A car’s service history allows a person to see what types of previous car service have been performed on a vehicle. The report also includes dates and intervals of when the car was serviced as well as insights on what the previous owner has done on the car. If necessary, here at Peninsula Auto Clinic, we can have our mechanics look over the history, check for any warning signs and perform a service on your vehicle!
You need to go through the Register of Encumbered Vehicles (REVS) if you wish to find your car’s service history. They will look at the full service history if it is not already provided and provide a vehicle history report. This report includes: how many times maintenance was performed, previous vehicle registrations and the number of repairs completed.
How Do I Check My Car’s Service History?
If the car service history is not available when buying a used car then a Register of Encumbered Vehicles (REVS) check is necessary. This service will show all the finances on the car if there are existing finances needing to be paid and previous history. The car history check costs $25 and can include the following:
- Checks to see if the car has been stolen or written-off
- The odometer is looked to see if it has been winded back
- The financial liability of the car is inspected
- Any registration details are found
- Facts on the first sale of the car, how much it was sold at and a comparison
- If the vehicle has been damaged by floor, storms or other dilemmas is checked
Another method to have the car service history checked is by going through Service NSW. This method is especially useful to see if the car was registered in NSW and also if it was suspended or defected. Similar to a REVS check, a car service history report through Service NSW include:
- Checks on if the car was written-off after 2004 across all of Australia
- The plates, vehicle and engine are looked at to see if they were stolen
- How many times and where the car may have been registered in NSW
- What the car may have been used for, such as regular driving or taxi use
- When the car initially registered
Why Do I Need to Check My Car’s Service History?
Knowing your car’s service history before buying it is extremely important for these reasons:
- Prior Services – knowing what has been serviced on the car is beneficial and important. This means that tasks such as tyre balancing, oil changes, battery replacements and regular services will be known. If the previous owner properly serviced their car this will also mean the car is safer and more reliable to drive.
- Good Ownership – when a car has been serviced correctly, this is a sign that the car was handled properly. If the services completed were scheduled regularly then the previous owner would have taken care of the car.
- Car’s Value – if the car has been written off, meaning that the repairs of the car would have cost more than its value, this is important to know. If the car was not repaired due to these reasons then finding hidden issues or if the car was repaired but poorly can be found early.
What are Some Signs of a Fake Service History?
What to look out for when looking at a car’s service history before purchasing it are:
- Ink – if the ink on the record looks faded in older services listed then this can indicate that it was correctly serviced. If the ink is of the same density then the list may have been fabricated and the dates may be incorrect.
- Manufactures – if the car was serviced by manufacturers giving them a call can help see if they have records of these services. The previous owner might have faked listed that the service was completed by the manufacturer.
- Mechanic – similar to manufacturers, a person may fabricate that the car was serviced by a local mechanic. If the mechanical shop does not exist or if the mechanic has no record of the car being serviced then this is proof that the car has not been correctly serviced.
- Receipts – when undergoing a Car Repair or service a receipt is often handed out by the mechanic. If the seller of the car cannot give receipts then this may be a warning sign of fake servicing.
- Location – if the location of the service is far from the location of where the car is being sold this may be a warning sign.
- Low Kilometres – if the kilometres are listed low but the car seems to have wear and tear then the kilometre reading could be fake. A person might have faked the kilometres driven in the logbook and in the car to increase the value even though it has been driven more.
- Handwriting – if the logbook has the same consistent handwriting and pressure then the owner could have fabricated the services. Different people often complete different services so there should be various handwritings in the logbook.
Trusted Mechanics Performing Car Services
Peninsula Auto Clinic is one of the best mechanical shops on the Northern Beaches to perform car service work. We carry out both minor and major car services while completing theses tasks on all types of cars. Our mechanics will also work with the logbook and perform vehicle inspections if you want to make sure your new car is safe to drive.
The mechanical services we offer are here for the whole Northern Beaches, including Avalon, Mona Vale and Duffys Forest. Contact Peninsula Auto Clinic today on 9999 2553 or email us at peninsulaautoclinic@hotmail.com for professional car services!
