Checking the service history of a vehicle

There are many risks involved in buying a second hand car. One of them may be the service history. Older vehicles are often sold without the handbook meaning you may not be able to check if it has any service history and must take the word of the seller. If the seller has taken the vehicle in part exchange, then they may not know if it has any service history. If the car you are buying or have bought a car which is ten years old for example, the chances are it will have had at least a few services. You can look through receipts (if you have any) to see if you can find one for a service or if all the repairs seem to have been done at one or two garages, it may be worth giving that garage a call to see if they have any history for you.

You can also have a look online through previous MOT’s and find out garages that have carried out repairs. If it is a main dealer then they may well have carried out the servicing of the vehicle too.

Buying a car with no service history isn’t necessary a bad idea, but you need to be aware that it may of missed a few and be prepared to service it as soon as you have bought it. You should also be aware that cars with little or no service history tend to be worth less money, so when it comes to selling it you will not get a premium price.