Some models will also require a cambelt change, which might only be necessary every eight years or 100,000 miles as an example, but involves a lot of work and costs significantly more than a typical service. It’s designed to keep the car running in tip top condition, doesn’t break down unexpectedly and ensure it’s safe and fit for the road. When the time comes to sell the car on, buyers like to see clear evidence that it has been serviced to this schedule.It’s often referred to as FSH or full service history in the trade. A Cam Belt change can seem expensive, however the cost of the cambelt failure can be exorbitant in comparison as your engine can be damaged during the failure. Where to service your car?

If a car has a problem outside its warranty period, a manufacturer is more likely to contribute to the cost of repairs if the car has a full service history. However, it’s certainly not a given that a full service history will definitely help you out and it would be considered on a case-by-case basis. A workshop should always give you a detailed invoice and breakdown of all the work undertaken on your car during a service. The total length of a car service will vary depending on which service is required for your vehicle. These times can also vary depending on what's found during the inspection. Read our blog on how long a car service takes here for a full breakdown. Service history, is the record of a vehicles maintenance. Service history is very important, not only for the health of the car, also the value of the car. Usually shortened to FSH, a full service history means that a vehicle has been maintained in line with a manufacturer’s service schedule and comes with all the relevant documents as proof. It also means that any paperwork for repairs is on hand.You should only consider paying extra money for a used car with a full service history if it has been done by the manufacturer official service centres. If the servicing has been done by a non-approved garage, it’s not worth any extra money –regardless of what a car salesman tells you. How much is a full service history worth? ATS Euromaster Terms and Conditions apply in respect of all offers and all products and services – see Terms and Conditions at www.atseuromaster.co.uk/consumer/terms-conditions.

Let’s say the current owner, has had the car for three years and lives in London. The last three services were done in Cornwall. Why would someone drive four hours to get their car serviced? This would ring alarm bells of being fake history, unless the person worked there or had some plausible reason, they could prove. In this instance, it’s always important to ask for corresponding invoices for further proof. This doesn’t help if the car has never been to a main dealer for a service but it gives you an indication of how well the car has been maintained. It’s unusual for a brand new car to have never been serviced by a main dealer, so if that’s the case it raises immediate questions. Car service history from an independent garage You should always be given an itemised invoice whenever your car is serviced, which lists exactly what work has been done and how much each job cost. Make sure you keep this information somewhere safe so you can refer to it again later if needed and so that it’s there when you want to sell the car. Prices vary according to service option selected, engine cc of vehicle, oil and quantity of oil used. If you go to a non-approved dealer but keep the vehicle serviced correctly according to the manufacturer’s guidelines, the vehicle will have a full service history.Fairly simply, a car with an FSH is one that has been maintained at every required interval since it was built, with work carried out either by a manufacturer directly or by an approved service centre. Where Mobil Super or Mobil 1 oil is not available, an alternative suitable specification oil will be used. To keep your warranty valid, you’ll also need to ensure approved parts are used and the correct jobs are undertaken. While you can get your car serviced anywhere, going to a main dealer will ensure this is the case. Basically, the car has been serviced by an official dealership on time, every time. All regular work has been undertaken, as well as major items like cambelts when they fall due. The service history should include any invoices and paperwork from the repair centre as well as the service book, which must be stamped by the technician after every service. If the vehicle missed one service, was taken to a non-approved service centre or is missing a stamp, then it would have a partial service history.

With new cars becoming more complicated to maintain, it’s even more important to have the right people looking at your vehicle. They’ll have the correct resources, so all work should be performed to the letter of the manufacturer’s guidelines. With higher overheads and staff commissions, garages and dealerships are generally more expensive. Servicing your car with Michanic provides you with Finding the service history of your car can be a bit of a minefield, particularly if you don’t know who the previous owners were or which repair centre they took the car to.Ideally, a car will have been issued with a service book in which the garage performing each service will log the vehicle mileage, detail the completed work and authenticate the information with a stamp. But as a service advisor I have been asked to stamp the service books on the cars having these services as I would with a maufacturer's service, I am not comfortable with this so have been stamping them but hand writing that it is only and oil and filter service to which my boss has taken it that I am being "awkward" and told me "I am of no use to him as a service advisor if I am not willing to follow his command". With modern cars being heavily controlled by the onboard computer systems that regulate almost every aspect of the vehicle, it also means that the software is kept up to date –just like your phone or home computer. It also means that any repairs are carried out with correctly-sourced parts rather than others that might not be up to the same standard. Only you know just how safe your position is and whether you could obtain another similar job should things turn sour.