Full Service History

[LucyB]

Trying to buy an A3 2019 reg from an approved dealer.  They are refusing to give me ANY information on the car apart from their recent check (to sell it).  They say smart servicing means its all digital and it didn't necessarily even need servicing before now.  I'm aware that Audis have unreliability problems.  I smell a fish.  Surely it's not true that they have no info on a constantly looked after by Audi A3?  

[Steve Q]

They should be able to tell you if it's had all its services as it'll be digitally stored if serviced at an approved dealer. Not telling you the history is an odd one. 

[LucyB]

Thanks very much.  The only service certificate they will provide is the service they have done at 3rd December last year at 19500 miles.  The guy says it's lifelong oil.  No filter changes at all. Just oil and brake fluid at 19500 miles.  That's what it says.  He says they have changed to 'smart services' and this is Bath Audi.  

 

[Magnet]

Hello Lucy,

Due to the car’s age, I take it you are not buying it from an Audi main dealer - ? Could you please confirm. 
Where does Bath Audi come into the equation?

Taking it you have the registration number, have you contacted another localish Audi main dealer ( by phone) and requested a print off of the car’s computerised service history? 
The car is now c6 years old, and due to its understood low mileage, the car should have been serviced on an annual basis rather than on a Longlife schedule, but if it had been incorrectly serviced on a Longlife schedule it should have been serviced around every 18 months - so at least 3 services should have been carried out in its lifetime. 
Is the car being advertised with ‘ full service history’? 
Apologies for all the questions, but have you checked the DVLA vehicle check to check when the last V5 was issued - also, the car’s on line MOT history? Recently issued V5 may ( in caps) indicate an undesirable short last ownership. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Steve Q]

It's a 2019 car. Lifelong servicing is 20k or 2 years which ever comes first. So this Audi should have had a service in 2021, then in 2023. And now this 3rd one in 2025. 

Not to mention brake fluid should be changed ever 2 years too. 

If this car has only just had it's first service definitely avoid. 

[LucyB]

Thankyou both very much.  This is from the Audi main dealership in Bath Audi (which is in Peasedown St John.)  I've literally spent all day trying to get a straight answer from the salesman.  My most recent email asked him to confirm that the car has only had one service (in Dec. 2024) and also asking him if that didn't take the warranty off for the previous owner.  Initially he told me they didn't sell anything pre:2020.  Then I saw this on the forecoourt and because it was such low mileage (and the previous model actually looks better), I was going to buy it.  I think what he might be trying to tell me is that if Audi decide (with its 'smart servicing') that they don't need to service it, it stays in warranty.  Sounds like b* to me.  Is this something you've ever heard of?  

 

 

[Magnet]

Hello Steve,

I thought it was called Longlife rather than Lifelong, and on ‘normal’ usage, generally came up with a service-due warning at around 18 months even if c18k hadn’t been reached. 
Good point on the two year brake fluid. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 
Overlapped post.

[Magnet]

Thanks Lucy,

This is odd, since as you were first told, main dealers seldom retail anything over 3 to 4 year old. To retail a 6 year old car is highly unusual in my book. 
My take - for what it’s worth - the salesman’s comment that that they do not retail was correct, and prior to your enquiry, the car was destined ( even sale agreed) to be disposed of to a trade buyer, at trade price, which would have been influenced by its lack of service history. 
You come along, and show an interest, and he gets himself into ‘few bob to be made in commission here’ mode, and agrees to sell it to you. You now ( understandably) want to see evidence of its service history - but it doesn’t have any! If he had sent it straight to trade, then his life would have been easier. 
More questions:- Is the price attractive for its age and mileage? If not, I would walk away. 
An alternative:- Buy it if price and condition attracts, but immediately take it to an independent and get it comprehensively serviced, and ensure it gets recorded on the Audi computerised service history. 
I don’t want to influence you, but the car may have been serviced under previous ownership by say a local garage, and more often than not, this can equate to better servicing that at a main dealer. 
I would still enquire about its service history at another dealership. 
Let us know what pans put Lucy.

Kind regards,

Gareth. 
p.s. Bear in mind, this maybe a nice car under all of this mystery.

[LucyB]

Incredible.  I've spent all day trying to pin down the salesman.  Eventually, I got this:  

It’s difficult to provide a definitive answer regarding the warranty in this case. During 2020 and 2021, especially in 2020, our operations were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We were closed for some time and later operated under strict social distancing rules.

As a result, all vehicles that required a workshop maintenance visit during this period had potential warranty claims assessed on a case-by-case basis. I hope this information helps clarify the situation.

And the guy STILL didn't confirm (as I asked him to) that the car wasn't serviced for 5 years.  I've given up.  

 

 

[LucyB]

Thankyou, Gareth.  I've just got your previous answer.  I may pick this problem up tomorrow.  When you ask about its service history from another dealer, do you mean a different Audi franchise?  I guess if it was serviced by a non-Audi garage there'd be no way of checking that?  Going to do some checks now (independently and find out what we can about it.

[cliffcoggin]

Lucy.

If you can not get a service history, whether from the vendor or Audi or a previous owner, I suggest you walk away from the deal. That's not to say the car is definitely dodgy, it may actually be pukka, but without evidence to prove its condition I would not commit several thousand pounds to its purchase. Bear in mind the well deserved reputation of used car salemen being unscrupulous lying scoundrels.

[LucyB]

Thankyou, Clifford,

I suspect you are right.  Having now spent yet another several hours, we have discovered that no less than 8 people have checked the car in the last month on motorcheck.co.uk   Some pretty weird findings, too.   Appalling to find that authorised dealers just can't be trusted.  I guess we'll now have to do all the work for ourselves and buy privately.  Thankyou all so much for your help.  

 

[Magnet]

Hello again Lucy,

To come to your last statement first - if you think buying from a dealer is a minefield, buying privately can be whole new battlefield! 
Total absence of any warranty, unless it turns out to contravene advertised detail. That’s why some private sellers simply describe the vehicle as ‘starts, stops, drives’. It really is good luck with that. 
Back to this car:- as I see it, you are now conditioned to look at all the negative points about it, and looking for more; e.g. 8 checks over a period of 1 month is really nothing, still…..

May not be our business, but you are not telling us anything about the overall condition of the car, the number of previous owners, the asking price, or the warranty Audi is offering you at the point of sale, or any detail of the weird findings on Motorcheck.  You appear to be placing all your faith and judgement on the perceived importance of ‘full service history’, which can equate to the vehicle having spent 2 hrs in a workshop every 18 months or so ( for what that’s worth) and then being gloriously neglected for the remaining 364 days of the year. 
Of course, the weird findings on Motorcheck maybe significant and a deal breaker, but we don’t know what you know. 
Anyway, Lucy, I feel I have given you all the advice I can now, and I think we must now accept that buying privately is going to give you an overall, ‘better deal’. 
Incidentally, what did the DVLA vehicle check reveal about when the last V5 was issued, and what was the MOT history like? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[Steve Q]

2 hours ago, Magnet said:

Hello Steve,

I thought it was called Longlife rather than Lifelong, and on ‘normal’ usage, generally came up with a service-due warning at around 18 months even if c18k hadn’t been reached. 
Good point on the two year brake fluid. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 
Overlapped post.

Hi Gareth, you're correct it is long life, an error on my part. 

Yep your correct it should have the service warning. As such It should have had 3 services by my reconning 

 

[Magnet]

Hello Lucy and Steve,

Well it seems I’m out of touch with what Bath Audi are retailing these days - cars up to 9 year old! Strange the salesman should tell you they don’t retail anything older than 2020 as would be expected. 

I guess the one of interest to you is the 6 year old red Sportback - wait for it @ £19,306! I’d want gas and air to consider paying that, but as I said, it seems I’m out of touch! 

 

[LucyB]

 

The motorcheck.co.uk report is OKish, but left us with two significant questions: why was the vehicle driven only 300 miles last year, and why is it presently under an active finance agreement from Volkswagen, commencing as recently as last month? It's not too difficult to come up with a scenario to explain this odd situation, but it would have been a lot easier if they'd just told us in the first place.

 

While we're at it: the MOT record shows that the car has received attention at a garage other than the Audi workshop on at least one and likely two occasions. As no record of this work appears in the Audi service history, we have to conclude that the repairs must have been done at a non-Audi approved garage. Once again, this isn't necessarily enough to put us off the car, but it would have been a lot easier all round if they'd explained things clearly.

 

I'd say the whole point about paying over the odds is that I don't have to do any work.  It would have come with a years warranty plus various things I don't actually want or need (AA roadside etc. ) and a 9 month MOT and a 3 zillion point check.  In fact I'm now left simply not trusting a word these salespeople say (not that I did anyway).  So the private thing, though fraught, means we would do the work, pay people to look at it, etc. etc. and know exactly what we were getting.  I'd also get more money for my old car.  I actively wanted an A3 older than 2020 because the spec looks better and this one has a mileage of only 19000. 

 

[Steve Q]

I'm shocked that a main dealer are even selling this car to be honest.  If the finance agreement was taken out lat month, I wonder if the person who bought it and took out finance has rejected the car in the first 30 days as there was a problem with it. This could also explain why Audi are being defensive about the history. 

[cliffcoggin]

59 minutes ago, LucyB said:

and why is it presently under an active finance agreement from Volkswagen, commencing as recently as last month?

That fact alone should stop you right now.

[LucyB]

Yup.  It's gorn.  I'm left pretty shocked.  Isn't there some central Audi body I can complain to?  

[Steve Q]

1 hour ago, LucyB said:

Yup.  It's gorn.  I'm left pretty shocked.  Isn't there some central Audi body I can complain to?  

Audi customer services. 

[Magnet]

I’m left with the following:- 

What is the exact (in caps) nature of the complaint? 
Isn’t it a salesman’s job to sell, and promote the good points, rather than explain all the negative points? 
Is it reasonable to expect that the vast majority of buyers take all the promoting statements with a pinch of salt? 
Having read the advertisement, I’m not reading any claim of FSH - assuming we are all talking the red c £19,000 6 year old A3 at Bath Audi - Lucy has neither confirmed or refuted this - and as I recall,  the initial enquiry at the forum related to FSH and not anything to do with the car’s history.

Personally, I’ve found this thread rather time consuming, and that’s OK, but saying it as I (in caps) see it, getting the full story has been rather like pulling teeth, and even now, anyone reading my responses and requests to provide answers, will see questions still  remain unanswered. 
To conclude, if we have been provided with the full facts from the start, much of my advice and comments would have been different, but we can only work with what we are given piecemeal at the time! 
Still, got somewhere in the end. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

 

[LucyB]

You're finding this time consuming?  I tried to end it ages ago.  If the guy had said, 'no, it doesn't have a FSH' (this is Bath Audi - they claim they ALL have a FSH) we'd have known where we were from the start.  He didn't.  I'd say (and this is a literal definition) that it is 'reasonable' to reply to a question with a logical answer instead of wasting a whole days concentration and £20 on b*  But hey - I'm a socialist.

[spartacus 68]

1 hour ago, LucyB said:

You're finding this time consuming?  I tried to end it ages ago.  If the guy had said, 'no, it doesn't have a FSH' (this is Bath Audi - they claim they ALL have a FSH) we'd have known where we were from the start.  He didn't.  I'd say (and this is a literal definition) that it is 'reasonable' to reply to a question with a logical answer instead of wasting a whole days concentration and £20 on b*  But hey - I'm a socialist.

Not all Audi franchises are complete bar stewards. There are advantages with an Approved Used Warranty. It’s normally 1 year, but if bought with their finance, then up to 2 years. However that changes all the time and depends how aggressively they want to sell cars and the market at the time.

Audi long service regime is a complete gimmick. Any oil viscosity will diminish and to expect a car to cover 18k miles or 2 years is overly optimistic. That suits Audi, as a lot of cars when purchased from new were on PCP deals or similar and then the cars were returned for GFV (guaranteed future value) often based on limiting mileage after 3 years and overall condition or face penalty. This keeps their servicing costs down (as often servicing is part of the finance deal), but engine wear and issues don’t materialise until it’s left Audi and it’s with new owners, often a few years down the line.

The only reason I can see Audi are interested in this car is its abnormally low mileage. Normally they’d retail cars up to 5 years old. Personally you’re better with an average mileage car. In terms of history, yes it can be electronic, but any dealer worth their salt will divulge history, if not walk away.

I’d be cautious buying a car privately, especially at this kind of money, but depends on your attitude to risk. Even with checks like Car Vertical, then things go wrong as soon as you drive away, weak batteries, demising mirrors (especially auto-dim) ones which are expensive, clutches, etc.

For non Audi franchises, triple check warranty. They are normally standard 3 month warranties that you in effect extend financially if you want longer period, but are so loaded in the dealer’s favour, such as oil change service every 6k miles or 6 months and stamped via VAT garage. You can’t do you’re own servicing until out of warranty. Even if you claim it can be a minefield.

Edited 23 hours ago by spartacus 68

[LucyB]

Thankyou.  That's helpful info.

[Magnet]

Sort of thanks Lucy,

What has being a socialist - or indeed of any other political bias got to do with it? 
Anyway, being old, brings with it reduced inhibitions about saying it as you see it, and as I see it in this case, your opening words…’ You’re (that’s me) fining this time consuming’? .. suggests what have I got to complain about in comparison with the time YOU have spent -? 
The difference is this actually Lucy:- You have spent your time chasing details about this car so that you ultimately reduce your real-time financial risk, whereas all contributors on here spend their time - including weekends - giving free advice on demand, often resulting in financial gain for the poster, and you question the comparison of my for-no-gain time against your potential gain time. Um, not really on, is it? 
Please bear in mind Lucy, that you have been economical with the full detail until the end, and largely have failed to provide answers along the line. 

So OK a salesman has told you that the car has FSH - but as far as I can see that fact has not been written into an advert - and I would guess you haven’t recorded your conversation - so his verbal statement cannot be confirmed in evidence. You have hung your hat on a ‘dissatisfaction’ that FSH has not been forthcoming, and potentially lost sight of the vital evidence which suggests the car is likely to have a history of being rejected. Just seems a strange dissatisfaction to me, but good luck with your complaint, and buying what you want privately.

Kind regards,

Gareth.