Will MB re-create a 'missing' service book?

[manalishi]

Assuming that MB has computerised records for a car, will they officially create a service booklet that's stamped up in accordance with those records? If so, what's the fee, and how far back do the service records go?

It was this text in a For Sale ad that set me thinking: "I don't currently have a service book for it but I will have at time of sale and I will get MB to stamp it up to date as it has mostly MB history. I have serviced it a few time myself"

Is that MB doing it as a one-off favour? At first I was a bit concerned, but I suppose that if it creates a legit and accurate record, this could be useful for other cars with missing service booklets.

 

[Sp!ke]

Last time I asked for this information they said they couldnt provide the information prior to my ownership due to the data protection act.

During my ownership they were happy to provide a basic print out but nothing more.

 

[Will]

You can buy duplicate service record books from Mercedes-Benz. They're not expensive, £5 or £10 at a guess.

Providing you can prove ownership of the vehicle in question (V5 etc), MB will happily provide you with all the servicing/warranty/recall data for the car in question that they have on record.

My CLK55 has printouts of everthing done to the car from PDI to the very last service. Shows which dealer performed the work, parts used, date, mileage etc. Seems pretty thorough - even shows stuff like a warranty issue with the high-level rear brakelight and a recall performed on the rectifier pack for the alternator as recently as February of this year.

Of course, this will only be the case for newer cars from when the records were computerised - and for those with full MB history.

Will

 

[troiscentmille]

The books are clearly microhole-punched through every page with duplicate , I was told this is the only way they will supply one (fair enough). Seen some blank books on auction sites un-punched, fetching around 30 quid . Caveat Emptor!

 

[The Boss]

Everything since the computer age is stored with Mercedes Benz.. out in Denmark or Europe or somewhere..

You need to fax them your V5, and identity check and then they are happy to disclose all info.

Dealer wise, they need proof of ownership and are happy to discuss the car you have and all the service.. but when the dealerships started to consolidate, there were lost applications and also data stored in Dos that could not be retrieved.

In terms of re-printing a service book, unlikely the older the car gets, but printed copies should not be a problem..

ie.. I have all the MOTs for my cars, except 2 which were done by main dealer, thus their records show the MOTs done and when, but getting duplicates was a nightmare, even just a print screen dump file of the window showing the mileage and MOT date was a mission!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

In my experience MB dealers don't have openly accessible service records.

In the past year I've had to provide a copy of my service book, and on another a copy of an invoice, to prove that work has been undertaken to required standards.

 

[nick mercedes]

In my experience MB dealers don't have openly accessible service records.

In the past year I've had to provide a copy of my service book, and on another a copy of an invoice, to prove that work has been undertaken to required standards.

If you ask they can check online to see what warrenty and servicing a car has had and where it was done.

Then having brought a service book you can get it stamped up by the appropriate dealers.

 

[The Boss]

If you ask they can check online to see what warrenty and servicing a car has had and where it was done.

Then having brought a service book you can get it stamped up by the appropriate dealers.

Yes, but Nick, surely most service records are held on a central computer, and not all service records will be held by a dealer if done else where..

and they do cause a fuss if you have not got ownership documents to hand. They do have to work within data protection i would have thought!

 

[Seamster15]

They must be held centrally as I went in to Purslows in Guildford to question a missing service stamp on a car that I had, they took a look on the computer and within seconds told me that there was a service done on the car and I need to speak to the corresponding dealer in Essex. The Essex dealer was not Purslows.

 

[nick mercedes]

Yes, but Nick, surely most service records are held on a central computer, and not all service records will be held by a dealer if done else where..

and they do cause a fuss if you have not got ownership documents to hand. They do have to work within data protection i would have thought!

They look it up on a central system, they didn't care about any documents they just looked it up for me, it's their data afterall.

 

[jaymanek]

They can restamp the book as far back as around 2002... before that a lot of systems were changed and service history is difficult to track down unless you know where it was serviced.
Nowadays most branches have a group database (e.g. robinsons, inchcape etc) and a national database.
The group database hold the specific info whereas the national database is a little more vague but at least any dealer can see when and where the car has been.

We often have to find this sort of information and I end up ringing a few dealers before one is helpful enough to tell me where a car has been serviced.. Then just ring the dealers in question and ask them to send you a stamped book.
If they get funny about selling you a book, buy one from your local dealer and then send it to them in the post to stamp up.

 

[manalishi]

Thanks all. So a bit of perseverance with a dealer might get a result, but only for records to 2002 or so. Better than nothing, and could be useful for those cars where sellers can't be ar5ed to get the paperwork together.

 

[steve333]

When i bought my latest mercedes a month ago it came with a duplicate service book(perforated duplite on every page as described by a previous poster in this thread).I was abit suspicious on inspecting it when viewing the car but my mind was set at ease when i got a computerised report from mercedes that matched every entry in the duplicate service book(worth noting that every service was carried out by a mercedes main dealer)

 

[timk]

The Data Protection Act exists to protect people's personal information (i.e information relating to a person that can be readily identified from the info in question). Any data to do with a car, i.e details of when it has been serviced and the work carried out, by which dealer etc; can't be captured under the definition of 'personal information' and hence MB can't use that excuse not to give you the info!

Details of past ownership of the car and which individual has had it serviced are classed as personal information but there would be no reason to request this or for MB to supply this, so I can't see their argument unless they just have no understanding of the Data Protection Act

 

[rees_A]

on this subject, does anyone have any contacts at mb who can get service info for me...

 

[Roygarth]

Check Merc forum on Pistonheads..there was a guy doing this for everyone a while back...

 

[ss201]

Jay is right. I've tried several times to get copies of service receipts pre 2002/3. I write to the dealership whose name is in the service book, enclose a SAE and usually they will send duplicate invoices - but only for servicing after 2003. I've been told by more than one dealership that the computer system changed around that time, that the old records were archived and cannot be retrieved. It's useful to me to know what work has been carried out on a car, what new parts have been fitted and when, but unless the car comes with original invoices pre-dating 2002, the service records can no longer be sourced. It was around this time when M-B lost a fair few smaller dealerships and made the move to glass palaces for showrooms. A bad move in my opinion - and as for making old service records unavailable, that's poor practice in my book - especially for a such a prestige marque with an illustrious 100 year history.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

It was around this time when M-B lost a fair few smaller dealerships and made the move to glass palaces for showrooms. A bad move in my opinion - and as for making old service records unavailable, that's poor practice in my book - especially for a such a prestige marque with an illustrious 100 year history.

I would be surprised if it was MB themselves that instructed for records to become unavailable. More likely that franchises were re-shuffled into groups, and for many of them the cost of integrating systems and records just wasn't justified by the benefits it would bring. I could be wrong.