Hi, I'm after a bit of advice. I have a 2013 1.6 Zetec S. It has a full Ford Service history and now the time has come for its next service and MOT.

My question is, do I carry on with the Ford servicing, do I go to an independent garage or do I service the car myself and keep a record of it? The car has done 67k. Its also had its cambelt recently replaced by Ford.

An interim service and MOT from Ford is £279

Doing it myself will be approximately £100 (so I know exactly what oil and filters have been replaced and brands used)

An independent garage ranges from £160 plus.

What would you guys do?

On a 13 plate I would do it myself and just keep records

This depends on your long term plans for the car.

If you intend to keep forever and like the Ford service history then keep going to a dealer.

If you intend to sell privately within a year or two then keep up the Ford history as it'll be more attractive to a private enthusiastic buyer.

If you intend to keep the car forever and aren't bothered by Ford history then do it yourself or use an independent.

If you intend to trade the car in or sell to a car buying service then it doesn't matter what you do as they can't pass on service history to the next owner due to GDPR anyway.

Personally with my own cars, I service themself and either fill in the service book for older cars, or just place a sticker with date & mileage under the bonnet for newer cars without a book. I don't bother keeping part receipts anymore since the GDPR laws.

Awesome, thanks chaps.

You've helped me make my decision. I'm gonna keep up with the Ford Servicing over the next few years and see how it goes. I only do around 5k per year so it will help keep the value of the car if I were to sell it a few years down the line.

👍🏻

Like the comprehensive options above but. as we were only offered £50 as a part ex value (they didn't want it) we will continue to self service and use local independent that does our MOTs for repairs we can't do.
How much difference will a dealer service record really make on a 2012 car based on the amount you could save over the "next few years" you state you are going to keep it i.e you don't intend to get rid of it!
IMHO it's all down to obvious care lavished on it leading to the condition and test drive plus your obvious honesty if it ever comes to a sale (which doesn't look likely)?
Ours owes us nowt although we want to keep it.

Personally I wouldn’t be paying the inflated cost of Ford servicing, especially given your low mileage. An independent would likely be significantly cheaper and possibly even more thorough, but it’s your car and if the FSH is important to you and cost not an issue then stick with Ford.

14 minutes ago, tarbyonline said:

Personally I wouldn’t be paying the inflated cost of Ford servicing, especially given your low mileage.

I'd disagree with that. A low mileage car with FFSH is exactly what enthusiast buyers want.

High mileage cars are less desirable and worth less so there's no point continuing FFSH on those.

Low mileage should also mean that Ford can't upsell things like brakes and tyres because you've got time to change those outside of annual servicing. Unlike a high mileage user who just needs everything done at once in the shortest possible time.

This particular car will hold value and appeal to enthusiasts because it looks like an ST and has the best non-ST engine fitted for this model. If it was just average spec and average engine then it wouldn't be worth FFSH.

Everyone has to decide whether a full service history (FFSH) has any added value for them.

All of my cars are fully serviced by myself according to Ford specifications, using top-quality parts. When I part-exchanged my last Focus MK3, I received a very good price from the Ford dealership (well above market value). In the last 25 years, I have never been asked for any service history when part-exchanging a car.

My previous car did actually have a fully documented service history (both on paper and digitally), because I meticulously kept records and check sheets of every nut and bolt that was replaced. However, this was never included with the car at part exchange, since the dealership was not interested at all.

A few months ago, we bought a MK3 Focus ST. The car had been for sale in the showroom for almost five months and was advertised as having a full service history. However, what we found when we took the car for a test drive was not what we had expected. The car came with a fully stamped service log and a binder containing detailed, fully itemised invoices of every single service and repair from new. Every nut and bolt was listed, and the previous owner had even paid over €2,500 to have the front and rear brake discs and pads replaced just before it was part-exchanged.

Did this well-documented service history affect the value of the car? No, not at all. It was even advertised below market value, since the dealership needed it gone before the end of the year. This allowed us to get a very good deal.

For me, a full service history is nice to have, but it does not offer any more value than my own records and check sheets.