Dealer service records -- important for potential future buyer?

[4wardMotion]

This Bronco (my wife's) is our first new car, I have always serviced my cars at local indy shops a family friend owned trusting they would service the vehicles well in a timely manner, and haven't been let down. I keep records for my CTS V2 M6, run premium oil in it and regular intervals, etc. I like keeping my records for myself or a next owner.

I've seen "dealer serviced" touted as a "bonus" before, however have heard a ton of nightmare stories, and my father was a service manager at one point in his life and has expresses his lack of confidence at dealership service.. Same reason decerning enthusiasts don't let them detail the car.

All that to ask out of curiosity, do dealership service records mean anything to any potential future buyer?

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[raqball]

I have a folder where I keep all records and receipts for anything and everything done on the Bronco. This includes maintenance, parts purchases, installed upgrades etc.

If you do that, then I don't think actual dealer records hold any more value than they do.

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

What he said but all depends too on how you plan on getting rid of it after the fact. Private sale or trade-in, a private sale you can give the new owner the stack of paperwork of all that you've done or had done but with a trade-in most dealers don't care and will pitch anything not of value so the online Dealer records do hold value in that case. Now the quality of care you get from a Dealer is debatable but at least something to go for the next dealer if they even care.

 

[AreUgettingEnufCaffeine]

Yeah what they both said, also you can "add record" in your ford pass app, so it's included digitally for the next person

 

[4wardMotion]

Yeah what they both said, also you can "add record" in your ford pass app, so it's included digitally for the next person

This is great to know, I haven't looked through that app as only my wife has it activated, I'll have to check this out. Thank you!

Thanks to the other responses as well, appreciate the feedback from others.

 

[cbrenthus]

Can't remember the last time I sold something privately, but I always do my own service and have no records other than e-mail receipts in case of a warranty issue. I have never had an issue with a trade in value due to this.

 

[wjtinfwb]

This Bronco (my wife's) is our first new car, I have always serviced my cars at local indy shops a family friend owned trusting they would service the vehicles well in a timely manner, and haven't been let down. I keep records for my CTS V2 M6, run premium oil in it and regular intervals, etc. I like keeping my records for myself or a next owner.

I've seen "dealer serviced" touted as a "bonus" before, however have heard a ton of nightmare stories, and my father was a service manager at one point in his life and has expresses his lack of confidence at dealership service.. Same reason decerning enthusiasts don't let them detail the car.

All that to ask out of curiosity, do dealership service records mean anything to any potential future buyer?

If you sell it yourself the next buyer will likely take comfort in seeing them. If you trade it at a dealer they really don't care. When we traded our '12 Grand Cherokee Overland Hemi, I had a think folder of every service, repair, recall, etc. that had been done over the 8 years we owned it from new. The dealer advised us to "throw it away".

 

[4wardMotion]

If you sell it yourself the next buyer will likely take comfort in seeing them. If you trade it at a dealer they really don't care. When we traded our '12 Grand Cherokee Overland Hemi, I had a think folder of every service, repair, recall, etc. that had been done over the 8 years we owned it from new. The dealer advised us to "throw it away".

That's such a shame lol when I bought my V2, the story goes it was 1 owner traded in to a dealer, 09', less than 30k miles, cherry.. the guy I bought it from had it for like a year while waiting for a Blackwing he ordered. I assume the dealer pitched the records as well..

 

[C6ZZGT]

Records don`t matter to 99.99% of the buyers.

 

[4wardMotion]

Records don`t matter to 99.99% of the buyers.

Is this correct for enthusiast vehicles like Bronco's, Wranglers etc? I suspected they weren't for econoboxs or general people movers, however the world I come from they are (Older cool cars and performance cars. Records for service, modifications, work done, tuning etc are always requested and a big bonus when asking towards top of the market). This is my wife's car and I have to this point not spent time in this segment of the market.

I also realize this is really splitting hairs and generally not a big deal, just feeling out this market if I should even consider letting the dealer touch the car again outside of recalls lol

 

[Trail]

Speaking only for myself, I have not asked for service records when buying a used vehicle, nor been asked for them when selling. Some people will want a shop to do a prepurchase inspection, which is a good idea.

 

[userdude]

Was at a training session years back that had a risk manager from Chicago who talked about how, since he got his first car (he was in his 60's), he had obsessively kept records on everything that happened to his cars. Including, y'know, scratches. Maybe more like a journal with receipts.

So one car he was selling in the early 90's had some interest from a young lady in college. She was buying her first car and wanted to come look at it, drive it. He's like, sure.

She shows up with her dad. They take it out, come back, the dad's all suspicious, saying it's in too good condition, blah blah. He opens the trunk, pulls out the three inch binder full of documentation, and hands it to him. After looking at it for a few minutes, he only wanted to know cash or check?

And of course there's always the Perfect Strangers new car episode.

 

[C6ZZGT]

Is this correct for enthusiast vehicles like Bronco's, Wranglers etc? I suspected they weren't for econoboxs or general people movers, however the world I come from they are (Classic cars and performance cars. Records for service, modifications, work done, tuning etc are always requested and a big bonus when asking towards top of the market). This is my wife's car and I have to this point not spent time in this segment of the market.

I also realize this is really splitting hairs and generally not a big deal, just feeling out this market if I should even consider letting the dealer touch the car again outside of recalls lol

Enthusiast vehicles and collectables are a different realm than mainstream vehicles but with the number of people we see that are driving Broncos that can`t be bothered to look never mind wave at our RR heritage, I'm going to say at least half of Broncos belong to people that just wanted a vehicle.

 

[Skott]

I have a folder where I keep all records and receipts for anything and everything done on the Bronco. This includes maintenance, parts purchases, installed upgrades etc.

If you do that, then I don't think actual dealer records hold any more value than they do.

I do this, as well as keep a detailed Excel with all service, purchases, upgrades, etc., and details of all gas ups, MPG, and miles on tires. My Excel also tracks upgrades I'm planning/price tracking.

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