Why dont people keep service records?

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by Particle Man

I keep big things like major repairs. Every oil change? Not really. Every vehicle I've owned has gotten at least 200,000 miles except one that only got 138,000 before I traded it in. I buy a new car like every 10-12 years now

yeah I haven't purchase any that had under 100k... even my 08 and 99 (the two newest) had 150 or so. most of mine are over 200k... shit I had a 79 Pickup with 750k.. bought it with 600k... can't imagine what it'd look like if they'd kept service receipts LOL

[racedoll]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Again, I don't understand how hard it is to hold onto a piece of paper, even if you do the maintenance yourself.

It's not hard, people just don't take the time to do it. And most won't ask for it so why take the extra time.

I don't keep the receipts for oil changes. I do log the mileage, date, and who performed the work. Major stuff I keep the receipts, as well as log the information.

The probe I have most of the data. The bike and the legacy I have everything since I've owned them.

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by racedoll

It's not hard, people just don't take the time to do it. And most won't ask for it so why take the extra time.

Who are these "most people"

And what kind of vehicles are you selling to them?

If it's something only worth $2-3K, then I could see your point....The less it's worth, the less people would care about seeing proof that it was maintained.

But what about newer or more valuable stuff?

Let's say you owned a late model VW or Audi with the turbo 4, which has a history of problems if the oil changes weren't kept up.......And you put it up for sale today. Don't you think a potential buyer would be interested to know when and how often you changed the oil (if at all)? If I was the buyer, I would ask for proof. Just saying "oh yeah I changed it every 3K" isn't going to satisfy things. Everyone says that.

Or, even more importantly, how about if your car has a timing belt which requires changing at 80K miles. That is a pretty expensive service, and if you don't get it done, your engine could be damaged if it's an "interference design". So you get it done, drive another 5K, and then decide to sell the car. Wouldn't you want to show that you had that service done?

[Rangerscott]

You can pretty much count on that the only oil in a vehicle that has been changed is the engine oil. I never hear someone say that they changed the P/S fluid, tranny fluid, transfer case oil, axle oil, etc. Hell I think people with manual trannys change their oil more often than people with autos. I know two things that detour them away. 1. The crazy price mechanics charge. 2. "Eh, you don't need to change it."

[Homeslice]

Again, I don't understand how hard it is to hold onto a piece of paper, even if you do the maintenance yourself.

[Rangerscott]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Again, I don't understand how hard it is to hold onto a piece of paper, even if you do the maintenance yourself.

It's not your vehicle so stop worrying cupcake.

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Again, I don't understand how hard it is to hold onto a piece of paper, even if you do the maintenance yourself.

and again, I don't understand how you can take someones word that the slip of paper you have is genuine. like I said before you can buy the part, get the receipt, make a photo copy of it, return it, and boom there's your evidence that I "did the work myself"

even if it's done at a dealership, they fuck up all the time. the fact is, you can never be 100% sure, so you need to educate yourself and look it over. if you don't know what to look for beyond what a detailing job will cover, take it to a trusted mechanic. they'll sort it out for you.

[Homeslice]

Originally Posted by Mr Lefty

and again, I don't understand how you can take someones word that the slip of paper you have is genuine. like I said before you can buy the part, get the receipt, make a photo copy of it, return it, and boom there's your evidence that I "did the work myself"

While that may be true, you fail to answer my question. Why is it so difficult to hold onto a piece of paper? Let's say you bought a new clutch or set of shocks for your car. Why WOULDN'T you hold onto the receipt? Hell, it takes more effort to throw it away, than to keep it.

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

While that may be true, you fail to answer my question. Why is it so difficult to hold onto a piece of paper? Let's say you bought a new clutch or set of shocks for your car. Why WOULDN'T you hold onto the receipt? Hell, it takes more effort to throw it away, than to keep it.

actually it does take a bit of an effort to keep track of them, keep them organized, and in a safe place.

again, I don't do the maintenance on my vehicles because I plan on selling it. I do it because it needs to be done. I know in my mind that it's accomplished. I've never been asked for any service records on any vehicle I've sold, nor has it ever reduced my accepting price.

[goof2]

I don't keep anything because, as others have said, I'm driving it in to the ground anyway. My POS 4 banger manual truck I bought new just passed 100k miles and its just getting broken in. The only time anyone has done anything to it other than me was for tires at 70k. The utility of that truck is worth more to me than what someone will pay for it until the day it dies.

That being said, if I was in the habit of buying expensive vehicles and selling them every few years with low miles while they still had a lot of value I would probably keep "service" records (still me doing the service though). The only reason I would do it is for resale. As it is none of my vehicles will be worth jack at resale so a receipt for oil has more value to me for wiping off the dipstick than it ever will as cash in my pocket at resale.