Lost your service book? How to rebuild the history

What it really costs

Nothing legally. The service book stopped being a compulsory document for selling a car years ago. The cost shows up at the negotiation: without proof of maintenance, the buyer assumes the worst and discounts accordingly — commonly several percent of the value, according to Odopass.

On a 12,000 € car, that assumption is worth more than any weekend spent rebuilding the file.

Rebuilding the record

Start with the garages. Workshops keep digital records of what they did, for how long depends on the chain, and most will print or email you an extract on request. One phone call per garage you remember using.

Then the invoices. Anything with a date, a mileage and a line describing the work counts. Bank statements can help you remember which month a repair happened, which narrows the search when you call the garage.

Then the dealer network. Some brands can reissue an official book if every service was carried out in their network — uncommon, and usually charged.

Finally, sort it chronologically. A dated, ordered stack of invoices reads as well as a stamped book to a careful buyer.

What to record for each entry

Keep it consistent, otherwise the file is a pile rather than a history:

• the date and the mileage,
• the work done, in plain words (oil and filter, front brake pads, timing belt kit),
• the garage,
• the amount paid,
• the invoice itself, scanned.

Those five fields are exactly what the next buyer will ask about, and what you will want when you are deciding whether a job is due.

Why paper loses twice

A paper book lives in the glovebox — the one place that gets emptied when the car is cleaned, sold, lent or broken into. The reconstruction you just did can be lost the same way.

Keeping it in an app means the record survives the glovebox and follows you from car to car. Autofy stores each service with its date, mileage and document, so the history is already assembled the day you decide to sell — the situation described in our guide to selling with a service history.

Frequently asked questions

Is a service book mandatory to sell a car? No. It has not been a compulsory sale document for years. It is a commercial argument, not a legal one — but its absence is deducted from the price.

Can a dealer reissue a service book? Sometimes, if every service was done within the brand's network. It is uncommon and usually charged, with figures often quoted between 50 and 150 €.

Do invoices replace stamps? Yes, in practice. Detailed invoices showing date, mileage and work done are what a careful buyer actually wants to see.