Service history by VIN

To see a car's service history, enter its VIN below. The service and maintenance section of the CarHenry vehicle history report lists each recorded visit with the date, the mileage at the time and the work performed: oil changes, tire rotations, brake and transmission work, and safety and emissions inspections, as reported by participating shops, dealers and inspection stations.

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What the service section shows

A table of visits in date order. Each row has the date, the mileage, the type of facility (franchised dealer, independent shop, body shop, inspection station) and the work performed as it was reported. Some rows are detailed ("oil and filter change, tire rotation, cabin air filter"); some are a single line ("maintenance performed"), because that is what the shop reported. Inspection rows show the result where it was recorded. A car with no visits on record shows "no record found", which usually means the owner used shops that do not report rather than that the car was never serviced.

Where service records come from

Service history comes from participating repair shops and dealers who report completed work, and from state safety and emissions inspection stations. Franchised dealers report most consistently, which is why a car serviced at the dealer for its first years often has a full record and then goes quiet when the second owner switches to an independent shop. The record is therefore a floor, not a ceiling: every visit shown definitely happened, and visits that are not shown may still have happened.

How to read it

• Regular oil changes at sensible intervals (every 5,000 to 10,000 miles depending on the car) are the single best sign of an owner who looked after the car.
• Major services at the right mileage. Transmission fluid, timing belt on engines that have one, spark plugs, coolant. A 90,000-mile car with none of these on record needs them budgeted for.
• Brake and tire work tells you the car was actually driven and maintained, and gives you a rough date for the next set.
• Body-shop visits are cross-checked with the accident section. A body-shop visit with no reported accident is worth a question.
• Mileage at each visit feeds the odometer section; service records are one of the best defences against rollback because they are independent of the title.

Gaps in the record

A gap of a year or two is common and usually means an independent shop that does not report. A gap that coincides with a change of state in the title history, or that follows an accident, is worth asking about. The best supplement to the report is the seller's own folder of receipts; an owner who kept them is an owner who did the work.

What to do at the viewing

1. Ask for receipts for the visits that are on record and for the gaps. Match the mileage on the receipts with the report.
2. Look for the service sticker on the windshield or the door jamb and compare its mileage with the dash.
3. Check the recall check: an open recall is a free fix at any franchised dealer, and a car with no dealer visits may still have one outstanding.
4. Budget for whatever major service is due next, and use the market price range in the report to negotiate it into the price.

Questions buyers ask

Can I see a car's service history by VIN?

Yes. Enter the VIN on CarHenry. The service and maintenance section of the $9.90 report lists each recorded visit with the date, the mileage and the work performed, from participating shops, dealers and inspection stations. Visits at shops that do not report are not shown, so ask the seller for receipts as well.

Why does a well-maintained car show few service records?

Because the record depends on where the car was serviced. Franchised dealers and many chains report; a small independent shop often does not. A short record is a reason to ask for receipts, not a verdict on the car.

Does the service history include recalls?

Recall campaigns are in the safety section of the report with their remedy status, and a recall repair performed at a dealer usually appears as a service visit too. Whether a specific recall was already repaired on this exact car is confirmed by any franchised dealer from the VIN.