It's stupid what people sell online. You can buy service documents with them all stamped already, ready to write in the fake mileage. Which is why buyers should always do check ups on the supposed garage or check receipts.
On another note, you can buy a break in kit which originally is only sold to garages

 

Reported.

 

Ordered.

:tut:

 

Anyone can make a stamp like this:rant:

 

I remember years ago I bought a Rover 827 Vitesse, and it came with no handbook, so I ordered a new one from a main dealer.

I was very suprised when it also came with a blank service history book.

All too easy to abuse.

 

Dont they know that having an Alfa authorised dealer stamp de values the car :lol:

 

Seems a bit suspect to me (as a genuine article) because if you were selling this item, surely you would have a picture of the actual stamp it produces? Especially as the garage/address isn't specified.

I'd imagine if you checked the service book of say a UK registered low mileage newer car and discovered stamps from an Alfa garage in South Africa, you'd suspect something amiss :lol:

 

I'd imagine if you checked the service book of say a UK registered low mileage newer car and discovered stamps from an Alfa garage in South Africa, you'd suspect something amiss :lol:

.... especially if it was low mileage

 

[

 

I see the item has now been removed. Good.

 

People ring me for service histories all the time. It's scary how much it must go on.

 

Maybe it's because I tend to buy cars that are at least three years old, but I take no notice of stamps in the book and walk away from cars that don't have some invoices for the bigger jobs from either a main dealer or a specialist. If people do their own maintainence the least I'd expect to see is the invoices for the parts.

So far I've only bought one duffer and that was the first Alfa I bought which had no invoices but a plethora of stamps in the service book.

 

I don't take much notice of service history. I think you can tell by the "smell" of a car if it's any good or not... so use The Force!

Basically 90% of cars must get serviced properly at around the correct service intervals for the frst three years... since the first owner either spent their own moolah on the beast (and so will look after it) or it's a company car...

Then around 5 years the car ends up in the independent dealer networks which is either a good thing or not, depending on the garage used (so what's their stamp actually worth?)

Then if it survives to 8 years, it's looked after by the "crazy fool" who bought an old, 100k Alfa.. and he does all the jobs himself... :thumbs:

It's more handy if you have MOTs and receipts for something.. since that helps to diagnose problems (like how long has that clutch been in there) and you can gauge the owner's attitude to fixing it (genuine parts, or the cheapest aftermarket stuff he could find?)

You can also check the mileage.. and its pattern. Regular 10,000 miles per year suggests no problems with the car.. up and down mileage may be a bit more worrying.


Ralf S.

 

I think that's true Muz & Ralf.

When I got my 166 last year (9-years old) it was clear that it was religiously looked after by a true enthusiast. The condition was excellent, both inside and out and you just got a tangible sense that it was a quality example. The service book was all but complete with only one stamp missing but pretty much every receipt/invoice was there in an organised folder - right down to spare springs and wiper blades!

I admittedly paid a premium but that was partly for the chap to hold the car for a couple of months and partly for the peace of mind. I still had the cambelt and water pump impeller changed for added reassurance - and kept the receipts

 

Sadly, there are increasing reports of cars being broken into for their service history books.

 

I can't believe many people would keep the service history book in the car. Most people would keep it in the house surely?

 

It's in the folder with the handbook. Surely having it in the house is going to make no difference if the car is stolen.

When I had problems in Italy last year (with a Xsara VTS) I was glad I had the service book with the car to show the garage it had had the timing belt changed.

 

You'd be surprised. I can't persuade my wife not to keep hers in the glovebox of her car.

I complained to Gumtree about this a*se selling stamped Alfa service books a few days ago. Nothing done, still there. ALFA ROMEO SERVICE BOOKS/RECORDS ALL MODELS 2003-2012 145 GTV 147 156 GT 159 BRERA SPIDER STAMPED in London | Car Accessories for Sale | Gumtree.com

I agree, it's daft to rely on a service record, but people will - receipts lost, receipts buried in accountancy records is one that is actually true in my case. Offer people a bargain and some will lose their caution, else nobody would unintentionally end up with stolen cars. And this sort of fake documentation is especially helpful to ringers.

 

Well the car would still be stolen without the service book, but having a valid service book with the car makes it much easier for whoever stole it to sell the car on to someone else, as it makes the car appear far more genuine.

 

But what about the lack of a V5? No car will look genuine without the V5 or am I being naive? I MIGHT buy a car without a service record but I certainly wouldn't buy one witout the V5

 

Hi

Reason we are all getting new red V5s is because a load of the last blue ones were stolen. Doubt it will be long before a batch of the red ones go walkabout.

As to service history, book on its own without the receipts is probably worthless. I know when we had a Renault a stamped up service book on its own was not acceptable as proof of service history for warranty claims.

All the best

Keith