Does anybody do this, keeping a written account of all repairs and services performed? Always thought it was a great idea. I just started one for my 12 civic, purchased at 7,000 miles this past fall. Carmax service sticker on the windshield showed "last service date" of 10/05/15, at 4,888 miles. I should call and ask what all was done, besides an oil change.
Log Book Record of Repairs
- Thread starter AmoryBlaine
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Yes. Crazy spreadsheet so I can sort
Originally Posted By: rsylvstr
Yes. Crazy spreadsheet so I can sort
Fantastic idea to use excel. I'm keeping an old fashioned written booklet/journal, in the glove box.
Yes. Crazy spreadsheet so I can sort
Fantastic idea to use excel. I'm keeping an old fashioned written booklet/journal, in the glove box.
Originally Posted By: AmoryBlaine
Originally Posted By: rsylvstr
Yes. Crazy spreadsheet so I can sort
Fantastic idea to use excel. I'm keeping an old fashioned written booklet/journal, in the glove box.
I do both. Book in the glovebox, and I transfer into Excel later on when I feel like it. I'm trying to jot more stuff down, like when I add have to add air to the tires, or whatever. That way if I want to see if a trend is occurring I can look through the data (which I can't do if I don't write it down).
I think my prior car would blow driverside headlight twice as often as the other side--had I written it down I would have known!
Originally Posted By: rsylvstr
Yes. Crazy spreadsheet so I can sort
Fantastic idea to use excel. I'm keeping an old fashioned written booklet/journal, in the glove box.
I do both. Book in the glovebox, and I transfer into Excel later on when I feel like it. I'm trying to jot more stuff down, like when I add have to add air to the tires, or whatever. That way if I want to see if a trend is occurring I can look through the data (which I can't do if I don't write it down).
I think my prior car would blow driverside headlight twice as often as the other side--had I written it down I would have known!
Originally Posted By: rsylvstr
Yes. Crazy spreadsheet so I can sort
+1, I've kept spreadsheets on the past four vehicles I've owned.
Yes. Crazy spreadsheet so I can sort
+1, I've kept spreadsheets on the past four vehicles I've owned.
Got an OO spreadsheet for this; maintain (3) vehicles so it is convenient to have in one place, rather than (3).
Quote:
I think my prior car would blow driverside headlight twice as often as the other side--had I written it down I would have known!
Also prevents me from ever buying SilverStars again. 7 month lifetime....
Quote:
I think my prior car would blow driverside headlight twice as often as the other side--had I written it down I would have known!
Also prevents me from ever buying SilverStars again. 7 month lifetime....
I bought my Jeep from the original owner. He gave me a written record of everything ever done to it. Along with a huge envelope of receipts and the original window sticker. Keep in mind that this is a 1999. I have continued keeping everything logged in the book. It's so nice to go back and look and see what and when things were done.
Originally Posted By: JC1
Originally Posted By: rsylvstr
Yes. Crazy spreadsheet so I can sort
+1, I've kept spreadsheets on the past four vehicles I've owned.
+1. Spreadsheets in Google Docs (convenient to have it portable everywhere). For the last 10 years.
Originally Posted By: rsylvstr
Yes. Crazy spreadsheet so I can sort
+1, I've kept spreadsheets on the past four vehicles I've owned.
+1. Spreadsheets in Google Docs (convenient to have it portable everywhere). For the last 10 years.
Originally Posted By: Xrs2zz
Carfax has a great program you can input all services and other items. I just started to keep a record of my car since 2014 and it's nice to see exactly when things are done and at what mileage.
You can have multiple cars on it also.
My Carfax
What else are they doing with this information? Carfax is in the business of selling information.
Carfax has a great program you can input all services and other items. I just started to keep a record of my car since 2014 and it's nice to see exactly when things are done and at what mileage.
You can have multiple cars on it also.
My Carfax
What else are they doing with this information? Carfax is in the business of selling information.
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: Xrs2zz
Carfax has a great program you can input all services and other items. I just started to keep a record of my car since 2014 and it's nice to see exactly when things are done and at what mileage.
You can have multiple cars on it also.
My Carfax
What else are they doing with this information? Carfax is in the business of selling information.
I can't answer that, but I don't receive anything from them in my email. I guess if you sell the car the next owner can see the records too with a VIN check.
Originally Posted By: Xrs2zz
Carfax has a great program you can input all services and other items. I just started to keep a record of my car since 2014 and it's nice to see exactly when things are done and at what mileage.
You can have multiple cars on it also.
My Carfax
What else are they doing with this information? Carfax is in the business of selling information.
I can't answer that, but I don't receive anything from them in my email. I guess if you sell the car the next owner can see the records too with a VIN check.
I've been doing it for a long time. Nothing easier or better.
I even note wee things like bulb replacements because:
a) as mentioned above, it's good to see if trends appear. It's how I was alerted to the weak connections for my headlights. They ran red hot and ate H7 bulbs. No more.
b) it marks a date and mileage point if nothing else.
Most recently I was able to see how many miles I got out of a pair of tires a friend gave me.
30,000 miles on 2 used Cooper CS4's mounted on a Harbor Freight mounter and balanced for $5 each was worth it.
I could go on......I think I will.
Keeping records is how I know my "big deal" Bridgestone Turanza with Serenity tires-that's 80,000 mile rated Bridgestones-lasted only 51,000 miles with religious rotation and pressure monitoring.
They wore evenly.
The conclusion I arrived at was that tire companies, because they get to employ different meanings to words, get to lie like rugs.
Somehow the 80,000 mile rated "touring tires" I bought magically became "performance tires" when I mentioned it to my dealer.
I even note wee things like bulb replacements because:
a) as mentioned above, it's good to see if trends appear. It's how I was alerted to the weak connections for my headlights. They ran red hot and ate H7 bulbs. No more.
b) it marks a date and mileage point if nothing else.
Most recently I was able to see how many miles I got out of a pair of tires a friend gave me.
30,000 miles on 2 used Cooper CS4's mounted on a Harbor Freight mounter and balanced for $5 each was worth it.
I could go on......I think I will.
Keeping records is how I know my "big deal" Bridgestone Turanza with Serenity tires-that's 80,000 mile rated Bridgestones-lasted only 51,000 miles with religious rotation and pressure monitoring.
They wore evenly.
The conclusion I arrived at was that tire companies, because they get to employ different meanings to words, get to lie like rugs.
Somehow the 80,000 mile rated "touring tires" I bought magically became "performance tires" when I mentioned it to my dealer.
Have a small book in the glovebox I track it in.
Count me as one that does both.
I created a spreadsheet that was originally based upon the service schedule out of the Owners Manual. I've added extra columns for things I like to do on a periodic basis. Then the last column is notes for other repairs and mods that aren't repetitive schedule type items.
In addition I keep a binder. It's divided in sections. The first section is documents related to the purchase of the car. Then payment statements. Then registration papers - the older ones that don't have to stay with the car. Then maintenance. Receipts with dates and mileage recorded for each service.
I've found it to be very helpful to be able to refer back to previous work. Quite often I use it to help others here and on another forum I visit. And it should be a great bargaining chip when the time comes to sell. Nothing better than having evidence that all the maintenance has been done.
I created a spreadsheet that was originally based upon the service schedule out of the Owners Manual. I've added extra columns for things I like to do on a periodic basis. Then the last column is notes for other repairs and mods that aren't repetitive schedule type items.
In addition I keep a binder. It's divided in sections. The first section is documents related to the purchase of the car. Then payment statements. Then registration papers - the older ones that don't have to stay with the car. Then maintenance. Receipts with dates and mileage recorded for each service.
I've found it to be very helpful to be able to refer back to previous work. Quite often I use it to help others here and on another forum I visit. And it should be a great bargaining chip when the time comes to sell. Nothing better than having evidence that all the maintenance has been done.
I document all service in the back of the owners manual or maintenance guides. I also keep all receipts in a file. This has come in handy when I replace parts under warranty and when I sell vehicles. Some people like to see documented maintenance and repairs.
It never occurred to me to keep receipts. Some of you are extremely detailed in maintaining records on your car, that's a hobby by itself!
I keep a book in the glove box. First entry begins with the mileage and date purchased.
Google Docs spreadsheet (easy to update from my phone).
When I replace parts, I include the date, source, and warranty period.
I've also gotten in the habit of taking a picture of receipts and emailing them to myself with a brief description so I can locate it in a few years if needed (especially when dealing with companies like NAPA that are a PITA about warranties).
When I replace parts, I include the date, source, and warranty period.
I've also gotten in the habit of taking a picture of receipts and emailing them to myself with a brief description so I can locate it in a few years if needed (especially when dealing with companies like NAPA that are a PITA about warranties).
I use software. Chris's Auto Recorder. I track it all. Maintenance, fuel usage, repairs, license cost, and optional things. I can get complete cost of ownership on the vehicle. I may have to switch to new software though, CAR has not been updated to run on Window 7 and above. It runs on XP. The data can be portable by exporting it to a spreadsheet and uploading it to the cloud. There is other car maintenance software out there, I just haven't migrated yet.
It certainly helped when I sold a couple of thew vehicles, new owners loved the detailed records. Got a better resale price with all the data.
It certainly helped when I sold a couple of thew vehicles, new owners loved the detailed records. Got a better resale price with all the data.
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