Just need to vent , WTF do dealers, main included advertise a vehicle as having full service history, when in fact you ask them to send proof & low & behold , 1 , 2 or more are missing !

& why can't they also be clear on the number of owners, don't say it's only had 1 when it's "1 previous" that = 2 you muppet !

I am correct in thinking the L405 4.4SDV8 still needs an annual service as the bare minimum ? Not once every two years ?

I must have asked about 8 garages so far for the pdf's or online links, some just never get back to you and so far only 1 has been correct that it was indeed full !

rant over, thanks for listening, please carry on as before

LR say annual or 16k miles whichever comes first. The car will also tell you if it needs an earlier service, but a buyer will never know whether that happened or not.

So for a FSH, annual or 16k.

It can be problematic to prove as not all garages can upload to the LR system - and some sellers are worried about GDPR so won't keep (or pass on) paper invoices with prior owners names & addresses on them.....

SDV8 is every 16,000 miles, so on many vehicles no reasonable owner is going to get it done like clockwork every 12 months if they've only done 4,000-5,000 miles that year.

I assume you're referring to AutoTrader - the industry standard is to report the number of former keepers as stated on the V5C and this pulls through automatically on the dealer system. This does not include the most recent keeper, so most vehicles will all be on the same playing field.


Your definitions may be very different to those adopted by the dealers / industry, where there is no exact. If you judge a vehicle purely on owners / MOT history / if in your view is missing services, you won't end up buying anything. As the old adage goes - if you want a new car, buy a new car.

I note your previous post on MOT advisories for brakes and suspension arms. The fact is, these vehicles eat through suspension components, and any buyer should expect to replace such components as part of regular maintenance of their vehicle. These are not to be confused with repairs. Brakes, tyres and suspension components should be factored into the cost of running the vehicle - not for the dealer to sort for you. I'm sure however that if you speak to some, they'll be more than happy to get the parts replaced at close to cost price, to help you save some money, if not done so already - the number of buyers who judge an MOT history but don't ask if the part has actually been replaced since is surprisingly high.

Don't hate. Many dealers at the kind of price point you're looking at will put their vehicles through mechanical inspections, provide you with a warranty, and often a year's MOT. They can get bodywork and alloys done relatively inexpensively, and bring a vehicle close to showroom condition for 1/3 or less of its original price.

I am not surprised garages aren't getting back to you - much like you're trying to work them out, they're also figuring out who is genuinely and who isn't interested in their vehicles, and will focus their time accordingly. Nothing wrong with asking the dealer on the phone how many services a car has had, but when you're asking for them to send photocopies of services as proof etc, you're just going to get their backs up. Why? Because you've not step foot outside the house to even go and see the vehicle they're offering for sale, and becuase it's clear you will discriminate purely based on a piece of paper, opposed to what's presented as a package in front of you.

Happy hunting - just bear in mind it works two ways, and your definitions may be different to others. It's best to just discuss these things with the dealer - most will be very accommodating if you're actually there talking to them and they know you're serious. 2015 Range Rover Autobiography 4.4 SDV8

Nick, Im with you I have been saying it for years !!

Its just a con as a lot dont have a proper full service History

Hi,
I Live in Hampshire but travelled down to see my car which was for sale in Cornwall.
Charles Dunning was in his early thirtees, but came over as very genuine and likeable.
Most of his vehicles are one owner or 1+ Previous, he had the printed out electronic service history waiting there for me, but we'd had several calls/emails prior to me going there to ascertain the vehicles condition.
When I purchased mine, when i got home I contacted the servicing MD garage (was the only one to service the car over in Kent) who supplied me with scanned copies of the original bills, all were annual services and at the required 16K mile intervals.
I now get mine serviced by a specialist, and I now have a Full documented history from new for a 10 year old car

https://www.gunningsofrestormel.co.uk/

He only has a few vehicles in at a time, and they always seem to be in great condition.

All the best.

Last edited by goldeneye32 on 8th May 2024 12:59pm. Edited 1 time in total

Thanks guys.

Gary, I have been to see cars in the flesh, a couple haven't even had the vehicles there so complete waste of time.
I also have asked some who are several hours drive just for some evidence of the history before I travel because I'm getting fed up with garages saying it has full or only 1 owner when it doesn't & isn't. When a car has missed 2 years but then carried on being serviced that's not full.
If I'm buying with an approved LR warranty, I have no doubt should the engine fail or gearbox break & I try & claim they'll just come back & say you haven't had it serviced at the intervals required !

At the moment 90% have not been completely honest and that's a real shame.

If, as I understand from your post, you're buying with an LR-supplied Approved Used warranty, they've already satisfied themselves that the history is sufficient to provide the comprehensive cover offered by their AU scheme. LR won't underwrite an approved used sale unless the vehicle has satisfied all of the requirements of meeting their definition.

Be aware of 'dealership approved' used cars which are not the same as 'Land Rover Approved Used'. 2012 (L322) 4.4TDV8 Vogue SE, RSE, Fuji White over Arabica.
Previous V8s: BMW 645Ci, P38 4.6, P38 4.0, Merc CL500
Previous others: Honda x1, Volvo x7, Rover x6, BMW x6, Ford x1, Mercedes x2, Skoda x3, VW x2, Renault x2, Citroen x1, Mazda x3, Nissan x1, Audi x3, Kia x1, Fiat x4, Subaru x3, Austin x2, Triumph x2, Jeep x2, Hyundai x2, Lexus x1, Mitsubishi x1, Saab x2... and some others I've forgotten!

Thanks Danb, that's good to know will watch out for that.

I just wondered how bad JLR are for wriggling out of any warranty claim even if it has been inspected & approved. I'm sure I read in the past on my old ones extended warranty the services must be carried out at the regular intervals to be able to claim.

This one in particular looks a nice clean car, only one owner and low miles, but they have skipped two services - left it 2 years but have only done about 13K miles inbetween & then skipped another for 18 months doing 10K.

FWIW my car (2016 MY SDV8) tells me to get a service 12 months after the previous one. I do about 8K miles pa so annual for me.

My biggest bug bear is the poor description and lack of understanding of what they are describing/trying to sell, normally a job for the new YTS who has no idea. Rant over

Alistair wrote:

LR say annual or 16k miles whichever comes first. The car will also tell you if it needs an earlier service, but a buyer will never know whether that happened or not.

So for a FSH, annual or 16k.

It can be problematic to prove as not all garages can upload to the LR system - and some sellers are worried about GDPR so won't keep (or pass on) paper invoices with prior owners names & addresses on them.....

It’s a bit of a funny one this, AFAIK the OSH is mileage related but I get mine serviced annually well short of the required mileage so the OSH filled in by the dealer is simply sequential according to mileage. I think the last one recorded was 144,000 miles, I’ve done nothing like this but on the other hand I have had everything done, fluids etc so in my case any prospective buyer might be suspicious (if they chose to be so) but I do have a file containing all the receipts. Geoff

Thanks again guys, most helpful.

@ DrF , ha, funniest I've heard so far is "it has double glazing" um think you mean laminated glass !

@Kot, yes but still not convinced JLR would accept a warranty claim.
One dealer said it will come with a Land Rover Warranty & it goes through approved used checks and has had a full service since so would be covered.
But they also then said - They cannot put in writing that if anything happens it will definitely be covered under the warranty.

whoopee, so in other words it's worthless or a gamble at best.

Hi Nick,

I had full extended LR warranty on my MY18 RR and when it started running in to problems (miss firing) it cost over 15k in warranty claims with no push back from LR warranty, when the engine failed catastrophically LR warranty authorised new engine in excess of 20k. Unfortunately LR couldn't supply a 4.4 V8 engine. JLR bought the car at market value. It had FSH with 6 monthly oil changes. ------------------------------------------
L460 D350 73 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black with Shadow Pack
L405 4.4 V8 18 FFRR Autobiography (facelift) Santorini Black with Shadow Pack
L405 3.0 V6 13.5 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black
L322 4.4 V8 12 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black (RR Styling Pack)
L322 3.6 V8 10 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black
L322 3.6 V8 07 FFRR Vogue SE Santorini Black
L322 3.0 I6 55 FFRR Autobiography Santorini Black

Hi tomo,

wow that's shocking, never heard of a V8 failing so bad, but glad they sorted it. I guess though because you did have FSH they couldn't back out. I'll keep searching for one with the right history back up