Service history

[Dr-x]

How do you check the service history of your Audi, normally you could/would check the service manual, check the stamps for the relevant interval. Problem has arisen after buying a car for my Son in May and Dealer telling me that he would service the car before I collected. When I collected I looked in the Glove boy for the service record and there was no book, when I asked the dealer for it he said that they don’t come like that anymore and that all the records are kept on the Key 🤯 Since May the car has done 200 miles and now it’s saying that it needs an Oil change , How can I check?

[Dr-x]

Glove Box not Boy 🤬 corrective text 

[Magnet]

Hello Anthony from the Homeland.

Can we take it you bought the car from an Audi main dealer? If not, the following may be different, but….
Am I right in thinking that you were told in May that the car had service history, yet you didn’t check that this was correct, via. a copy of the recorded service detail on the Audi database, and you knew that service books and stamps no longer applied? 
If I’ve got it right, you are now concerned that the ‘service indicator’ is informing you it needs servicing again, despite your son only covering 200 miles since last May. 
Are you sure its saying ‘Oil change’ rather than ‘service due’? 
If ‘service due’ then it could be for say a brake fluid change, or indeed the Service Indicator may not have been reset. 
Apologies for all the questions, but the extra detail would help. 
Many thanks and kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Steve Q]

Audi should be able to supply you with a replacement service book. Or the electronic equivalent nowadays. 

[Dr-x]

37 minutes ago, Magnet said:

Hello Anthony from the Homeland.

Can we take it you bought the car from an Audi main dealer? If not, the following may be different, but….
Am I right in thinking that you were told in May that the car had service history, yet you didn’t check that this was correct, via. a copy of the recorded service detail on the Audi database, and you knew that service books and stamps no longer applied? 
If I’ve got it right, you are now concerned that the ‘service indicator’ is informing you it needs servicing again, despite your son only covering 200 miles since last May. 
Are you sure its saying ‘Oil change’ rather than ‘service due’? 
If ‘service due’ then it could be for say a brake fluid change, or indeed the Service Indicator may not have been reset. 
Apologies for all the questions, but the extra detail would help. 
Many thanks and kind regards,

Gareth. 

Thanks Gareth from the capital of the home land 

car was not purchased from Audi Main dealer, and when I collected the car I knew nothing of the electronic service manual, car has only covered 200 miles as my son is still 16

[Dr-x]

Ok thanks Steve 

[Magnet]

Hello Anthony,

Many thanks,

So you have no idea whether the car has any service history or not then. 
If this is the case, this is rather out of the ordinary, since purchasers are usually tuned in to enquiring about this requirement. 
If you don’t know anything of its previous history, then I would suggest you contact say Mon Motors ( Cardiff Audi) and ask them if they can e-Mail you copy of the service record for the car. It would be advisable to have the VIN ( shown on V5) incase the car may have previously been on a private plate. 
Since you didn’t buy it from a franchised dealer, I would be tempted to treat their service as if it never existed, and start again from scratch ( unless you find your seller did record it on the Audi service database).  A service at an Audi independent may be a cheaper alternative to the main dealer, or indeed entrust your servicing to good local garage.
Seller a smaller car sales, or one of the large retail outlets? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Dr-x]

Ok thanks for your help Gareth 

[Magnet]

Perhaps you could let us know how you get on Anthony. 

[Dr-x]

Will do Gareth 👍🏼 I did try and check the service history prior to purchasing it was advertised as FSH , So as I arrived at site and checked the compound for the car, I left my Son out side with the car, went to the sales office to check the service record and to arrange a test drive, and was told that there was no book and it’s all on the Key 

[Magnet]

Thanks Anthony,

’…all on the Key..? Sorry does not make sense to me. 
If this were mine, I would certainly be seeking a print out of its service history with some urgency. Service history is a major influencer on the car’s (re) saleability and price. 
Going forward:- again if it were mine - action as already suggested. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Dr-x]

I have contacted Cardiff Audi, who’s saying that they have no record of the car being serviced . I will contact the Garage who have done the service.

[Magnet]

Hello Anthony,

Are Cardiff Audi telling you they (in caps) haven’t serviced the car throughout its life, or are they telling you that the National Audi service database does not show any service history record for the car? Subtle, but highly important difference. 
Blackest case:- you could have bought a car with zero-ish service history, even though your seller stated it had (full?) service history, and you never sought, or had any evidence, to support that before concluding the purchase. Yes, you can take it up with the seller, but I sense you will receive some defence via. that route. If indeed the (full?) service history cannot be substantiated, then the vehicle has been miss represented  and miss sold, and as such you should have redress if you have supporting evidence. 
When you said you didn’t buy this just-out-of-warranty car from a main dealer, then that was a little surprising since stocks would have been low, and main dealers should have been retaining stock, rather than trading it. Why did they trade it?? 
The ‘who did you buy it off’ question remains unanswered, and it is understandable that you would not wish to disclose this, but small local trader or large retailer? - may help to point you in the direction of a sound approach from here. 
Again, it would be interesting to know if the car was bought locally and if so, if it carries a local Cxx………registration number.

Final question, did Cardiff Audi also check for a servicing record via. a VIN as well as the registration number? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 
 

[Dr-x]

Hi Gareth

Audi Cardiff said that there was no record of the car on their Database, I believe they searched by vin and registration (as they asked for both). The car was purchased from Oakwood auto’s in Bristol , Car has only done 18,000 miles , there’s a receipt in the glove box from North West Auto Engineering saying that they have serviced the car. So I guess I’m going to Start again 

[Magnet]

Hello Anthony,

So the upshot is that it doesn’t have (full - did they list or tell you -full?) service history, and it barely has any service history. 
A vehicle covering such a small annual mileage should have been serviced annually, so in reality, it should have had at least two Audi-recognised- and recorded services during its warranty  period. What you do about that as far as the seller is concerned, is obviously for you to decide, but from your previous posts, it would appear the car was incorrectly described. Saying it as I see it - and apologies for being direct - you appear to have had a ‘lack of interest or concern’ about what you were told/saw, and you are possibly only now finding the only service invoice that has sat in the glove box since you bought it!  I raise the above, since the seller may counter your late claim.

Anyway, moving forward:- pleased to note that you now intend to treat the earlier service as if it never happened - as advised - and having the car serviced properly. If it helps, I would suggest you have the air and pollen filters renewed as well as the obvious oil filter and oil. Not sure who you are going to entrust this to, but quality of (aftermarket?) filters is important, if genuine VAG aren’t going to be used, so worth checking -? 
Low mileage vehicles get a hammering in comparison with high mileage ones where they cover large mileages under optimum operating conditions, so I if this were mine, I would be getting this car serviced annually.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Dr-x]

Ok thanks for your support Gareth, it’s booked in Cardiff Audi for next Wednesday for a service and a general inspection 🤞🏼
 

Kind Regards Anthony 

[Steve123]

On 9/12/2022 at 6:23 PM, Dr-x said:

How do you check the service history of your Audi, normally you could/would check the service manual, check the stamps for the relevant interval. Problem has arisen after buying a car for my Son in May and Dealer telling me that he would service the car before I collected. When I collected I looked in the Glove boy for the service record and there was no book, when I asked the dealer for it he said that they don’t come like that anymore and that all the records are kept on the Key 🤯 Since May the car has done 200 miles and now it’s saying that it needs an Oil change , How can I check?

 

[Steve123]

Ever since I saw on a motor traders desk whilst he was out of the room, a cardboard box containing dozens of rubber stamps showing the details of very many other traders and garages, I’ve never believed a stamped service book as being truthful. This especially so when the trader cannot produce any receipts for services ( their favourite excuse is that the previous owner gave all of the paperwork to his accountant, who never returned it to him ! ).   Since then I’ve never taken seriously service book stamps as being genuine, so always give every car I buy a service including an oil change. I did waver a bit, though, when my local main dealer quoted £500 for just an oil change on my RS6, but I will have it done, but by one of my two independent Audi specialists 

[Magnet]

Thanks Steve, hence the now (6 year plus?) Audi service database - far less open to any fiddle. 
As you say never ( in caps) accept any claim of service history without confirming it from an independent source before committing to buy. 
Kind regards,

Gareth.