I've been looking at a few Audi S8s yesterday and also calling up some independent dealers. The cars are 6 or 7 years old, all have Audi stamps in the service book, but none of the cars have any previous receipts/invoices to prove that the car has been looked after.
The point I'm trying to make is that if you take a car for servicing, and the dealer says "oh, you need to change your discs and your bushes and whatever else", and you just say, "naah, I will stick to the service only", you still get your service book stamped. So, just because a service book is stamped up doesn't mean the car has been well looked after.
I suppose as a prospective purchaser I could phone up the previous dealers to confirm what was done at each service, but it would be SO much easier if the previous owners kept the service invoices. Perhaps the reason why owners get rid of them is to cover up the fact that they never got any of the dealer recommended work done.
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Also remember though that a large amount of the dealer recommended work is not always required. Even if the work is necessary it is usually cheaper to have just the service done at the main dealer to keep the history complete then have the supplimentary work done elsewhere to minimise running costs.
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I agree, which is why I keep every receipt.
With a car of that calibre, I wouldn't trust what little vendor information there is; I'd get a detailed independent inspection done, preferably by someone who knows the model intimately. It may cost up to £200, but if anything is found you can use it to knock that sum and more off the purchase price.
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The problem is stronger if you buy privately as your comeback can be very limited but this is reflected in the price. On expensive cars you can save much money with the private route and this is some sort of insurance against problems. If you buy privately and have a competent inspection done you could be on to a good deal. If you go for the dealer option then it is essential that you are satisfied with with the cover provided. The truth is you are never 100% safe with a car deal new or used....Honest John himself once wrote even new cars fall off transporters!
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i hunted high and low to find my vw that had "full vwsh" after i got it home and started to check around it , it was in quiete a state of neglect underneath. id stupisly assumed everything would be spot on
judge each car on its condition..theres some home mechanics that do a better job than dealers
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The problem is stronger if you buy privately as your comeback can be very limited but this is reflected in the price. On expensive cars you can save much money with the private route and this is some sort of insurance against problems. If you buy privately and have a competent inspection done you could be on to a good deal. If you go for the dealer option then it is essential that you are satisfied with with the cover provided. The truth is you are never 100% safe with a car deal new or used....Honest John himself once wrote even new cars fall off transporters!
I'd always be very uneasy buying a car for a significant sum of money from a private sale. I'd always wonder why they were selling it that way. Most would part-ex unless they thought they could get a few hundred more by selling privately. Then I'd think if they were that tight, maybe they've scrimped on the maintenance or there is something wrong that a dealer might spot.
Or am I just paranoid?
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Well, one person in that group is me.
I sell privately because I get more for the car. I certainly don't scrimp on the maintenance. I do, however, keep all the receipts so that people can see the car has been looked after.
After all, you can buy a service book for a car (they have a part number) then pop into Staples for a good looking stamp and hey presto, a car with full service history!
V
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nick - You might find that the difference is a couple of thousand, not hundred. Especially on cars that are not run of the mill or are undesirable for other reasons. The dealer, if he doesnt expect to be able to turn it around will be looking send to auction or find someone to underwrite it - that someone will assume the worst in their valuation. Might also be someone downsizing, dealers might not be too keen on cashback.
Things like an S8 are problematic purchases imho. Very expensive new, very complicated. High depreciation means that they are more affordable to buy than to run, if you know what I mean.
I know that they can have serious problems with the suspension.
If you dont have it already I would buy vag-com (full version - latest software) it will cost a couple of hundred but may well pay for itself depending on what you find.
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with an car like an expensive Audi, 99% are company cars, and hence lease cars. for the first three years of its life it will have no bills or paperwork. Its all with the leasing company.
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& if you DO get the service print outs from (some of the) leasing companies, quite often, you'll need the proverbial rocket scientist, to de-cypher all the codes & what they relate to.
All very clever, for them, but no use to the purchaser!
VB
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The service history piece is another main-dealer revenue protection racket. What I mean by this is the grief they give you when you are negotiating price on a part-ex vehicle. I traded in a perfectly good Golf a few years ago for a nearly new car, and they gave me chapter and verse about it not having a full VW history, although the car had been serviced above and BEYOND the recommended level.
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Do Audi keep centralised records of each cars history? I *think* Merc do, so any dealer can see the cars complete history.
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If service and maintenance history is what you want Motability's a good bet.
Recently bought and ex Motability Berlingo for my mother in law, it came with the most detailed maintenance history I have ever seen.
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Unfortunately, I doubt I could get a S8 from a Motability sale ;-)
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Do Audi keep centralised records of each cars history? I *think* Merc do, so any dealer can see the cars complete history.
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Yes......
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Service Histories are useful - upto a point; but there is *always* some information missing. When I p/xd my MGF it had a large binder of service hisory - including all the tyres the car had got through, all MoTs, etc.
But, there was no mention of its failed head gasket (and was the head skimmed?), its failed gearbox or its failed VVC mechanism (etc). All because these faults were handled under warranty.
Unlike Roly93 however, I found the car's substantial (apparently complete) service history did help in p/x
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If the car interests you call the service dealer to confirm the services were actually done and what they involved. Main dealers generally won't give you copies of the invoices due to data protection rules however if you subsequently bought the car - write to the previous owner and ask if they still have the invoices. I get the impression people do keep the invoices but just don't hand them in when they trade in their car.
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My personal experience is that a full and detailed service history may put Informed buyers off!
Why?
Well if you see that to maintain the car you want costs between £350 and £500 per service, that MAY act as a cold dash of reality. (I had that when looking at Xantias - one serviced by a very good local Citroen independent - had done 100k + miles and the bills over 3 years were £2,000 plus for servcing and replacements . The car ran well and looked great. I did not buy:-)
Personally I have a generally low opinion of any second hand car before I decide to buy. If you look carefully enough - WITHOUT a service history - most faults are obvious enough*. But if it's electrical or ECU related only several test drives will possibly show faults. At that popint I start looking at warranties and what the advertiser says - in case of problems afterwards.
* if you are knowledgeable and have experience and model knowledge.
madf
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