Van Purchase Full Service History Misrepresentation

ben0101 · 22 April 2019 at 8:51PM

Evening all - I'm after some advice please before I start this ball rolling.

6 weeks ago I purchase a van from a dealer with 'Full Service History' - this was stated both on the advert and by the dealer verbally. I have a screenshot of the advert stating this but nothing more proof-wise.

The van is an ex-lease fleet vehicle from a well known nationwide company. There is only one service stamp in the book but hear me out. It was verbally stated that the previous owner (the large nationwide company) will send the file containing all invoices for the services done over the last 60k miles once ownership has been transferred to me. This didn't concern me as I have friends with ex-RAC vans where this has been done as promised.

The dealer is now claiming they cannot get the company to send the invoices through, stating 'privacy' etc - I presume something to do with GDPR but can't say for sure. I've rang the original owner company myself who stated they passed all their invoices onto the auction company (middle man) before my dealer bought it.

The van is EASILY worth £3k less than I paid for it without service history so I believe I am entitled to a partial refund. Before this all gets very nasty I'd like some advice on where I stand legally please - any help is greatly appreciated.

Btw, it's a VW Transporter - I've contacted VW who do have records but nothing more than an A4 sheet that says 'service' and the date.

Thankyou!

Penelopa.Pitstop · 22 April 2019 at 9:10PM

Yes, that's normal now. Print out from dealer with service dates proves it was serviced. When I was returning my lease vehicle, guy who was collecting it, didn't want any paperwork.

flashg67 · 22 April 2019 at 9:22PM

If VW will supply a print from their record, that should suffice IMHO. some manufacturers don't stamp a book anymore, it's all held electronically. If you can find the dealer, they may stamp the book for you?

Mr.Generous · 22 April 2019 at 9:24PM

Buy a rubber stamp kit - you know who did the services and when so easy to stamp the book to match the print out.

£10 from ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/TRAXX-8051-Self-inking-DIY-Text-Rubber-Stamp-Kit-up-to-3-Lines-of-3mm/1838161724?iid=230952383071&var=530131254721

ben0101 · 22 April 2019 at 9:44PM

Thanks for the replies guys. I’ll clarify what I mean - I have a stamp from 23k and a VW email PDF ive sourced myself that just states ‘service history’ at 23k and 51k. Its on 89k now so that’s 38k unaccounted for. It’s not that I need proof/stamps to sell on, it’s that Ive paid so much more than it’s worth because of the lack of history and also the fact I need to spend circa £500 to do the cambelt/oil etc as I’ve no proof to myself it’s been done.

Herzlos · 22 April 2019 at 10:01PM

Have you contacted the rental company yourself to see if they can provide any information directly?

It's a bizarre setup; you'd think they'd just stick a print-out of the history in the glove box when the car goes away to auction or whatever.

jk0 · 22 April 2019 at 10:03PM

Sounds like you have a full history, doesn't it?

No-one said it had been serviced correctly, did they?

angrycrow · 22 April 2019 at 10:18PM

The time to inspect service history records is before agreeing to buy to confirm how it has been serviced.

As stated above sounds like you now have the full history it's just not what you would have hoped for.

System · 22 April 2019 at 11:08PM

ben0101 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys. I’ll clarify what I mean - I have a stamp from 23k and a VW email PDF ive sourced myself that just states ‘service history’ at 23k and 51k. Its on 89k now so that’s 38k unaccounted for.

I would say for an ex-lease fleet van that that service history is probably correct, they'll certainly not bother to service it in the year they're going to get shut of it. If you're buying ex-lease fleet you have to accept that it won't have been serviced on time, if at all.

When you're buying commercial vehicles you do it in the knowledge that it'll have likely been run into the ground because as far as the company is concerned its a loss making tool so they'll spend the least on it they have to.

AdrianC · 23 April 2019 at 9:01AM

ben0101 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys. I’ll clarify what I mean - I have a stamp from 23k and a VW email PDF ive sourced myself that just states ‘service history’ at 23k and 51k. Its on 89k now so that’s 38k unaccounted for. It’s not that I need proof/stamps to sell on

More than that.

There's two servicing regime options, IIRC, for T6s - 12k fixed, or max 18k variable. So if it'd been on variable, it's missing one before 23k, one between 23k and 51k, and at least two between 51k and now.

But, for all we know, that may very well be the full history of all the services it's had. Which would be a "full service history", would it not...?

Purchase for business use, I presume...?

ratrace · 23 April 2019 at 12:33PM

AdrianC wrote: »

More than that.

There's two servicing regime options, IIRC, for T6s - 12k fixed, or max 18k variable. So if it'd been on variable, it's missing one before 23k, one between 23k and 51k, and at least two between 51k and now.

But, for all we know, that may very well be the full history of all the services it's had. Which would be a "full service history", would it not...?

Purchase for business use, I presume...?

It would, but what i think ben the op, is trying to say that its not been serviced in accordance the manufacturer specified intervals, but thats not uncommon to find on vans etc...

unfortunately op, as said above the time to do all your checks is before you hand over the cash

Van Purchase Full Service History Misrepresentation

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