A major fleet operator has been experiencing problems getting the electronic service records of some premium cars updated at independent garages.
“About 30% of our fleet is premium brands,” the fleet operator said. “A lot of them have an electronic service record stored in the vehicle rather than having a handbook which is stamped when the vehicle has been serviced.
“We have to get the vehicle into the dealer network to get the record up to date or it affects the resale value.”
But EU regulations state that electronic service records should be accessible for independent garages, free of charge.
According to industry experts it is possible for independents to update electronic service records of premium brands like BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz but the problem is that it is not always obvious how to.
Terry Gibson, operations manager at the Independent Garage Association (IGA), said: “The issue of digital/electronic service records poses a challenge for the independent sector but it is not an insurmountable one and it is a situation that is improving by the day.”
He advises any independents experiencing problems to contact the IGA.
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Sarah Tooze is a former managing editor of sister title Smart Transport. Prior to joining Smart Transport she worked on Fleet News for more than 10 years, latterly as deputy editor, and won the ‘automotive business journalist’ award in the 2017 Newspress Awards.
Lorraine Morgan - 25/03/2015 11:27
We are a German Car specialist, Mercedes DSB was simple to access although the customer support was terrible, BMW dealer does not make it easy to find/access and join,im still trying to find out how?