Concern over service history of potential new car

System · 18 April 2018 at 2:25PM

You have a clear choice. You buy a less than ideally looked after but running fine used one without any consumer rights from a private seller and save £3.5k or you buy a well looked after one with consumer law protection and warranty from a dealer and pay the extra £3.5k over the private sale.

I am worried about the oil having been in the engine for 10,000 miles longer than the recommended service interval

But that may not have been the case. It may have been done. All that has happened is that it hasn't been done at a Ford dealer or it has been done and for whatever reason hasn't been recorded.

Just a question as I've had a thought, where are you looking at the service history, in the service book? I'm just wondering if the service book isn't the original one that the vehicle was sold with so the first service that was done isn't in that book. That could certainly happen if the car had been on finance and had been repossessed. As I said earlier, my Mondeo was an ex-hire vehicle, the service booklet was nowhere to be seen but there was a printout of its service history. My local Ford dealership supplied me with a replacement when I took it to them for its first service under my ownership so the first service with a Ford dealer stamp in my booklet is at 37,500 miles.

Ford store all their service history on computer and your local Ford dealership can print out the full service record of any Ford so it may be worth a trip to your local main dealer and asking them there. You may find it was done and that it has either not been recorded in the booklet or that its not the original booklet.

Ultimately though at any mileage a full service history isn't a guarantee of the condition of a vehicle, especially a performance one. For all you know it could have spent every weekend under one or more previous owners being thrashed around Croft race circuit or hooning up Santa Pod. A friend of mine used to rally cars and he'd be rebuilding the engine every few thousand miles because it was shagged by then.

markudman · 18 April 2018 at 2:34PM

Tarambor wrote: »

You have a clear choice. You buy a less than ideally looked after but running fine used one without any consumer rights from a private seller and save £3.5k or you buy a well looked after one with consumer law protection and warranty from a dealer and pay the extra £3.5k over the private sale.

But that may not have been the case. It may have been done. All that has happened is that it hasn't been done at a Ford dealer or it has been done and for whatever reason hasn't been recorded.

Just a question as I've had a thought, where are you looking at the service history, in the service book? I'm just wondering if the service book isn't the original one that the vehicle was sold with so the first service that was done isn't in that book. That could certainly happen if the car had been on finance and had been repossessed. As I said earlier, my Mondeo was an ex-hire vehicle, the service booklet was nowhere to be seen but there was a printout of its service history. My local Ford dealership supplied me with a replacement when I took it to them for its first service under my ownership so the first service with a Ford dealer stamp in my booklet is at 37,500 miles.

Ford store all their service history on computer and your local Ford dealership can print out the full service record of any Ford so it may be worth a trip to your local main dealer and asking them there. You may find it was done and that it has either not been recorded in the booklet or that its not the original booklet.

Ultimately though at any mileage a full service history isn't a guarantee of the condition of a vehicle, especially a performance one. For all you know it could have spent every weekend under one or more previous owners being thrashed around Croft race circuit or hooning up Santa Pod. A friend of mine used to rally cars and he'd be rebuilding the engine every few thousand miles because it was shagged by then.

What a great post, nobody knows:think:

poppasmurf_bewdley · 18 April 2018 at 3:13PM

markudman wrote: »

Agree Totally, but, will that make it 5 years old? 2013-2018

I blame Mrs Kenyon, my old maths teacher. Never could understand mathematics.

markudman · 18 April 2018 at 5:00PM

Mrs Kenyon has a lot to answer for LOL
count to 100 1-2-3 miss a few 99-100

sgoode · 18 April 2018 at 5:02PM

I have contacted the Ford dealer who did all the services and they confirmed that the services in the book were correct, i.e. no missing first service, unless it was done somewhere else and not recorded.

Thanks for the replies. I guess I was expecting there to be more replies saying not to touch it with a barge pole due to the importance of correct servicing at the correct intervals but the consensus is clearly that I am being far too anal and in fact worrying about nothing. I haven't driven it yet (although I've had a good look around it), so I will make sure it drives ok before making a decision.

System · 18 April 2018 at 5:09PM

Its not a case of being anal, a decent service history is a sign it has been looked after. However by 60,000 miles a decent service history isn't a guarantee of there being no issues on the horizon, minor or major, and it is too easy to place too much importance on the service history being an indicator of that. You need to be focussing most on the state of the vehicle when you are looking to buy it, not what it has been in the past.

markudman · 18 April 2018 at 5:14PM

sgoode wrote: »

I have contacted the Ford dealer who did all the services and they confirmed that the services in the book were correct, i.e. no missing first service, unless it was done somewhere else and not recorded.

Thanks for the replies. I guess I was expecting there to be more replies saying not to touch it with a barge pole due to the importance of correct servicing at the correct intervals but the consensus is clearly that I am being far too anal and in fact worrying about nothing. I haven't driven it yet (although I've had a good look around it), so I will make sure it drives ok before making a decision.

take it for a longest test drive, just to satisfy yourself. or get it checked by AA / RAC

Nobbie1967 · 18 April 2018 at 5:15PM

If it had been 22k over 4 years without a service then the car engine would probably not be in good shape as lots of short journeys knacker the oil quickly, but because the miles were all done in a year, most of them will have been done with the car warmed up and little wear occurring. When my car was new it was 1 year/10k for services, but they changed that to 2 years and 20k when they brought in the new model, but it used exactly the same engine. Oils have improved greatly.

Concern over service history of potential new car

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