuine parts can service a car and keep the warranty.

Not entirely true. The manufacturer I work work doesn’t warrant any work done outside the network. But 90% do I agree

 

[ScienceBoy]

I don’t worry too much about these things as I drive my cars until the wheels all fall off at once and the bonnet pops up and smoke rises out.

 

[Blue in Munich]

I'd actually lost my stamped service book from my Subaru when I part exchanged it. I had however kept every itemised service bill from the main dealer I'd used. Garage taking it in said that was worth more than a book full of stamps.

 

[jim8flog]

I don’t worry too much about these things as I drive my cars until the wheels all fall off at once and the bonnet pops up and smoke rises out.

Ditto to some extent but I still find it easier to sell to a private buyer if you have all the paperwork even on an 8 year old car.

 

[jim8flog]

Anyone out there with one of these brands? They no longer give service books with their cars, they have not done for at least 3 years. What do you do if you get your car serviced outside of the dealer network? Have you had issues when you went to sell your car and did not have a traditional service book to give with the car?

I have a digital record via the skoda app but this method seems designed to keep you within the network and I don't necessarily want that going forward.

Not well up on apps myself but does it have some sort of print to file capability, download etc and then print to paper.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Not well up on apps myself but does it have some sort of print to file capability, download etc and then print to paper.

Quite possibly. It is just the idea of loose bits of paper being so different to a regular service book. It is clearly more normal than I imagined and I am just a bit out of touch. I was worried going forward that it would make it harder to sell but it looks as though that will not be the case.

I will put the service invoices together in a folder.

Thanks for the replies, I feel better for this.