About to buy a car from motorpoint - some advice

abbas5001

Thanks all, very helpful. My take away is ask for a discount but likely none will be forthcoming and say no to the add ons but try and get something included such as the carpets or the coating. They are also charging an admin fee of £150 so will try to get that excused. 

Re service history - I always thought of cars with a service book and stamps/invoices et cetera having had older cars. I asked the staff branch regarding service history and he said it is recorded online on a database and could see the car had a service in 2021 and 2022 with VW and a service with motorpoint when they got in 2023. If I was to sell the car privately a few years down the line, how would I prove this? 

I did ask if they knew where the car came from, they said they can’t really tell due to GDPR but suspected it was an ex fleet car. I didn’t ask about V5C so will ask about that too. 

sheramber

Skoda are the same- on =line service record.

I was given  previous service receipts for my car when I bought it. 

I keep the service receipts from the services I have had done, which were not at the dealer.

Herzlos

abbas5001 said:

I asked the staff branch regarding service history and he said it is recorded online on a database and could see the car had a service in 2021 and 2022 with VW and a service with motorpoint when they got in 2023. If I was to sell the car privately a few years down the line, how would I prove this?

Any VW dealer will be able to check the history for the VW services, though the motorpoint one won't be there.
Motoropoint should be able to give you a print out of all of the service history before you buy it.

Goudy

My Renault services are recorded electronically and I can access that online or in an app but I also get a stamped book but it's little more than just a date it was performed, not actually a record of what they did and the condition of the car when it was done.

Along with that I get a receipt which is itemised and a completed service check list that records what has been checked and the condition of those areas checked.
Things like tyre depth, brake pad and disc wear, fluid levels and condition, condition of belts, suspension parts and fixings, checks for leaks and splits in gaiters and hoses, things are working like lights etc.

What I don't find helpful or want is some salesperson telling me it's been serviced and when I buy a new car I expect to find more than that if it has been described as having a full service history.

Ok, there might be evidence it's had some services, but what?

As it's described as having been serviced and with a service history, I want to know when and what had been done but also the condition of the brakes, tyres, fluids and all those other things.
I also want to gauge when I need all these things checking again or possibly replacing.

I might be wrong, but I thought that was the whole point of having a car serviced and recording that service.
 
If as they say it's had 2 from the dealer and it's held online, they must have access to that to know that.
If they have serviced it themselves, they must have a record of that and what was done.
I would ask, lets see it.

I suspect their service was little more than some pre sales checks rather than fluid and filter changes or more in depth checks, but it's worth knowing that.

Again, I might be wrong but I'd then weight up that condition and near future costs based on the reported condition that car might have, against say a car from a dealers or other source that perhaps has better evidence of condition.

Ok, I might save £500 buying it from the car supermarket, but if it needs to go in for a proper service in the next month and they find out it needs brake discs and pads all around and the coolant and brake fluid are over due or god forbid it's due a cam belt, that £500 saving has disappeared pretty quickly and then some.

Ganga

Goudy said:

My Renault services are recorded electronically and I can access that online or in an app but I also get a stamped book but it's little more than just a date it was performed, not actually a record of what they did and the condition of the car when it was done.

Along with that I get a receipt which is itemised and a completed service check list that records what has been checked and the condition of those areas checked.
Things like tyre depth, brake pad and disc wear, fluid levels and condition, condition of belts, suspension parts and fixings, checks for leaks and splits in gaiters and hoses, things are working like lights etc.

What I don't find helpful or want is some salesperson telling me it's been serviced and when I buy a new car I expect to find more than that if it has been described as having a full service history.

Ok, there might be evidence it's had some services, but what?

As it's described as having been serviced and with a service history, I want to know when and what had been done but also the condition of the brakes, tyres, fluids and all those other things.
I also want to gauge when I need all these things checking again or possibly replacing.

I might be wrong, but I thought that was the whole point of having a car serviced and recording that service.
 
If as they say it's had 2 from the dealer and it's held online, they must have access to that to know that.
If they have serviced it themselves, they must have a record of that and what was done.
I would ask, lets see it.

I suspect their service was little more than some pre sales checks rather than fluid and filter changes or more in depth checks, but it's worth knowing that.

Again, I might be wrong but I'd then weight up that condition and near future costs based on the reported condition that car might have, against say a car from a dealers or other source that perhaps has better evidence of condition.

Ok, I might save £500 buying it from the car supermarket, but if it needs to go in for a proper service in the next month and they find out it needs brake discs and pads all around and the coolant and brake fluid are over due or god forbid it's due a cam belt, that £500 saving has disappeared pretty quickly and then some.

As above check if the car has a timing belt or chain ,if a belt has it been changed or when is it due ,would be great if you bought car then found out the timing belt change was due a few months later as they can be quite expensive jobs and fatal to the engine if they fail.

ROY47

Put the registration number in here and do a quick check

https://cartaxcheck.co.uk/

I used that site when my daughter bought a Hyundai from a nearby  Ford main dealer 

Had all the info about Hyundai 5 year warranty no worries for the next 3 and half years ,  The car was 18 months old at the time and 3,000 miles on clock

tax came back as  run out 12 months previously   car had been off the road for that long and never serviced , after checking with Hyundai uk  no service meant  voiding 5 year warranty 

The dealer gave her a free comprehensive warranty free of charge ...not as good as Hyundai but reasonable spec

luci

born_again said:

Cloth_of_Gold said:

Goudy said:

Car from fleets, like hire companies tend to not have a dealer stamped up service book or service receipts but can go through independent garages for servicing.
Quite often they are then sold with a flimsy printout of service dates and nothing else, this can be off putting for some as it can cause problems with any outstanding manufacturers warranty.

Aren't service books a thing of the past? When  we bought our Golf, a few years ago, the chap at the dealership told us that VW no longer issues service books and it's all just recorded online. ours has a full MD SH but the only evidence we have is the invoice issued after each service which details what has been done. I would have thought that most companies did it like this now.

Not all Kia proudly state.
Kia UK do not maintain a centralised service record database, if the service record booklet for your car is incomplete you should contact the dealer that carried out the work or the previous owner (if applicable)

No stamp = No warranty.
If your Kia car is not serviced by a Kia dealer or Authorised repairer we recommend:
• The garage completing the service is VAT registered.
• The service must be carried out correctly as detailed in the owner’s manual.
• Only genuine Kia parts and lubricants as recommended by Kia or equivalent quality must be used.
• The part numbers used should be detailed on the service invoice.
• The oil type and grade used should be detailed on the service invoice.
• Service records in the warranty booklet must be stamped and dated.

I have a new Kia arriving tomorrow. It will be serviced next year at a local independent garage using genuine Kia parts and the recommended oil. Your post has reminded me to make sure the part numbers are on the invoice. Thanks

luci

Cloth_of_Gold said:

born_again said:

Cloth_of_Gold said:

Goudy said:

Car from fleets, like hire companies tend to not have a dealer stamped up service book or service receipts but can go through independent garages for servicing.
Quite often they are then sold with a flimsy printout of service dates and nothing else, this can be off putting for some as it can cause problems with any outstanding manufacturers warranty.

Aren't service books a thing of the past? When  we bought our Golf, a few years ago, the chap at the dealership told us that VW no longer issues service books and it's all just recorded online. ours has a full MD SH but the only evidence we have is the invoice issued after each service which details what has been done. I would have thought that most companies did it like this now.

Not all Kia proudly state.
Kia UK do not maintain a centralised service record database, if the service record booklet for your car is incomplete you should contact the dealer that carried out the work or the previous owner (if applicable)

No stamp = No warranty.
If your Kia car is not serviced by a Kia dealer or Authorised repairer we recommend:
• The garage completing the service is VAT registered.
• The service must be carried out correctly as detailed in the owner’s manual.
• Only genuine Kia parts and lubricants as recommended by Kia or equivalent quality must be used.
• The part numbers used should be detailed on the service invoice.
• The oil type and grade used should be detailed on the service invoice.
• Service records in the warranty booklet must be stamped and dated.

Perhaps they also issue a hard copy owner's manual too. VW didn't and said it was all online (which is fine for somethings but for others less so) but said we could have one for £70 but it would have to be ordered and would take several months to arrive! I couldn't find a second-hand one online so gave up. Anyway, I'm going off-topic (sorry).

From what I have found, Kias don't come with an owner's manual, it's online. Apparently they don't come with a nice folder for the service book either, it's just a basic folder. I'll find out tomorrow when my car arrives.

Cloth_of_Gold

luci said:

Cloth_of_Gold said:

born_again said:

Cloth_of_Gold said:

Goudy said:

Car from fleets, like hire companies tend to not have a dealer stamped up service book or service receipts but can go through independent garages for servicing.
Quite often they are then sold with a flimsy printout of service dates and nothing else, this can be off putting for some as it can cause problems with any outstanding manufacturers warranty.

Aren't service books a thing of the past? When  we bought our Golf, a few years ago, the chap at the dealership told us that VW no longer issues service books and it's all just recorded online. ours has a full MD SH but the only evidence we have is the invoice issued after each service which details what has been done. I would have thought that most companies did it like this now.

Not all Kia proudly state.
Kia UK do not maintain a centralised service record database, if the service record booklet for your car is incomplete you should contact the dealer that carried out the work or the previous owner (if applicable)

No stamp = No warranty.
If your Kia car is not serviced by a Kia dealer or Authorised repairer we recommend:
• The garage completing the service is VAT registered.
• The service must be carried out correctly as detailed in the owner’s manual.
• Only genuine Kia parts and lubricants as recommended by Kia or equivalent quality must be used.
• The part numbers used should be detailed on the service invoice.
• The oil type and grade used should be detailed on the service invoice.
• Service records in the warranty booklet must be stamped and dated.

Perhaps they also issue a hard copy owner's manual too. VW didn't and said it was all online (which is fine for somethings but for others less so) but said we could have one for £70 but it would have to be ordered and would take several months to arrive! I couldn't find a second-hand one online so gave up. Anyway, I'm going off-topic (sorry).

From what I have found, Kias don't come with an owner's manual, it's online. Apparently they don't come with a nice folder for the service book either, it's just a basic folder. I'll find out tomorrow when my car arrives.

We don't have a service book - that is all online too. I"m not sure if they would give you a print out if you wanted it to show someone, e.g. a private buyer, but otherwise all we have is the invoices showing what has been done.

luci

Cloth_of_Gold said:

luci said:

Cloth_of_Gold said:

born_again said:

Cloth_of_Gold said:

Goudy said:

Car from fleets, like hire companies tend to not have a dealer stamped up service book or service receipts but can go through independent garages for servicing.
Quite often they are then sold with a flimsy printout of service dates and nothing else, this can be off putting for some as it can cause problems with any outstanding manufacturers warranty.

Aren't service books a thing of the past? When  we bought our Golf, a few years ago, the chap at the dealership told us that VW no longer issues service books and it's all just recorded online. ours has a full MD SH but the only evidence we have is the invoice issued after each service which details what has been done. I would have thought that most companies did it like this now.

Not all Kia proudly state.
Kia UK do not maintain a centralised service record database, if the service record booklet for your car is incomplete you should contact the dealer that carried out the work or the previous owner (if applicable)

No stamp = No warranty.
If your Kia car is not serviced by a Kia dealer or Authorised repairer we recommend:
• The garage completing the service is VAT registered.
• The service must be carried out correctly as detailed in the owner’s manual.
• Only genuine Kia parts and lubricants as recommended by Kia or equivalent quality must be used.
• The part numbers used should be detailed on the service invoice.
• The oil type and grade used should be detailed on the service invoice.
• Service records in the warranty booklet must be stamped and dated.

Perhaps they also issue a hard copy owner's manual too. VW didn't and said it was all online (which is fine for somethings but for others less so) but said we could have one for £70 but it would have to be ordered and would take several months to arrive! I couldn't find a second-hand one online so gave up. Anyway, I'm going off-topic (sorry).

From what I have found, Kias don't come with an owner's manual, it's online. Apparently they don't come with a nice folder for the service book either, it's just a basic folder. I'll find out tomorrow when my car arrives.

We don't have a service book - that is all online too. I"m not sure if they would give you a print out if you wanted it to show someone, e.g. a private buyer, but otherwise all we have is the invoices showing what has been done.

Is that for a Kia?

If the service log is online only, I would hope that you would be able to print it out at home. I have just sold my car via Motorway. I had to upload copies of all the pages of the service book.