[sammyblackbaron]

Hi all,

This is my first post and it's a bit of a rambling one, so please bear with me!

Yesterday I bought my first Alfa, a 2.4 Brera SV and I can't wait to get hold of it. I had viewed it twice and all seemed well, but wanted to 'sleep on it' to be sure. So yesterday, over the phone, I phoned the seller and confirmed that I wanted to buy it. As a result, I haven't actually paid anything yet.

The first time I viewed the car, they said that the service book was still to be handed in from the previous owner and so I couldn't see it, but they assured me that it had a full service history.

The second time I viewed it, the previous owner had handed in the service book and sure enough, it had all the required service stamps. All good.

The problem is that last night, I was looking at the photographs that the seller took before I first viewed the car and noticed a leather bound pouch sitting in the passenger footwell. My heart sank - is this is the service book/pack that they said they didn't have yet? If so, why would they lie?

So, I would be extremely grateful if someone could confirm if the book in the attached image is actually the service book/pack from an 06 Brera. I'm really hoping it's a ladies handbag!

Thanks in advance to you all.

 

[wullsy]

That looks like the leather bound pack the contains the manual as well as the service book.
It might be the service book wasn't in the pack.
I tend to keep my service book elsewhere along with my garage receipts and insurance\ownership documents etc. and only leave the manual in the car.

As a general rule, I would always look at the service book before making an offer to make sure the service interval has been maintained and also who was doing the servicing.

 

[Commanderfish]

That does look quite like the manual/service pack which comes with the car, but I can't be certain from that photo.

It's not leather, it's a slightly silky black material. It starts out containing a manual, service book, factory radio code (which may be needed if the radio is disconnected and reconnected) and a list of approved service centres. However, a lot of people will keep the service history in the house, so it's not unusual for the two not to be together.

It's entirely possible that the dealer/seller has the manual/service pack and just didn't show it to you when they showed you the service book. Ask for both. If the manual/service pack is lost, it doesn't really matter as long as the service history (and radio code) are there.

The service history is a thin-ish black glossy booklet with some printing on the front (red and a few other colours), including an Alfa logo and possibly a picture of the model of the car (I can't remember this last bit). As long as you've got this, you're fine really.

Now that I think about it, I disconnected the battery several times on my Brera and never had to put a radio code in. So I'm not really sure you'll need this at all.

 

[sammyblackbaron]

Thank you both for your replies. I should clarify that I did see the black pack at my second viewing, so I know that exists.

My worry was that he lied about not having the service book so that he had time to fabricate a FSH, but what you have both said makes sense - perhaps he had the black pack, but not the service book that goes in it. I could just be being paranoid.

Is there anything in the on-board computer that I can check to see if the service history is correct or can I only go by the stamps in the book?

 

[sammyblackbaron]

(sorry, it posted this twice!)

 

[amc_uk76]

Try phoning a main Alfa dealer (preferably the one that serviced it) and speak to the service dept - they should be able to confirm what services it's had at Alfa dealers.

 

[lussoman]

Try phoning a main Alfa dealer (preferably the one that serviced it) and speak to the service dept - they should be able to confirm what services it's had at Alfa dealers.

:thumbs: Absolutely. I've done this before and not just when it's a main dealer's stamp in the book.
An indie stamp with a phone number is quite often far better than a main stealer, and the chances are you'll get to speak direct to the guy who worked on the car, probably the owner of the garage!

 

[wullsy]

Thank you both for your replies. I should clarify that I did see the black pack at my second viewing, so I know that exists.

My worry was that he lied about not having the service book so that he had time to fabricate a FSH, but what you have both said makes sense - perhaps he had the black pack, but not the service book that goes in it. I could just be being paranoid.

Is there anything in the on-board computer that I can check to see if the service history is correct or can I only go by the stamps in the book?

If you want your mind put at rest, phone the dealer\indie that did the service.
My "other" car is a diesel 147 I bought from someone in Glasgow. It had a bunch of service stamps from a place in Edinburgh but no documentation. I phoned them up and they sent me copies of all receipts they had on their system for the car. They removed any personal details but I could see what had been replaced and what hadn't.
Don't know if all garages would do this for you.

 

[cj romeo]

Just pick one in the middle, give them the date and the reg and just ask if they serviced it that day, that way there is no data protection issue.

If the garage were trying to swindle you, and had a book knocked up, I would expect all the stamps to be the same unless they used to be in the escape committee!

 

[Commanderfish]

I had a fake service history given to me when I bought my 1989 F-reg Golf GTi MkII. It had stamps from 4 different garages in it.

How did I know it was fake? Part of the service book cover was torn off so you couldn't see exactly which model VW it was from, and the first two stamps were dated 1987!!

Bought the car for £2,550 anyway and had a lot of fun in it for 4 years/22,000 miles, until finally a con-rod blew through the engine block in fourth gear at about 85 mph (so slightly my fault) by which time the car was on a total of 125,000 miles. Worth it.

 

[sammyblackbaron]

Thanks to you all for the advice and support. I picked up my Brera 2 days ago and LOVE IT! I am now confident that it was as you predicted - the service book was in the guys house separately from the manual.

Now to disable the lock/unlock beep!...

 

[brave soul]

:inlove:
enjoy:thumbs:

 

[Artermis]

glad you are enjoying it. I wouldnt worry about it myself.

as blokes we don't read the manual and shove it in a drawer, however as astute alfa owners we always get the book stamped, so its very possible the book wouldn't have been in the pack.

the pack I have in my Alfa 159 the pocket the booklets sit in is torn, so after having it strapped in the boot for a week or so every left corner, i.e. roundabouts, all the books would rocket out the folder and shoot across the boot!