Would DIY servicing put you off buying a car? and would it effect its value.

[370Ad]

My car is on 50k and when it was purchased it had a mixture of Nissan/Indy services, fully stamped up at the correct mileage/date.

 

Since my ownership (Jan 2012) I have had it serviced once in Nov 2012 by an Indy to keep the booked stamped but I have also done two DIY services, once when I bought it to make sure it had decent oil and once in March 2013 before a track day.

 

With my next routine service coming up in November I was wondering if I should do it myself or get an Indy to do it again? As a side note to this I have done all the other work myself on the car outside of normal servicing (Coolant, brakes, belts).

 

So to conclude shall I shell out the moola to get it stamped or just do it myself from now on?!

 

Merci

[Ekona]

I would expect to pay less, and it would put me off a bit. The difference would be if I had masses of receipts from the DIY servicer, or I had traceable records via a forum or whatever to show that the person knew their stuff and wasn't a complete muppet trying to cut corners.

 

Personally I stick with quality main dealers for my main servicing to keep the book stamped, but with other bits like brake fluid changes or extra oil changes I'll either use a good indy or do it myself.

[AliveBoy]

I've got friends who could do a better service on their driveway than some of the independents round me would do in a "fully equipped" workshop.

 

Personally, I'd look at the car as a whole to see how it's been treated. You can always tell if a car has been loved or not.

 

I'd probably use it as a haggling point, but I wouldn't go mental on it.

[Darren-B]

Once my car was out of warranty I started servicing myself. Not trying to blow my own trumpet but I`m sure that I do a better job than a main dealer. I always take pride in any work I undertake & use nothing but the best products, the receipts & condition of my car reflects this & when buying a car the same should apply

[KyleR]

I voted "yes" for both, but that's because I'm assuming the book wouldn't be stamped and that would affect my resell price as the new buyer wouldn't have been able to meet and speak to the DIY servicer.

 

Personally I'd leave it in with an indy and get the stamp and continue to service it yourself in between services for XY or Z reason and keep note of these. That's pretty much what I do, and keep receipts for anything I do myself, i.e. plugs, brakes etc. Although with most of my parts coming from this forum, sometimes you don't get receipts, in which case I just write what I did, the date and mileage on the last receipt in the folder.

 

It's as much for my benefit as a potential future buyer, so I know how long these pads lasted, or these tyres etc etc.

Edited September 4, 2013 by KyleR

[AliveBoy]

I voted "yes" for both, but that's because I'm assuming the book wouldn't be stamped and that would affect my resell price as the new buyer wouldn't have been able to meet and speak to the DIY servicer.

 

Personally I'd leave it in with an indy and get the stamp and continue to service it yourself in between services for XY or Z reason and keep note of these. That's pretty much what I do, and keep receipts for anything I do myself, i.e. plugs, brakes etc. Although with most of my parts coming from this forum, sometimes you don't get receipts, in which case I just write what I did, the date and mileage on the last receipt in the folder.

 

It's as much for my benefit as a potential future buyer, so I know how long these pads lasted, or these tyres etc etc.

 

DIY servicing would put you off buying a car, yet a cat D write off is perfectly fine? Surely that's a bit backwards?

 

Edit: for spelling

Edited September 4, 2013 by Dedman

[370Ad]

Thanks for the responses guys.

 

My main reason for the post is resale value not actually selling the car itself as I hope the condition/spec will help me with that.

 

Looks like I will spend the extra on yearly stamped servicing to get the best resale value possible then.

 

Cheers

[KyleR]

I voted "yes" for both, but that's because I'm assuming the book wouldn't be stamped and that would affect my resell price as the new buyer wouldn't have been able to meet and speak to the DIY servicer.

 

Personally I'd leave it in with an indy and get the stamp and continue to service it yourself in between services for XY or Z reason and keep note of these. That's pretty much what I do, and keep receipts for anything I do myself, i.e. plugs, brakes etc. Although with most of my parts coming from this forum, sometimes you don't get receipts, in which case I just write what I did, the date and mileage on the last receipt in the folder.

 

It's as much for my benefit as a potential future buyer, so I know how long these pads lasted, or these tyres etc etc.

 

DIY servicing would put you off buying a car, yet a cat D write off is perfectly fine? Surely that's a bit backwards?

 

Edit: for spelling

 

A Cat D would put me off too, unless the damage and repairs have been fully catalogued with photo's etc and it still had a fully stamped book

 

Every situation is unique. If I got a good price for the car with a missed stamped I'd still have it. If the Cat D has been well repaired and all the info I want is there and the price is right, I'd have it. And of course it depends on the individual car and meeting the owner.

[scobie140]

Only time i'd stick into a garage for anything is if it was a two man job or required ramps, don't think I've let a garage do anything other than Mot's and tyres in about 5 Years on all our cars and bike, If I couldn't service a car or bike then I don't think my work would be happy letting me loose on all there machinery! I'm no expert, I'm always learning but there's always plenty of guides or drawing to help as long as you can understand them and understand why you do what you do when your are doing the task not just blindly follow instructions. when buying a car that's been self serviced I'll look for receipts and grill the owner to see if they know their stuff.

[firemansim]

I used to work at a main dealer and I wouldn't take my push bike to one. Most people who own these sort of cars are enthusiasts and look after their cars.

I do my own servicing and as long as you keep receipts for parts used it wouldn't put me off.

[Stutopia]

I think it depends on who the buyer and seller are. When I bought my Zed I didn't know much about them and I wanted to see some stamps in there and a decent brand tyre type etc etc, I didn't know the seller at all so this gave me a little more confidence. Having seen how capable a lot of zed owners are on here, if I was buying one with a build thread and was familiar with the sort of posts the owner had made, then self-service might not put me off at all, but I would expect to pay less, as your going to get less on the back end.

[370Ad]

I think it depends on who the buyer and seller are. When I bought my Zed I didn't know much about them and I wanted to see some stamps in there and a decent brand tyre type etc etc, I didn't know the seller at all so this gave me a little more confidence. Having seen how capable a lot of zed owners are on here, if I was buying one with a build thread and was familiar with the sort of posts the owner had made, then self-service might not put me off at all, but I would expect to pay less, as your going to get less on the back end.

 

Thanks for the post, makes total sense.

 

Think I am going to DIY what I can to make sure it's done right then keep to the standard service regime to keep the price as high as possible when it comes to the sad moment of parting with her

 

Hopefully that won't be for a while yet though

[Ekona]

Look at it like this:

 

If the dealer servicing costs you an extra £500 over the years but you get an extra £1000 when you come to sell it, then stick with the dealer.

If it costs £500 and you don't get any extra, then the choice is yours.

If it costs £500 but you lose another £500 because the dealer was known to be crap, then definitely don't bother.

[NeilMH]

Broadly speaking unless I bought a car from someone on a forum that I knew and could make some judgement as to their expertise, yes it would put me off a bit and I would expect to pay less. However that does not mean that every dealer serviced car is ok....far from it......you need to make your own judgement by studying the paperwork in detail, doing some research and your own observations of the car.

[Keyser]

As said above as long as the receipts to show they had done something were there and they sounded like they knew what they were talking about I'd probably be happy with that.

 

Mind you I service my car - so that puts the price down

[coldel]

Look at it like this:

 

If the dealer servicing costs you an extra £500 over the years but you get an extra £1000 when you come to sell it, then stick with the dealer.

If it costs £500 and you don't get any extra, then the choice is yours.

If it costs £500 but you lose another £500 because the dealer was known to be crap, then definitely don't bother.

 

I don't think its anywhere near this simple. Although appreciate that you are trying to keep the thought process less muddled.

 

A shoddy dealership job will cost you more before you sell it having to sort out the mess they cause. Yes you can take it back, hassle them, get it done again but my time is money in my book. Like a post above, wouldnt touch a dealership not a single one. Various members of my family who have been repairing cars since WWII all say the same thing, steer clear.

[rabbitstew]

I had this dilemma when I bought my Ducati a few weeks back. It needed a major service and had full Ducati history on it. Ducati wanted £900 just to change the belts, oil + filter. A major part of the work is stripping the bodywork, tank, seat, airbox, cam covers, battery etc. off and I failed to see the point in paying some qualified Ducati nearly £100 an hour just to undo some fasteners and strip a bike down when the only bid they need to be experienced in is tensioning the cambelt.

 

I bought the bits required for about £140 from Ducati themselves and with the savings also bought Fuel Filter, air filter, chain, sprockets, brake pads, brake fluid and a few other bits. All in, It came to miles less than Ducati wanted for their major service, plus I got much much much more done on the bike. The bikes virtually like brand new now!

 

What ive done is ive kept all the receipts plus photos to show the work which will go into a nice binder along with all the previous traceable service history on the bike. Any buyer can clearly see im an enthusiast and once they see my workshop can see im a fairly competent mechanic and not some cowboy out to save a few quid.

 

As a buyer myself, if a seller had done the same then id be happy and would always buy on condition / history rather than a main dealer history, especially after the dodgy experiences ive seen at main dealers with YTS mechanics working on cars and rushing them through. Last time I took my zed to a Nissan garage the mechanic sat there taking great delight in red-lining my engine in the workshop so he could hear the full roar the K1 exhaust system made. At least he did until the Workshop Manager saw me standing there watching them and promptly shat his pants.

[NeilMH]

Trouble is that this is a car enthusiasts forum and therefore probably attracts a higher share than average of competent/very competent/extremely competent home mechanics.

 

However, out there in non-enthusiast land, there is probably nothing more dangerous than the incompetent home mechanic (at least with a dealer there is some prospect that they have been subject to some training and supervision).

 

The previous owner of my house was a man who loved DIY but it was the equivalent of giving a Eurofighter to a 4 year old.

[Keyser]

The previous owner of my house was a man who loved DIY but it was the equivalent of giving a Eurofighter to a 4 year old.

 

Did I own your house before you?

[Vik54]

Look at it like this:

 

If the dealer servicing costs you an extra £500 over the years but you get an extra £1000 when you come to sell it, then stick with the dealer.

If it costs £500 and you don't get any extra, then the choice is yours.

If it costs £500 but you lose another £500 because the dealer was known to be crap, then definitely don't bother.

+1 - DIY servicing really wouldn't bother me as long as all receipts for products and parts were present and the seller was another enthusiast - I would add this is a total turnaround for me and is a result of being a member of an owners club

[NeilMH]

The previous owner of my house was a man who loved DIY but it was the equivalent of giving a Eurofighter to a 4 year old.

 

Did I own your house before you?

 

I can absolutely guarantee that you didn't...for example your car appears to work and not threaten to blow you to kingdom come (or maybe it does ) - which is more than we could say for our original hot water "system". I knew we were in trouble when he said - the fitter told me there was no way I could or should put a boiler in there but I did it Fortunately he was totally open and proud of his inventions and bodges so we went into all with our eyes open.

[downhuman]

It would put me off mainly as, come resale time, someone else could have a problem with it.

 

Conversely, I'd never take my car to a main dealer either, but to my garage who I trust.

[Pete87]

I always service my own cars as I know I use good quality parts and oil and I know I have done the job properly. I have friends who are mechanics that have told me dealership horror storyies again not all dealerships are bad but I know what's been done if I do it myself. I keep all receipts and right down what mileage I've serviced it I also have my build thread and lots of pictures to prove what I have done and when I have done it. I don't see the point in paying someone else to do a job if you can do it well.

[r37]

Ive allways worked on my own cars when possible. last service for the 350z cost me £120 for oil, plugs, filters, belts and a HKS air filter and took me a morning to do. Same kind of service at some reputable places on here would have been £400 or so. Im not put off at all by DIY service because as mentioned there are some very good home mechanics out there. If the guy i buy the car from seems genuine and knows their stuff then why not.

[allaboutthepasty]

I always service my own cars making sure I keep the receipts for everything together with date and mileage written down for my own personal knowledge. I've just heard of too many horror stories with garages "replacing" spark plugs (wire brushing them) and even one not changing the oil! I have faith in my own ability and always do a decent job, probably replacing things more regularly than they actually need to be just for piece of mind.

I previously had a VR6 with a checklist from a VW dealer that read like the car was falling to bits, only for an indy mechanic to comment a month later during it's MOT how tidy the old girl was.

 

HOWEVER having just bought a Zed with a full Nissan history, I'm currently torn between what to do when it's next up!