buying oil in bulk vs when needed to keep records

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What do you guys think is best? Obviously you can get it cheaper buying in bulk, but what about maintenance records or for warranty purposes and resale value? I've always went out and bought the oil in filter for my truck and I have a file 2" thick full of receipts from oil changes and other maintenance items.
 
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Makes little difference when you buy the oil. A receipt is a receipt. And I don't think keeping copious maintenance records means "squat" to a used vehicle buyer. I feel such records carry plenty of weight, and if not in the eye of the buyer, let him go get pimped on a used car at a dealer.

I keep a detailed folder on each of my vehicles, with an Excel spreadsheet to boot.
 
Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
Makes little difference when you buy the oil. A receipt is a receipt. And I don't think keeping copious maintenance records means "squat" to a used vehicle buyer. I feel such records carry plenty of weight, and if not in the eye of the buyer, let him go get pimped on a used car at a dealer.

I keep a detailed folder on each of my vehicles, with an Excel spreadsheet to boot.


I normally turn mine in at the junkyard or it's scrap so no one ever looks at my records.

Lately I've been just putting it into mycarfax just so I have an idea of when I did something.

I buy in bulk all the time, still pretty loaded up on Autozone $2 oil from last year, should last me a couple more years.
 
I buy in bulk or on sales so I can't include them in a receipt pack.

All the other receipts with the maintenance schedule is usually so imposing no prospective buyer has ever seemed to care or asked.

Most recently the buyer of our Saab 9-5 Aero loved my records and needed no specific receipt for the stated A3,B3 oil (turbo worthy oil) changes. Receipts for everything else was there however.
 
Not to insult, but,
Is that 2" thick stack of Receipts worth anything to you ?
If not, probably not worth anything to next Owner.
Question: Is this the only method you have of maintenance on that vehicle ? ? ?
Question: When was the last time you needed one of your receipts ? ? ?

I use to also save ALL my Receipts.
Then I asked myself, What for ?

Now what I do is:
Inspection Receipt - Save till next Inspection
Indy. Mach. Repair Receipt - Save for 1 year to back up warranty
Battery Receipt - Save till out of warranty

Once these receipts are no longer useful, I discard.

BUT, I also have a 3-ring binder with Date/Mileage and work done.
This is what I would offer the next Owner.

My Brother sold a used vehicle and the Buyer never opened the hood.
 
The average used car buyer likes maintenance records in the form of actual receipts from shops (even if it's Jiffy lube). Receipts for parts like oil are a nice to have, but don't carry the same perceived value. Buyers are naturally hesitant and even if you explain in full detail to them, many won't be fully convinced.

I maintain and work on 5 cars in the family fleet, 4 of which were bought new. I detail all maintenance in separate Excel spreadsheets for each vehicle in full detail, down to the part numbers and log every little detail or note that I might have. Paper receipts for misc parts I try to sort into a binder for each vehicle. But no way I'm getting separate receipts for oil or other bulk interchangeable parts. That's just a huge hassle to break up and file. Plus, there's no way of knowing which car I'm going to use the oil in.

Even with my level of OCD I'm sure if I had to sell, a lot of buyers would still remain skeptical.
 
Most "average" used care buyers don't even ask about maintenance records. If they do, a good trail of records, even without receipts usually suffices. Commercial users are more picky about wanting to see maintenance records, but I have never heard of one want to pour thru actual receipts that show it. I haven't kept actual receipts stored for years. I do keep maintenance records though. Even easier now that many OEM's have owners areas on their site where the owner can keep records of oil changes and other work done.

I get my oil in bulk from my commercial supplier. Keeping receipts around on that for a car in my garage is not going to happen. I even get my oil filters and stuff in bulk from a commercial source. I just keep a record of what I did, what I used, etc. Never had a OEM shop, commercial or personal, ever ask about basic maintenance, let alone want to see receipts. The motivation to want to keep piles of receipts for stuff like simple oil changes and such seem primarily motived by an enlarged paranoia gland.
 
I think an OCD spreadsheet would be more convincing to a would-be buyer that cares about this as compared to than a stack of receipts from quicklubes and the dealership's fastlube service.

Even so, I think you're overestimating the value of such records.
 
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The last car I sold, a 2003 Ford Focus, which I got used with full service records, no buyer was interested in seeing the records, not even one asked for them. But this was a 12 year old vehicle, way out of warranty.
Personally I like to see the records, but I'm not going to pay extra for a vehicle that has them, unless the warranty is still active or the car is a collectible or highly sought after.
 
When I advertised my Nissan Sunny for sale before leaving the UK, I included a spreadsheet with a plot of fuel consumption, along with servicing and inspection records.

I was told that was too much detail, and would put buyers off.

Dunno if that was true, but I didn't get any takers and gave it to some friends, who scrapped it when the tax ran out.
 
Receipts are cumbersome to go through. I simply jot down in columns the maintenance done with date and mileage. The records on a car with 150K are no more than three pages long. Anybody that has bought a car from me appreciates these records. I include all stuff like filter and fluid maintenance, brakes, suspension, battery, etc. It's real easy to see when certain maintenance is due. I may omit things like body electricals.
 
I will add my 2 cents. There is really only two reasons to keep receipts and records. One is to satisfy warranty claim and the other is in the hope of future extra value to a subsequent buyer.

If dealer trading in, the dealer does not care about your receipts. Private party sales, 95% of people do not care.

That being said, I have asked and gotten high market for private sale vehicles by keeping a good receipt and record log. Going this route is a bit of a long game but eventually you will find someone to pay the premium and understands the care you have given the vehicle. That is the remaining 5% from the 95% mentioned above.
 
The kind of buyer to demand records is the kind of person to call me years later and bug me for this & that. What I know at the time of sale, and you ask about, is all the tech support available. Sorry.
 
I don't keep any receipts except when I buy tires. I don't think anyone is going to pay extra for your used car because of receipts; especially ones that don't have the car's year, make and model printed on it.
 
I don't keep receipts in the car. I jot stuff down in a log book. It's pretty obvious that it's not "manufactured" just before sale, as it'll have coffee stains, different color pens, etc. Plus any warranty on a receipt is usually for the purchaser and not any subsequent owner, so the receipt might as well be filed away at home, it's of no real use to anyone else.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
I don't keep receipts in the car. I jot stuff down in a log book. It's pretty obvious that it's not "manufactured" just before sale, as it'll have coffee stains, different color pens, etc. Plus any warranty on a receipt is usually for the purchaser and not any subsequent owner, so the receipt might as well be filed away at home, it's of no real use to anyone else.


Yeah I guess buying the oil when needed is kind of dumb then. I guess I'd be better off buying a couple years worth of oil and filters and just write down when it was changed.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
I didn't know people didn't care to see maintenance records.
How many people post here that they bought a used car and later find out the engine is sludged up?
 
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