When it comes to buying or selling a car, three letters can make a difference in how quickly each model gets snapped up and how much they sell for. So if you’ve spotted the combinations FSH and PSH on a car ad and wondered what they mean, you’re about to find out.
What is a full-service history?
When any new car leaves the dealership forecourt, it loses a little of its value straight away. It also leaves the dealership with a handbook suggesting the correct care of the vehicle and a complete car service schedule. This schedule dictates that the owner, to keep the car running in tip-top shape, must entertain the full and major services suggested by the manufacturer at the recommended mileage or periods.
When a garage or dealership carried out a service in the good old days, it was recorded in the handbook (or car service book). Most conscientious drivers would store all relevant and associated paperwork—receipts and invoices showing parts and payments—as further proof of everything the car required for its upkeep.
As each vehicle changes hands, the potential new owner wants to see that the car has been lovingly maintained throughout its life. They also expect to see proof that any problem parts have been dealt with and replaced correctly. Such a record provides far more confidence that they’re getting the vehicle they expect and not one with a host of hidden issues.
Part service history
If the magical letters FSH are replaced by the slightly less helpful PSH, it means that somewhere along the road, one or more of the services has been skipped, or the paperwork has gone astray. A Partial Service History will include plenty of information, but there could well be a few nasty gaps in proceedings to set off those alarm bells.
How much difference does a full-service history make to a used car’s price?
Poke around the web, and you’ll find plenty of surveys and articles detailing how buyers react to cars that fail to provide a full-service history.
This article from freecarcheck.co.uk tells us:
- 75% of drivers would be put off buying a car with no service history
- 15% would consider buying the car but only after a reduction in price
- 54% would expect at least 15% off the asking price
- 25% would expect at least 20% off the asking price
20% is quite a chunk of your car that isn’t too old and still in good condition. Actually, 20% is quite a chunk, whatever the age of the car and the condition it’s in!
So if you want to attain the most possible when selling your car, make sure you’ve got all your ducks in a row and your service history neatly detailed at every step.
The manufacturer logbook vs online car service history
The vehicle handbook was the perfect place to store each car service stamp and was as good a system as any for years. However, times have changed with paper-based systems becoming outdated and clumsy compared to the alternatives.
Most manufacturers now have digital versions for their latest models. Depending on the vehicle, you may have to complete an online registration to fulfill each obligation, or they might be automatically applied to the car itself, especially when any work is carried out through the dealership.
With some makes, all you have to do is pop the key in the ignition, and the records are available via the car’s dashboard screen. However, the work will need to be handled by registered dealers or operators with the approved software to make the updates, but it’s easy to imagine that sometime soon, all service histories will be stored like this.
Going digital should mean access to each car’s information becoming far simpler in the future. Forgetting where you stored your collection of paperwork and service handbook will no longer be an issue.
Beware of fake service history logs
So, we’ve seen that the FSH makes a big difference to the price of selling a car. But, sadly, many less-than-reputable sellers out there will run the risk of adding fake bits and pieces to the genuine articles, delivering a false full set of information a buyer wants to see.
Don’t be surprised if they’ve organized their own rubber stamps to fill the service gaps with sham garage details. There are a few lengths these crooks won’t stoop to just to make a few extra pounds on the deal.
Due diligence on car service history
If the service history information is missing, but the owner or sales staff are doing their utmost to convince you the car has been as well looked after as you hope, then there are ways of tracking down a little more information if you’re prepared to do the legwork.
Online checks
Plenty of paid-for checking services is available online, with major used-car sales directories carrying out their own due diligence more often than not. However, most of these (Auto Trader, RAC, AA, HPI) focus on ownership, outstanding finance, and if the car has ever been written off or stolen.
MOT records
The DVSA allows anyone to check the MOT status of a vehicle with details of failures and minor issues. If the seller provides you with the V5C vehicle logbook number, you’ll also have access to each test location. So if you’re really keen on that new motor, you could contact the test centers to find out who brought it in and then see if that garage is prepared to tell you about any other work the car needed.
To me, that sounds like a lot of work. You’d really have to like the car.
Dealership records
If the owner claims the car was serviced only at registered dealerships, you may have more luck tracking down its records, as they should have a far better system for keeping track of its info.
That said, with GDPR being the buzzword of today’s generation, don’t expect getting access to those records to be any kind of easy. You may have more hoops to jump through than you think necessary.
Stay on top of your vehicle services to get the best prices when selling your car
Whether they happen at the dealership or an independent garage, keeping track of your car’s servicing and proof of the work you carry out on it over the years holds real value for buyers and sellers.
Buyers expect to see proof that each car they inspect has been lovingly cared for and kept in prime running order throughout its life, something an FSH can provide simply and easily.
To book in for a quality car service—whether it’s full, interim or major, we’ve got all the information ready and waiting and a host of great deals and savings too!
About Fixter
Fixter is revolutionising the car maintenance industry, one repair at a time. Fixter was founded to make car maintenance as easy as booking a taxi. Digital, transparent and stress-free, with world-class customer service. Since launching in Manchester in 2017, Fixter has expanded to more than 100 towns and cities across the UK and provided thousands of car owners with honest, convenient and affordable car repair services.