SEAT Alhambra - No Service History

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Wed 14 Sep 2016 09:07
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - Hammer2001

Have been looking for a Seat Alhambra and have found one which fits the exact spec I've been looking for at a good price.

The one sticking point is that the vehicle has no service history provided with it.

The vehicle is 3 years old and has done 38000 miles, was owned by Arval UK and leased to an insurance company.

I've contacted Seat who say they have no record of servicing for the vehicle only some minor warranty work and an Adblue top up.

I've contacted Arval who say they also have no record of any servicing work done by them and that the leaser would have arranged their own on that vehicle. They do say it is a condition of lease that the vehicle is correctly serviced and that when it was returned to them at the end of the lease it was thoroughly inspected and any servicing or mechanical issues would have been flagged, and none are showing.

So I've contacted the insurance company who leased it, but it's proving difficult to find anyone who can give me any information.

So what do I do? I really like the vehicle, it fits the spec and price I'm looking for and drove smoothly and was in great condition visually.

I'm only a low mileage user, about 5k a year and intend to keep it for a long time, but an alarm bell rings in my head saying never buy a car without a service history!

Your opinions would be most helpful.

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Wed 14 Sep 2016 09:27
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - Hammer2001

Forgot to say it has just passed it's MOT, so MOT'd until September 2017.

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Wed 14 Sep 2016 09:38
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - Falkirk Bairn

No service history ? Walk - there are loads out there.

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Wed 14 Sep 2016 09:44
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - SLO76
Though it is a condition of any contract lease that the vehicle is serviced according to manufacturer guidelines it's not uncommon for users to ignore or forget to do so. If Seat have no record of it being serviced within their dealer network then you can take it as read that the car has never seen spanners in the three years they ran it which is a major no no with a modern turbocharged vehicle especially a diesel.

Secondly, you say you're a low mileage user "about 5k a year" which means a modern particulate filter equipped diesel is unsuitable for you. These require a longer run at motorway speeds for at least 30mins every few days in order to let the filter run through a burn cycle. If you don't do this then it'll clog and you'll have no end of trips to the dealer with issues. VW group are one of the worst for issues with these filters too.

All in all I'd walk away. Spend more time and even a little more money and buy a car that's been properly maintained. Avoid anything that hasn't had oil and filter EVERY year regardless of what the sales staff tell you. No oil will retain its full ability to lubricate past this point in a modern turbo diesel car and it'll seriously reduce engine life if it's been ran of a shoestring.
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Wed 14 Sep 2016 09:54
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - Hammer2001

Thanks for the reply.

You are right and are higlighting the concerns already in my head.

But the oil was very clean when I checked it, which suggests it's been changed not too long ago.

With regards to the DPF, I'm not concerned about that at all. I've been driving a DPF car for the last 5 years with no issues at all.

ALthough I'm a low mileage user, my trips are not short runs. It's just I mainly only use the car at weekends and holidays.

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Wed 14 Sep 2016 10:06
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - RobJP

3 years old, 38k miles, no proof of any servicing carried out, and you're the sort of person who keeps cars for a long time (hopefully without major failures).

Playing russian roulette before you even start ...

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Wed 14 Sep 2016 11:23
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - SLO76

Thanks for the reply.

You are right and are higlighting the concerns already in my head.

But the oil was very clean when I checked it, which suggests it's been changed not too long ago.

With regards to the DPF, I'm not concerned about that at all. I've been driving a DPF car for the last 5 years with no issues at all.

ALthough I'm a low mileage user, my trips are not short runs. It's just I mainly only use the car at weekends and holidays.

Fair enough regarding the DPF then but regarding the fresh oil it could have been changed by the dealer as they took it into stock, possibly its first in 3yrs. It might have been serviced however the absence of a history would also hurt the resale value and thus killing any saving made from the lower price unless you intend on keeping it until it's well into bangerdom. I'd certainly be leaving it and looking elsewhere unless they can come up with that history. As an ex salesman myself I can tell you that I would've spent time seeking it out or had our admin dept do so. It makes the car much more sellable and worth more money. You can bet they have done so and had no luck.
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Wed 14 Sep 2016 12:28
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - Ian_SW

It's quite feasible that the car has just had its first ever oil change. You can check how recently this has been done from seeing what the on board computer says the time and distance are to the next service. It has been done recently, the time will be at nearly 2 years and the distance nearly 20000 miles (assuming it's set on the standard variable service regime)

I've been in both hire and leased company pool cars with that kind of mileage and the service indicator reporting 'Service is 18000 miles overdue'. They weren't running particularly well for a 2 year old car...

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Wed 14 Sep 2016 12:53
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - Hammer2001

Thanks all for the sensible advice.

There is a glimmer of hope though.

I have just spoken with the company who previously leased it.

They have checked their records and have been in contact with the guy that was actually driving it.

THey say they had it serviced to schedule and that the servicing was done by a SEAT dealer. They have the paperwork and are going to email it through to me.

They seemed pretty miffed that Arval had no record of this as they gave the service book back when handing back the car. They tell me the car was serviced just before it was given back.

Also odd that my local SEAT dealer had no info. I am currently contacting the SEAT dealer that did the servicing to see what they did.

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Wed 14 Sep 2016 14:36
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - SLO76
Makes all the difference if they can provide proof then it's a great big family bus. Good luck..
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Thu 15 Sep 2016 10:46
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - Hammer2001

Just to update.

Have recieved copies of the invoices and maintenance work done on the vehicle from the previous keeper.

All checks out good, with the car being serviced on time according to manufacturers requirements.

I've been in touch with the SEAT dealer who did the servicing and they confirmed the service history and maintenance work they carried out.

They have also said they can send me a service book and fully stamp it up with all the details.

It's last service was May 2016, and it has only done 1200 miles since then.

Also had two brand new tyres at the same time.

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Thu 15 Sep 2016 11:16
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - SLO76
Good bit of detective work done but something that i'd've done already had I been the salesman with it on my forecourt. Dealer's a bit lazy but otherwise sounds like a good big family wagon.
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Thu 15 Sep 2016 13:25
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - The Gingerous One

I admire your patience here, if the dealer were unable to show me the service book upon my asking for it, I'd have just turned round and walked out.

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Thu 15 Sep 2016 22:20
SEAT Alhambra - No Service History - Cyd
Keep quiet about this good news to the selling dealer and see if you can use the lack of history as a bargaining chip. And from now on follow HJs advice.
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