Vehicle Maintenance Log

[sikeward]

I’m trying to figure out a good way to document and maintain in one easy spot all the maintenance that I do on things like our SUV, snowmobiles, utv, trailer, tractors, lawn mowers, etc. I’m thinking some kind of spreadsheet maybe. What do you guy use and have for ideas?

 

[gtr1999]

I just use excel for records on all my vehicles. Makes it simple and easy.

 

[sberry]

I use a marker and note anything important under the hood or a note in the OM about critical fluid change.
I got a car a while back, owner had listed every oil change,,,, tires low on air. Threw the notes in trash.

 

[MUD DAWG]

I just use excel for records on all my vehicles. Makes it simple and easy.

Yup, and store it online somewhere so it's always accessible.

 

[ThatSickRip]

I just use excel for records on all my vehicles. Makes it simple and easy.

Same here. Works great

 

[Skiff Builder]

1 Spreadsheet ,different tabs for each unit. I also keep a clipboard of printed copies on a clipboard in the garage to write notes on, for later entry into sheet.
Still like a label of some kind on the unit for oil changes.

 

[homebuilt burner]

I keep a note tablet in each the glove box of each vehicle. Write down date and mileage of repairs and maintenance. KISS

 

[wornoutoldman]

here is a freebie that works well: https://www.amsoil.com/whymygarage.aspx

 

[jedeyeben]

I keep a maintenance board in the shop for all our vehicles and equipment. Lists all routine services and hours and whatnot. Simple enough.
Big whiteboard with vehicles listed, basic filter info, amount of fluids and type etc labeled and then marker times as needed.

Any major work or shop receipts go in the accompanying filing cabinet in the shop by vehicle file.


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[hefnerconstructionlc]

I use an excel spreadsheet also. I Keep track of the repairs/maintenance, who performed the repair, the cost for each repair, repair mile interval, and finally total yearly mileage. It allows me to look at the vehicle at the end of the year and see what it’s costing me per mile for that vehicle. I’m also required to do it for DOT so that makes a difference. But after doing it all these years I found that is very helpful. A Person may not want all that detail, but once you have it it’s pretty shocking and pretty handy to have all the costs associated with a vehicle. A real eye opener.

 

[Ji m]

3 or 4 strips of duct tape under the hood,
and I write all the important stuff in magic marker on it.

That way I don't have to think where I left a log book, or have any electronics with me to know when the next oil change should be.

Plus having to pop the hood once in a while to check leads to doing other important maintenance like checking the oil, brake & washer fluid,
looking at the belts, hoses, etc.

I do snap pictures of the 'log' once in a while to have back ups if the tape comes off, or the marker washes away.

 

[Colin Len]

I used to just keep receipts and things but nowadays I don't have receipts for most stuff being that we've gone digital for so many things. Just recently I setup a Google Sheet to help me track what has been done and what needs to be done for our fleet of vehicles (my daily, my pickup, my track car and my gf's daily). I still need to become more diligent about keeping it up to date but so far it's nice to have. Speaking of which, I need to update that sheet now since I just replaced my gf's battery.

Normally I'm an Excel spreadsheet guy but for something like this I'll take the trade off of having better access and ability to open on more devices with Google sheets.

I also keep all digital copies of my oil analyses for all of these vehicles in my Google Drive.

 

[strutaeng]

I keep a note tablet in each the glove box of each vehicle. Write down date and mileage of repairs and maintenance. KISS

This is what I do. I've got a notebook meant for accounting or something similar that I use. I used to log oil changes, but have not done that in years.

My truck has 240,000 miles. I only log repair parts like brake pads, alternator, etc. and things like coolant flush, trans. flush, etc.

I was able to warrantee spark plug wires that were giving problems and I couldn't remember when/where I had bought them.

 

[firebirdparts]

For years I just kept it in the glove box. Then one day I bought a big records rack out of a gas station as a decoration. The station had used it in the 1970's. So I started using that for my own cars, and it's really convenient. All my records now are in the garage and that is also a good option.

We have a bunch of cars, but they get so little maintenance that record keeping is just not a big issue anyway. If you have a moment where you can't remember how old a set of brake pads are, ultimately it doesn't matter.

 

[sberry]

I list coolant, spark plugs in cars, diff fluid, hyd in tractors and write oil on the filter or under hood. All the rest is done as needed, if it has a worn out brake pad I don't care about dates of old parts.
What I trybto do is collect parts after a service I need for the next one. I keep a box for current cars with misc stuff, collect it, a few pieces of old hardware, good pads or shoes. I had a busted pad the other day, was great to have one in stock.

 

[Jeepster04]

I keep a note tablet in each the glove box of each vehicle. Write down date and mileage of repairs and maintenance. KISS

This.. Been working great!

 

[ITGuy1998]

I also just use a small spiral notepad in each car. Got that habit from my Dad. It always starts with the purchase date and mileage. Then every maintenance item gets listed with the date, mileage, and action performed.

 

[cpttuna]

homebuilt burner

X2

 

[tylerg1]

I use road trip app for iPhone and love it for everything, easy export to excel


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[k-os]

I've been using the app aCar for mine and my girlfriend's car.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zonewalker.acar&hl=en

 

[finn]

Spiral notebook in the center console or glovebox.

Not worth the time or effort to keep an electronic log unless you are running a commercial fleet of some sort with hired drivers.

 

[APEowner]

I use a notebook in the road cars and my truck. I use a software package called Stock Car Stats Pro for the race car (even though it's not a stock car) and the only lawn equipment I have with an engine is a 2 stroke weed whacker and I change the plug and clean the exhaust when it doesn't start on the second pull (every three or four years).

 

[vavet]

I just keep a small notebook in each of our cars. I used to keep track of every tank of gas, but I don't now. I still calculate it using the tripometer, but I don't sweat it unless it goes down for some unexplainable reason.
My Cub Cadet riding lawn mower has a bluetooth enabled hour meter. It syncs with the app on my phone and alerts me when it needs an oil change.
Strangely, the roomba app also keep tracks of maintenance for me.
The other thing I do for my car (not my wife's car) is keep track of the date for each 1000 miles and the mileage on the first of each month. It's interesting to see the fluctuations in mileage from month to month. It's also easy to see how much I drove in the previous 12 months.

 

[texasprd]

I just use excel for records on all my vehicles. Makes it simple and easy.

+1 on this. I'm a software developer and was going to develop my own database and application for this as a way of teaching myself a new programming language, but never got that far... Excel is a quick and easy way

 

[OH_Varmntr]

I use the front of my beer fridge in my garage as a dry erase board to keep track of when vehicles are due for oil change.

 

[rlitman]

I use a spreadsheet, but on Google Docs, not Excel.
With Google Docs, I can add in data from my cell phone, so I don't have to write things down and bring them in to enter later on my computer. But I still have computer access too.

The workbook mostly has two sheets for each vehicle.
One is a log, of date, mileage, work performed, and notes
The other is a scratch page of part numbers, sources and prices, when I've replaced them, etc. Also, information on any codes I've deciphered (maintenance minder, MIL/DTC, etc.)
I have one sheet that has the tire sizes for all of my vehicles, one that has wiper sizes, one that has oil filter part numbers, and one that has bulbs.

 

[engineer2]

Excel user here. 5 vehicles to keep track of.
I use a Sharpie to put date and miles on the air filter and cabin filter.
I used to use my label maker to put a major service items on labels under the hood.
This would freak out the oil change guys because they couldn't sell me extra services.

 

[greg86z28]

Like many others, I use a small spiral notebook for each piece of equipment. We have 5 vehicles, so I've got 5 separate notebooks. I have one notebook for our two garden tractors.

I work on a computer all day and use excel a lot so I personally find it enjoyable to hand write some stuff once and awhile.

The recommendations to use Excel also seem like a great idea too if you want to go digital.

 

[DRP6833]

I also just use a small spiral notepad in each car. Got that habit from my Dad. It always starts with the purchase date and mileage. Then every maintenance item gets listed with the date, mileage, and action performed.

This is my method as well. I also track gas mileage. It's a great thing to have when you sell the vehicle, a complete record of everything you've done. And a spiral notebook will always be compatible with Windows, Apple, and Linux.

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I have a tractor operator friend who sharpies it in the door jamb.
It's even funnier now that he drives an M5.

 

[sberry]

Sharpie wipes off with a little Brakekleen. I like the last oil change and tire rotation. Maybe a new belt date, a battery wouldn't be a bad idea and with the advent of long time plugs its an advent worth noting.

 

[ford33]

I use Autozone maintenance log for my vehicles. Items you purchase are listed and I can add different vehicles.

 

[dbabicky]

781A, 781J, 781Kand 781H.

 

[homebuilt burner]

I should add, I write down all part numbers. As I buy 99% of my parts form NAPA it is easy to warranty parts. I also agree with sberry and keep extra parts around. For example,I keep plug, coil and points for my lawn tractor and when used I replace.

As a note,when I was in fleet maintenance that was all electronic. But for our 4 vehicles just a notebook.

 

[foolio]

I use the Road Trip app on my iPhone. Can back up to cloud and email to yourself in CSV for Excel as well. Been using for probably 8 or 9 years. Different profiles for different cars. Easy to navigate. Every fill up is even tracked to get mpg, location, etc. Lots of data for graphing, cost per mile. I like it.

 

[GarageGuy89]

Keep a 3x5 diary book in every vehicle. Note mileage, date, cost, and what was done.

Always fun to go back on something that is 25 years old and 300,000 miles and see all the stuff you've done .


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[jgorm]

I made a Google doc (sheet) that is accessible from everywhere. I log maintenance off my phone. Same for gas fillups.It's got a different tab for each vehicle.

 

[chazzz]

I use excel spreadsheet to track my car maintenance and costs. It's pretty easy. Please click on these two files (attachments) and that'll give you some idea.

 

[BearsFan315]

When i bought my NEW to me terrain, i picked up one of these:
AT-A-GLANCE Auto Mileage Log Record Book
works great
better pictures here: AT-A-GLANCE Auto Mileage Log Record Book Picts

for the 1929 I have an excel sheet that i keep track of all work, purchases, time, etc !!

 

[Boilerhouse]

Old fashioned - Every major piece of equipment and pretty much everything with an engine has its own file. Just about everything gets logged, and all the records are kept in those files. File cabinet is in the shop. Also have set up digital files in the past few years to track photos and equipment related PDF's.