Every car has a history, and that history is a vital part of the general upkeep of your car. It is called a service history and it can be monitored through a service book and service paperwork. All cars have a maintenance service schedule which is recommended by the maker of the vehicle. This schedule details what kind of jobs are needed to maintain the car, specifically minor and major work. It also highlights extra work that needs to be done on the car in accordance with its age, mileage and general condition and helps us, your local Havant garage, to tailor a service specifically for what your vehicle needs. As you can imagine, losing this information can complicate future servicing on your car – and in some cases, it can even decrease the value of your car if you try to sell it on. But it’s easy enough to retrieve, all you have to do is follow the steps below that we, at HiQ Tyres & Autocare Havant (Triangle Cars), have set out for you.
If you have misplaced your car’s service history it’s very easy to retrieve. All you have to do is the call the garage you’ve used to service your car in the time that you’ve owned it. They will ask you a few questions about your vehicle and yourself, then they’ll be able to send you a copy of the service history.
If you’re looking to fill in the gaps of your car’s service history before you owned it, you’ll have to talk to the car vendor. If you can find out where the car was serviced previously, you can contact the independent garage and ask for more details.
Another way to keep track of your car’s service history is by keeping a vehicle service book. This is the traditional way of keeping a paper record and the book can usually be found in a car’s glove box. How does it work? Every time work is carried out on your car, the garage stamps the book (almost like a car passport). The stamp provides important details including the car mileage, the date, the type of service that was performed and details of the garage.
You can also find your service history online via the gov.uk website – which holds records from the date of 2005 and onwards. However, if you’re looking for more specific details about your car service history you need to contact the previous owner. This can be done by filling out a V888 form which can be found on the DVLA website. You’ll have to pay a small fee of £2.50 to process the form. It’s no secret that car’s with a full service history are worth more money. A car with a full-service history is worth up to 20% more than a car that is the same make and model that’s missing the right service history. The average price for a used car in Britain is £8,000 but it drops by up to £1,600 if it has a missing service history. The moral of the story? Always keep a service history for your car and try to retrieve the previous one if you don’t have it already. You can book a car service with HiQ Tyres & Autocare Havant (Triangle Cars) in Havant if you think your car is due a service. Regular maintenance of your vehicle can help save you money and avoid breakdown. Book online for your car service, MOT or repairs today!
