How it works

A Service Book is a tamper-evident logbook keyed to a vehicle’s plate and VIN. Here is exactly why you can trust one — no crypto-mysticism required.

1 · Stamps, not edits

Every service record is a stamp: what was done, the parts used, the mileage, the date, and who did the work. Once issued, a stamp is immutable — nobody can edit or delete it, not the workshop, not the owner, not even us. Made a mistake? A correction is appended underneath with its own timestamp; the original stays visible. That’s how paper stamps worked, minus the losing-the-book part.

2 · The hash chain

Each stamp is run through SHA-256 — a mathematical fingerprint function — together with the fingerprint of the previous stamp. Change a single character in any old record and every fingerprint after it stops matching. The first stamp chains from the vehicle’s VIN, so a chain can’t be transplanted between vehicles either.

Stamp #1
First registration service
prev: VIN genesis
hash: a3f09b12e7f2
Stamp #2
6,000 mi interim service
prev: a3f09b12e7f2
hash: c81d4a6e6c48
Stamp #3
Front brake pads & discs
prev: c81d4a6e6c48
hash: e94f27c86a90

Plain-English version: the history is a paper chain where every link is glued to the one before it. You can add links to the end; you cannot swap one out of the middle without the whole thing falling apart in an obvious way.

3 · Trust tiers

Tamper-evidence proves a record hasn’t changed — it doesn’t prove it was true when written. So every stamp carries its provenance on its face:

Verified

Issued by a workshop that passed our verification (Companies House, VAT, premises evidence). The workshop’s name and address at the time of issue are frozen into the stamp — surviving renames and rebrands.

Self-recorded

Recorded by the keeper. Still hash-chained and immutable, but it’s the owner’s word — and it’s labelled as exactly that.

Imported

Carried over from a paper service book with supporting evidence. Useful context, honestly labelled.

4 · The public verifier

Any stamp can be checked by anyone, free, forever. The verifier re-computes the vehicle’s entire chain from scratch and tells you whether the stamp’s fingerprint — and every link before it — still holds. If a seller shows you a Service Book, you don’t have to take their word for it: tap any stamp and watch the maths check out.

5 · Sharing by QR

Owners share their history with a QR code or link — scannable by any camera app, no account needed. Links are scoped (full history, or just a summary), revocable at any time, and can carry an expiry date or a view limit. Selling the bike? Print the QR and stick it on the tank. Done with the listing? Revoke the link and it goes dark instantly.

Plate lookups on the other hand only ever show a privacy-safe summary — never keeper identity, never the full timeline.

Seen a Service Book QR on a vehicle you’re buying?

Scan it with your camera — or check any UK plate for a public summary right now.