Car Broken into, Manual and Logbook Stolen

Lord Fart Bucket on 17/05/2017 - 13:53

Good afternoon OzB.
Walked up to my car yesterday to find some less thn scrupulous person has decided to put a screwdriver through my window and have a look through the things that were in the car.

Several thousand dollars damage (window, centre console, wires to reverse cam, microphone, etc) and various things stolen (prescription sunglasses, dash cam). One of the things that has also dissapeared is my little folder with the manual and logbook. My car has a good service history (various mechanics), but now i have no proof of this.

The question that i have is how much value can i put on this logbook? If i decide to sell my car in the (not too distant) future, what will i lose out on, since i cannot produce the logbook?

I can think of at least 6 mechanics that have worked on my car over the years, at least one has changed hands… so perhaps trying to get copies of records isn't too straight forward.

Automotive

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 17/05/2017 - 13:57

    car with complete logbooks is always worth $1-3K more.
    Seems like a waste for such little extra.

    • Lord Fart Bucket on 17/05/2017 - 13:58

      Yep. Terrible waste… and i'll be out of pocket.

      • [Deactivated] on 17/05/2017 - 13:59

        alot of the time the theives hope you keep your rego papers in the logbook holder thing, so they can come around the steal the car later on and sell it quickly for cheap.

        • Lord Fart Bucket on 17/05/2017 - 14:00

          I don't keep my rego in my car, it's safely stored elsewhere…

        • pegaxs on 17/05/2017 - 18:16

          a lot of the time the theives hope you keep your rego papers in the logbook holder thing.

          It's this, but more so, the amount of cars I booked in for service that still had the spare keys in the service books is way too high. A lot of people even leave the key code in there. I can go to a locksmith, give them that number and have an exact key cut for that car.

          It sounds weird, but if I was robbing cars, I would grab the service book sleeve. It usually has owners details, sales info, key codes and a high probability of having keys in there.

          And there is no way a car is worth $3k more with books. As a trade in, don't really care that much and it might net you a slight increase in offer. But we will use it as a major selling point on resale. Most traded cars get wholesaled anyway, so books do t really add that much value.

          But then again, if it is under lease contract, different story, as stated here somewhere. Or if you are planning on private sale. Replacement service books/owners manuals can be expensive to replace. Try eBay for them first, sometimes they show up on there. And most mechanics will have a history on their computer and have your details and invoices. So no harm in giving them a call and asking. Even if you bought it second hand, Yu can get them to search via Rego.

  • spackbace on 17/05/2017 - 13:58

    How old is the car and how many kms?

    • Lord Fart Bucket on 17/05/2017 - 13:59

      2010, about 75,000. (which i know is not a lot)

      • spackbace on 17/05/2017 - 14:04
        +4

        Hmm might pay to get the replacement book, and have a friendly chat with the last mechanic that serviced your car… ;)

        • Lord Fart Bucket on 17/05/2017 - 14:09

          It's been hell. I live in Sydney, forecast for the next 3 days is heavy rain… i now have my regular mechanic putting in a window that i went to pick up at Subaru spares, cause the insurers mechanic can't fit it in for the next 2 weeks(!). Their glass specialist (O'Brien) didn't have it in stock, and aren't available for the next 7 business days to sort it.

          I'll have a chat with the mechanic this afternoon.

  • ode1online on 17/05/2017 - 14:21

    We returned a Fleet vehicle a few years ago , the fleet company claimed there was NO log book (which was incorrect, it was well hidden in the glove box) Anyway they sent a bill for $550 .. (again all good in the end, but we were surprised at the $$)

    • Ozbargainite on 17/05/2017 - 17:00
      +1

      I am always amazed, well appalled by the amount of government cars I see when browsing Pickles auction website that have no log books.
      Where do they all go? Great way to lower the resale value of a car without keying it.

      • affable on 18/05/2017 - 10:00
        +1

        Logbooks are either stored centrally, or vehicles have been poorly maintained so better off without the logbook.
        I went to a "fixed price" auction place and was interested in a vehicle, went to do paperwork and asked for the logbook. Couldn't be found. Drove away and they called up 10mins later that they had found it. Kept driving and have never regretted that decision as I avoided a shitty Camry and ended up with an EV which is a way better outcome.

      • PVA on 18/05/2017 - 10:29

        They are all from a lease company ( say lend lease) maybe they remove them before auction.

  • Lord Fart Bucket on 17/05/2017 - 17:40

    Picked up my car an hour ago… the dealer seems to agree with the sentiment here: likely to be a decent drop in resale value. The question now is… how to come to an agreement with the insurer about this…

  • whooah1979 on 17/05/2017 - 17:45

    The new BMW (perhaps others) have onboard logs now. Very handy.

    • Lord Fart Bucket on 17/05/2017 - 17:52
      +2

      Ummm… a true OzBargainer won't get a new BMW… ;)

      • pegaxs on 17/05/2017 - 18:03

        Unless it comes with a new NES Classic…

        Or can claim it on Cashrewards…

        Or is on an eBay 20% off coupon…

    • PVA on 18/05/2017 - 10:28

      I guess so you can't service it anywhere else.
      How do you as a customer read the logbook, or do you mean it's just on the centre screen?

  • Interceptor on 17/05/2017 - 18:09

    They stole your logbook and manual?

    Some people just want to watch the world burn.

    Sorry to hear!

  • [Deactivated] on 17/05/2017 - 20:56

    Bloody hell i'm taking out my logbook tomorrow, never thought about this. Sorry to hear about the theft OP

  • John Kimble on 17/05/2017 - 21:50
    +1

    When I asked my dad to sell my car for me privately, he questioned why my log book was not filled out fully. He claimed it was super important because people care about that. It was because the mechanic just forgot a few times. So my dad took it back to them and they filled it out based on their records.

    Not exactly the same thing, but if all else fails, you can ask them to print out all your service history and you could staple them all together.

    Yes, for you it would be a PITA given all the different mechanics you've used…

    FYI, in the end, the people that eventually bought it didn't care/ask about the servicing history or look at the book.

  • Majestic101 on 18/05/2017 - 09:36

    Holden log books are pretty cheap. $25 bucks or so, and providing you get it dealer serviced they can also fill it out again for you.

  • farknos on 18/05/2017 - 10:22

    some interesting views on the worth of log books.
    i dont know what they are worth but if you have them and a full service history it certainly aids in selling a car privately.
    some perspective buyers dont look at log books, check the dip stick or look under the car, but most do.
    i imagine your insurance company will put a 0 dollar value on them, remember they insure you to make money not be generous in your claim.
    as its been suggested, get another log book from the manufacturer and see if you can get the shops that have done the work to fill it in.

  • Euphemistic on 18/05/2017 - 10:24

    I might be in the minority, but if I was buying a second hand car privately the log books wouldn't be a massive 'bargaining tool'. It's more about the condition of the vehicle and the 'honesty' of the owner. A well looked after car will look well looked after. Not always, it is possible to figure out if someone is lying or not.

    Just because a car has been fully serviced according to the logbook doesn't mean it won't blow up in a couple of weeks, in fact a mechanic might be telling the owner to sell before it does.

    The log book is probably important if you are still under warranty or only a few years old, but for a 7yo car it isn't the end of the world.

    Car yards will often toss out the log book if it isn't 100% complete.

  • [Deactivated] on 18/05/2017 - 10:36

    Why would someone damage the inside of your car and steal such useless things? Have you upset someone?

    • Lord Fart Bucket on 18/05/2017 - 11:12

      Lots of people… but my car wasn't the only one, so i think it may have been someone looking for quick funds for their next ice-fix.

  • Out24q on 18/05/2017 - 11:26

    Why do people keep their Log Book and/or Manual in the car anyway. I only take mine out when my car is going in for a service….
    And same with Rego Papers?

    • [Deactivated] on 19/05/2017 - 16:52

      I keep the manual in the car in case something goes wrong and I have to look up a warning light or locate a fuse.
      I don't pretend to know it inside out!

  • Lord Fart Bucket on 30/05/2017 - 17:35

    Well, karma.
    Cops called that they caught someone with a lot of gear, been confirmed my dash cam was one piece. Sunglasses and logbook don't seem to be in his stash anymore. Hope he gets a few weeks/months of room and board. Maybe my insurance company can chase him for the excess ;)

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