You don’t need to maintain a comprehensive list of the service done to your vehicle—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t! There are a few good reasons to keep your vehicle’s service history in order, not the least of which is to potentially increase its value when selling it, or trade it in. We’ve put together a quick list of tips to help you keep and maintain a comprehensive history report of your ride.
Keep Those Receipts
The first and most obvious way to make sure you have a full-service history of your car is to hold onto the receipts for any work you have done. Whether it’s major repair work or a simple oil change, any time a service technician works on your vehicle, get that invoice. Don’t just stuff ‘em in your glove compartment, either! Put together a little file in your home office to help keep them organized and in one place. That way you aren’t scrambling to get them together when the time comes for you to sell your vehicle.
Go to your Service Provider
What if you haven’t been keeping or organizing those service receipts? Have you been going to your dealership for regular maintenance? Well, good news! Most certified service centres log any service done on their own computer systems. If you’ve been regularly going for service at the same dealership or service centre, you may be able to obtain a fairly comprehensive vehicle history from them. This, by the way, is also another good reason to make sure you’re going to a certified service centre for your vehicle!
Head Online
So you haven’t been keeping your receipts, and you haven’t been frequenting the same location for service. Are you totally out of luck? Not yet, you aren’t! When you get your vehicle serviced, repaired or maintained, most providers will report it online. Online services such as CARFAX compile all that data, and allow you to seek out your vehicle’s reports. The bad news: a reliable reporting site will charge you for a full rundown of your vehicle. The good news: having this information may increase the resale value of your vehicle, and ultimately be a net positive.
Finally, when the time comes for you to sell or trade in your vehicle, you should bring that vehicle history information with you to your local Go Auto Outlet. It doesn’t take a lot of work to maintain your service records, and it could increase the value of your vehicle!