In the past, there was a checkbook for every motor vehicle. All service work was entered in this and the customer always had an overview of the service and inspection work carried out to date.
In recent years, manufacturers have gradually started to provide these checkbooks only in digital form. This has a number of advantages, including the ability to prevent manipulation of the service history. It is also no longer possible to lose the checkbook, as all data is stored centrally on a server. Volkswagen has been using the digital service record across the board since 2016, so every Grand California has just one digital service record.
So far so good, right?
As a rule, you as a customer should receive a printout from this digital service booklet after an inspection, oil change or service work. This way you can also get an overview. But what to do if this printout is gone or was not even there when the vehicle was taken over from the workshop?
Volkswagen could take the easy way out, as BMW does, for example, and simply provide the service booklet via the media system in the vehicle or via the WeConnect app, for example. Unfortunately, neither is possible. To be honest, as a private customer, you’re basically looking down the barrel.
The erWin trick
Have you ever heard of erWin? erWin stands for “electronic repair and workshop information”; via this portal, Volkswagen offers independent workshops access to training and repair documents. There, for example, an independent workshop can also enter an inspection in the digital service booklet.
Retrieving information from the digital service booklet is in principle possible free of charge via the portal, but Volkswagen only makes this service available to companies. Why ever?!
Anyone who wants can create a free account at https://erwin.volkswagen.de/. However, to gain access to the free digital service plan, a company or company name must be entered in the profile during registration. We leave at this point a little room for interpretation 😉
If you have created a company account, the menu item “electronic service booklet” is available. On this page you are still asked for the VIN, i.e. the chassis number. After you have entered this, a new window will open and all service work saved for this chassis number will be displayed. This gives you the opportunity to check whether all inspections have been properly registered.
