Glossary

The vocabulary of service records, defined plainly. Each entry has its own anchor, so you can link straight to a definition from anywhere.

Approved used

A manufacturer-backed used-car scheme with an inspection and warranty. Approved-used cars usually come with a documented service history and a multi-point check that sits alongside it.

See also: Main dealer, Full Service History

Cambelt (timing belt)

A belt driving the engine's valves that must be replaced at a set interval on many cars. Because a failure is expensive, a documented cambelt change is one of the most valuable entries in a service history.

See also: Service interval, Full Service History

Condition Based ServicingCBS

BMW and MINI's system that monitors components and flags service needs based on actual condition and use. Owner apps typically show CBS status — what is due next — rather than a stamped list of completed work.

See also: Variable (Longlife) servicing, Service interval

Dealer Management SystemDMS

The software a dealer network uses to run its business, including the service records. When a manufacturer 'holds' your history, it usually lives in the DMS and is retrieved by VIN.

See also: Digital Service Record, Vehicle Identification Number

Digital Service BookletDSB

A manufacturer-specific name for a digital service record, used notably by Mercedes-Benz. It replaced the stamped paper booklet with an electronic equivalent tied to the VIN.

See also: Digital Service Record

Digital Service RecordDSR

A car's maintenance history held electronically in the manufacturer or dealer system rather than a paper book. Entries are keyed to the vehicle's VIN and created by authenticated dealer logins, which makes them hard to lose or forge.

See also: Digital Service Booklet, Vehicle Identification Number, Full Service History

Digital Service ScheduleDSS

The Volkswagen Group's term (Audi, VW, SEAT, Škoda, CUPRA, Porsche, Bentley) for its shared digital service record. Because it spans the group, a single car's history can include entries created at different brands' dealers.

See also: Digital Service Record

Electronic Parking BrakeEPB

An electric handbrake that needs a diagnostic tool to wind back for brake servicing. It is one reason some jobs must be done by a garage with the right equipment, franchised or independent.

See also: Repair and Maintenance Information

Franchised dealer

A dealer authorised by a manufacturer to sell and service its cars. Franchised dealers create and can retrieve entries in the manufacturer's digital service record; independents generally cannot.

See also: Independent garage, Main dealer

Full Service HistoryFSH

A complete, unbroken record of a car's scheduled servicing, whether digital, paper or both. 'Full' generally means every manufacturer-recommended service is documented; gaps downgrade it to part service history.

See also: Part Service History, Service stamp

Grey import / parallel import

A car brought into the UK outside the manufacturer's official import channel. Its early history often sits in an overseas system that never synced to the UK, creating apparent gaps.

See also: Vehicle Identification Number

Independent garage

A garage not tied to a manufacturer. Independent servicing is legitimate and protects your warranty (see block exemption), but the work may not appear in the manufacturer's digital record unless the garage uses a compatible system.

See also: Franchised dealer, Motor Vehicle Block Exemption

Main dealer

Everyday term for a franchised dealer. 'Main-dealer history' means servicing done within the manufacturer's authorised network, which usually carries the most weight at resale.

See also: Franchised dealer, Approved used

MOT

The annual roadworthiness test required for most cars over three years old. The MOT history — mileage readings, advisories and failures — is public on GOV.UK and is a useful independent cross-check against a service record.

See also: Service interval

Motor Vehicle Block Exemption

The competition rule that lets you have a car serviced by an independent garage using the correct parts and schedule without voiding the manufacturer's warranty. It underpins your right to choose where the car is maintained.

See also: Independent garage, Repair and Maintenance Information

OEMOriginal Equipment Manufacturer

The company that made the vehicle or a genuine part. Servicing with OEM or matching-quality parts is generally required to keep a warranty valid under block exemption.

See also: Motor Vehicle Block Exemption

Part Service HistoryPSH

A record with some services documented but not all. Common causes are switching between dealers and independents, lost paperwork, or a period the current owner can't account for.

See also: Full Service History

Registered keeper

The person responsible for a vehicle on the DVLA record — not necessarily the legal owner. Owner portals and dealer record requests are usually tied to the keeper or a verified owner account.

See also: V5C (logbook)

Repair and Maintenance InformationRMI

The technical data a garage needs to repair and service a vehicle — procedures, torque figures, diagrams, software. Manufacturers must make RMI available to independents (usually for a fee), but that does not include reading an individual car's franchised service history.

See also: SERMI, Motor Vehicle Block Exemption, Independent garage

SERMISecurity-Related Repair and Maintenance Information scheme

An EU accreditation scheme that lets approved independent operators access security-related information — anti-theft, immobiliser and key data — through manufacturer portals. It concerns security data, not your car's service history, and is often misunderstood on that point.

See also: Repair and Maintenance Information, Independent garage

Service interval

How often a car should be serviced, set by time and/or mileage. Intervals vary by brand and can be fixed or variable, which affects how a legitimate record should look.

See also: Variable (Longlife) servicing, Condition Based Servicing

Service stamp

The dealer or garage stamp, date and mileage entered in a paper service book at each service. Generic stamps can be bought cheaply, which is one reason digital records have become more trusted.

See also: Digital Service Record

Service, Maintenance and RepairSMR

A fleet and trade term for the ongoing upkeep of a vehicle. Fleet-managed cars often have SMR records held by a leasing or management company rather than in the manufacturer's owner-facing system.

See also: Service interval

V5C (logbook)

The DVLA registration certificate showing the registered keeper and the vehicle's details, including the VIN. Dealers often ask to see it as proof of ownership before releasing records.

See also: Vehicle Identification Number, Registered keeper

Variable (Longlife) servicing

A regime where the car calculates when a service is due from how it is driven, rather than at a fixed interval. Volkswagen Group's Longlife is the best-known example; it can make service spacing look irregular when it is correct.

See also: Service interval, Condition Based Servicing

Vehicle Identification NumberVIN

The unique 17-character identifier stamped on a car and printed on the V5C. Digital service records are keyed to the VIN, so it is the anchor for retrieving a car's history.

See also: Vehicle Registration Mark, V5C (logbook)

Vehicle Registration MarkVRM

The number plate. It can change over a car's life (private plates, cherished transfers), so records are ultimately tied to the VIN rather than the VRM.

See also: Vehicle Identification Number