Service book entry

[Silverbluemachine]

As a retired engineer I am keen to do as much service work as possible to my 20 yr old SL500 that has a good main dealer and indie history. Question is whether to make an entry into the service book that I have done the service work or could it damage my chances of selling it on in 3-5 yrs? Would a log of parts receipts be of any value as not really traceable to the vehicle?

 

[merc estate]

Keep al your receipts, everyone loves a receipt, as for stamping the book yourself i think you should its better than a blank book. Even if you was selling it at Sotherbys i think they would prefer a paper trail.
I part exchanged my old 211 estate which was immaculate (should have kept it as a spare) i had all the 12 years service history and receipts, they threw them all in the bin as they cannot pass on other peoples address, its mad.

 

[Teego]

Don't stamp the book yourself. It looks tacky. Keep every single receipt in a folder. Record everything you do on a spreadsheet with dates, mileage etc. My spreadsheet goes back to original sale.

 

[StMarks]

Imho because of the age of the car, being assured that it has been correctly maintained would be more likely to concern a private buyer than who had performed the service (unless it was all life dealer serviced).
fwiw I always do all work myself on my vehicles, I keep all receipts in a file with the service book (that I fill in myself). I cannot recall any prospective buyers who expressed any dissatisfaction when presented with the file and explanation. On the contrary, twice I can recall specific occasions when the new owner asked me if I would consider continuing the maintenance going forward.! - I never have, I am not a garage and the love and attention I employ on my vehicles are specifically for my vehicles.
Hth.

 

[W1ghty]

Yep , as above , I keep all my diy part receipts , but at the moment I just write each job on a piece of paper that is in yearly blocks .
I “over service “everything and often do random jobs when the weather is nice , I just put the date and mileage next to the item
If I ever sell privately I will just write everything neater for the new owner . Both cars are worth 3-4K each and are immaculate so I’m not sure if I’ll ever sell them at those prices ?

 

[Silverbluemachine]

Thanks for your replies. I agree it doesn't seem right to make entries into the service book myself as we always expect to see a garage traders stamp. But then again why not record whats been done to the car?
Of course the value of the vehicle comes into play. For my wife's W203 55 plate I just service it and not bother keeping record, we wait until an expensive repair makes it not viable and will sell/scrap. Probably wouldn't get a grand for it currently so why spend 3-400 quid service charge to get a stamp?
The SL500 on the other hand could become a desired classic and mine is immaculate and everything works as it should. Maybe I'll talk to an Indie and get them to change the oil and filter every 2 yrs and make an entry into the service book. The annoying thing is I know many future buyers may only look at the service book after purchase. Especially when presented with a whole file of receipts from 2008!

 

[KennyN]

I do most of the work routine service work on the cars myself , the cars goes to the Indy to get the minimum amount of work required for a service and the book gets stamped accordingly as a FSH / FMDSH will always result in an easier sale / trade-in regardless of a pile of paperwork.

To the average random car buyer of a mainstream vehicle a full stamped book always looks better than a pile of paper , unless the buyer knows you personally and they know how you treat / care for your car.

The book stamp could say Mickey Mouse Motors or Fred-in-a-Shed servicing but that wont matter to most as they see a FSH as the bible , unfortunately those in the know are aware a FSH is no guarantee that the work has been properly.

K