Very odd. And a little worrying.

[Pond]

I took the air filter out of my new Z3 today just to check the condition and to make sure I ordered the right one from Autodoc.
The filter installed is absolutely filthy and full of leaves, etc. So I checked the date stamp on it.
It is a genuine BMW one with a manufacturing date of 23/9/2000. So I deduce from this that it is the original factory filter (as my car was built December 2000 and registered April 2001.
I have a stamped service book with 12 entries in it. No invoices, though! The last service (2021) has it written on the entry that it had a new air filter. That was supposedly (!) done just 1000 miles ago! There is no way my filter has only done 1000 miles.
Now either someone has been lying, more than once, or a garage somewhere has a stock of 20 year old BMW filters that they haven't used up! I'm going to plump for the former.

The other thing that is making me even more suspicious now is that the last 10 service stamps, going back to 2007, are from the same garage. That in itself is not beyond possible but there are no hits on Google for the company name on the stamp. Bearing in mind the last service was supposedly in 2021 I would expect the garage to be still around.

 

[RickyBobby]

I took the air filter out of my new Z3 today just to check the condition and to make sure I ordered the right one from Autodoc.
The filter installed is absolutely filthy and full of leaves, etc. So I checked the date stamp on it.
It is a genuine BMW one with a manufacturing date of 23/9/2000. So I deduce from this that it is the original factory filter (as my car was built December 2000 and registered April 2001.
I have a stamped service book with 12 entries in it. No invoices, though! The last service (2021) has it written on the entry that it had a new air filter. That was supposedly (!) done just 1000 miles ago! There is no way my filter has only done 1000 miles.
Now either someone has been lying, more than once, or a garage somewhere has a stock of 20 year old BMW filters that they haven't used up! I'm going to plump for the former.

The other thing that is making me even more suspicious now is that the last 10 service stamps, going back to 2007, are from the same garage. That in itself is not beyond possible but there are no hits on Google for the company name on the stamp. Bearing in mind the last service was supposedly in 2021 I would expect the garage to be still around.

How long had the owner you bought the car from owned it?

 

[Duncodin]

Photo of rhe book?

 

[D R Oldfield]

Try tracing the garage on companies house website that might give you more information even if the garage is no longer trading it should still be listed

 

[Pond]

How long had the owner you bought the car from owned it?

After the last service. He bought it to do what I am planning and has stored it for around 18 months. Decided to sell as wasn't going to convert it. He does seem like a genuine guy and if there is something dodgy I doubt it is anything to do with him. I am going to ask him when and where he bought it TBH.

 

[Zephyr]

So sorry to hear this.
Typical Eastern Europe scam.
Exporting tampered mileage cars with fake service records.
Seems it reached UK…

 

[Pond]

There is now something else making me suspicious. The first entry in the service book is 2005; exactly the same date the first MOT shows up on the DVLA website.
I think I have a 'made up' service book, with details taken from the MOT history. If it is then they did a good job as it all looks genuine.

 

[RickyBobby]

After the last service. He bought it to do what I am planning and has stored it for around 18 months. Decided to sell as wasn't going to convert it. He does seem like a genuine guy and if there is something dodgy I doubt it is anything to do with him. I am going to ask him when and where he bought it TBH.

Unless he owned the car since June 2006 I suspect everything he told you is a load of sh## and he bought the car from the previous owner simply to turn a profit - to facilitate that he probably fabricated the documentation you received with the car because it wasn't passed on by the previous owner. Doesn't mean you've bought a lemon but it would suggest the person you dealt with is not entirely genuine.

Did you take ownership on 7th September?

 

[Jam03]

Don’t tell me my finder’s fee hangs in the balance!

 

[Pond]

Unless he owned the car since June 2006 I suspect everything he told you is a load of sh## and he bought the car from the previous owner simply to turn a profit - to facilitate that he probably fabricated the documentation you received with the car because it wasn't passed on by the previous owner. Doesn't mean you've bought a lemon but it would suggest the person you dealt with is not entirely genuine.

Did you take ownership on 7th September?

View attachment 281755

No, that was when the chap I bought it from registered it in his name. He must have had the full V5 when he bought it and just sat on it until he was ready to sell. I am going to have a chat with him tomorrow.

I am 99% sure the mileage is right, as everything about the car points to the 54k miles. It is in remarkably good condition apart from the usual things from being in storage (roof is a bit 'crispy', some rubbers have perished etc).

I just cannot think of a valid reason why it would have a 23 year old air filter in it. That is the cheapest and easiest servicing part to replace by miles. The oil looks OK; the coolant is fine. It's very very odd! I don't like things I don't understand and I have to get an explanation otherwise my head tends to explode.

 

[Pond]

I have the invoice from when the car was sold in June 2006. It looks as though they kept it until selling it to my seller, which I believe was early last year.
I have their names so may be able to trace them if necessary

 

[Pond]

There is ONE other explanation which could mean I am worrying unnecessarily.
The chap I bought the car from is building a 250GT on another Z3. He has also previously built at least one other on a Z3. As the service history states it had a new filter just before he bought it, he may have taken the new one out to use in his car (or keep for the future) and put an old one in mine.
I really hope he has done this, as then everything stacks up.
I will let you know when I have spoken to my seller.

 

[Pond]

An update on this for anyone interested:
Panic over!
I have spoken to the chap I bought the car from who confirmed he swapped the air filter over from an old one he had lying around as used the new one from my car in his other Z3. He apologised for not swapping it back as he forgot about it. Fair enough.
Turns out he bought the car locally to where he used to live and knows the garage on the book stamps. They trade under a different name. I have checked them out and all is well.
Looks like the service book was replaced in 2005 as the original was lost. This also makes sense.

I need to stop being so suspicious and putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 5!

 

[RickyBobby]

An update on this for anyone interested:
Panic over!
I have spoken to the chap I bought the car from who confirmed he swapped the air filter over from an old one he had lying around as used the new one from my car in his other Z3. He apologised for not swapping it back as he forgot about it. Fair enough.
Turns out he bought the car locally to where he used to live and knows the garage on the book stamps. They trade under a different name. I have checked them out and all is well.
Looks like the service book was replaced in 2005 as the original was lost. This also makes sense.

I need to stop being so suspicious and putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 5!

Well done - always nice to be clear on the history of these car's.
Where possible and if they have an ongoing interest I always like to keep previous owners updated on the cars subsequent progress

 

[Pond]

Well done - always nice to be clear on the history of these car's.
Where possible and if they have an ongoing interest I always like to keep previous owners updated on the cars subsequent progress

It would be so much easier if people kept receipts and invoices for cars. I know that millions don't think it's important and a car is just a consumable item to be used and abused.
A service book is so easy to fake these days (some were selling filled-in books on eBay recently but looks like they have been rumbled as not there anymore) so is no guarantee of anything. With the ridiculous 'privacy' laws we have, these give a good excuse for the 'less than honest' among us.

I paid a lot of money for my car; partly due to the comprehensive history.

 

[jaguartvr]

I personally ignore the service book, I rely on the DVLA MOT history.
This gives you the correct mileage and shows up the faults that have arisen with the car, it also shows if the owner rectified the faults which is even more important.
A lot of people will have the car serviced when it is MOT'd.
Replace the giant air filter with a smaller cone filter and also delete the pump on the other side (Tony has delete plate)
Frees up space and looks much better as well as taking the stock BMW look away.