how to document diy work

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I write on a piece of lined paper everything I've done with the date/mileage and staple all relevant receipts to it.
 
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Originally Posted by SeaJay
You do not have to prove you did the maintenance, the manufacturer needs to at a minimum to deny the warranty claim assert that you (a) did not do the maintenance, and (b) the lack of maintenance was the cause of the failure.



Thank you and that's my thoughts on this as well. IMO, all our DIY records are is data to help support that maintenance was done. Even a dealer receipt for an oil/filter change doesn't necessarily mean they changed the oil and filter on your car.

What scares me is a situation like this pathfinder guy is in. If the dealer/manufacturer denies warranty coverage solely because of visible sludge, but yet the guy has done oil changes and has receipts, what good is any of it?
 
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Originally Posted by JTK
Originally Posted by SeaJay
You do not have to prove you did the maintenance, the manufacturer needs to at a minimum to deny the warranty claim assert that you (a) did not do the maintenance, and (b) the lack of maintenance was the cause of the failure.



Thank you and that's my thoughts on this as well. IMO, all our DIY records are is data to help support that maintenance was done. Even a dealer receipt for an oil/filter change doesn't necessarily mean they changed the oil and filter on your car.

What scares me is a situation like this pathfinder guy is in. If the dealer/manufacturer denies warranty coverage solely because of visible sludge, but yet the guy has done oil changes and has receipts, what good is any of it?

That is the risk you're accepting when buying a used car.
 
Originally Posted by parshisa

That is the risk you're accepting when buying a used car.


I getcha, but you're also not immune if you owned the car from day one and have some warranty issue.

All the receipts and documentation in the world wont help you if something caused sludge in the engine and the dealer/OEM says no go on our dime because they feel it was still due to lack of maintenance.
 
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Even if you follow OEM maintenance schedule (which is minimal), i just don't see how you can allow the endgine to sludge up. With that said, chance you gonna have sludge related issues with the car owned from day one and serviced as outlined.by manufacturer are miniscule.
 
I have an index card system, the larger index cards in a metal index card box. Each car in the family or friends that I work on has a card where I track mileage, dates, and services performed. I never save receipts. Aftermarket warranties are notorious for weaseling out of claims, so I never buy or recommend those. I have never had any dealer question my maintenance before, or require proof and I suspect they only do that if it looks neglected.
 
Originally Posted by parshisa
Even if you follow OEM maintenance schedule (which is minimal), i just don't see how you can allow the endgine to sludge up. With that said, chance you gonna have sludge related issues with the car owned from day one and serviced as outlined.by manufacturer are miniscule.


Totally agree. I don't even think going 15-20K miles between oil changes would cause a questionable amount of sludge on a 2017 with reasonable mileage on it like this has. We're missing pieces of the puzzle in regards to the OPs issue.
 
I don't put much effort into it. I have a logbook in each vehicle, and I jot down what I did (with date and mileage). Eventually that will get transferred into Excel, where I check TCO and cost per mile, and mpg. But most warranties aren't transferable, and I don't have to RMA things that often--in nearly 20 years, it's been one set of struts and one tire. It's not worth the time effort to go overboard.
 
Originally Posted by Anduril
Buy cars that are out of warranty!


Occasionally car makers have duds and extend the warranty for certain failures. The majority of the time they require receipts of basic things like oil changes.

That all being said I just use the dealer or indy shop for oil changes when a vehicle is under warranty. Only 2-3 dealer $100 oil changes left on wife's 2018 VW Tiguan(6yr/72k warranty) with 48k miles.
 
I'm leasing a 2018 rogue and the dealers an hour away and I don't trust or want to pay what a quick lube charges. My dealer said diy was fine on routine maintenance and to log it in the owners manual. The cars only seen synthetic since the first change so if I don't buy it, someone's getting a well kept car next year
 
I just go into the owners section of the Chevrolet website and create a new service record when I do something. The Dealer lists any service done in the same file. If I ave an outside shop do something, I enter a new service record for that. So when I sell or trade a vehicle, the entire service history is there for anyone to see. I did the annual oil change and a chassis lube on my 2015 Chevy 2500 today and put the record of it in the system.
 
I keep receipts and have a little "wheel book" notebook I keep in glove department. Never really needed anything yet as I have never done a warranty claim (well, brakes on the KIA, but that is so well known they didn't bat an eye.)

Hyundai is way out of warranty, but the KIA still has a little bit left.
 
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