How do you guys keep track of your service records, especially if you have multiple c

[DanDombrowski]

How do you guys keep track of your service records, especially if you have multiple cars?

I have somehow managed to be pretty much responsible for the maintenance and repair for all of the cars in my family over the last few years. It started with me doing just my E34 and my mothers Jeep, then it branched out to:

My E34
My mothers 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee
My Volvo 240
My Father's 01 Eclipse GT
My Father's 98 Honda Accord
My Sister's 05 Stratus
My Girlfriend's 98 Camry
My e46 330Ci
And Sometimes I help with:
My girlfriend's mother's 96 Maxima
My girlfriend's fathers 89 Previa
My Uncle's 90 Lexus LS400.

Now, I don't do all of the maintenance myself. I mostly just do diagnosis, grabbing engine codes and replacing sensors, brakes, throttle body cleanings, things like that, and I outsource things like oil changes, tire rotations, timing belts, stuff like that, but I basically see it all.

I've tried keeping written logs in the car, but they keep getting lost, or I don't have time to go update them. I can keep reciepts from when I send a car in someplace, but that doesn't help for when I do the service and just buy the parts.

I've tried keeping excel sheets, I have to put so much effort into lining up columns to keep all the parts/labor/fluids costs separate.

Basically, after this long ass post, I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion as to where I could find some commercial customer auto records software. I'm looking for something where I can just pull up the car, put in when I did the oil change, the mileage, and the parts I used and save it so I can go back later and look at it. Overall statistics isn't necessary, but would be cool.

Any ideas for the software, or ideas to organize this better?

[Bill R.]

girlfriends fathers records, there was no 89 previa, it was introduced in 90 as a 91 model. :) A longtime previa owner.





How do you guys keep track of your service records, especially if you have multiple cars?

I have somehow managed to be pretty much responsible for the maintenance and repair for all of the cars in my family over the last few years. It started with me doing just my E34 and my mothers Jeep, then it branched out to:

My E34
My mothers 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee
My Volvo 240
My Father's 01 Eclipse GT
My Father's 98 Honda Accord
My Sister's 05 Stratus
My Girlfriend's 98 Camry
My e46 330Ci
And Sometimes I help with:
My girlfriend's mother's 96 Maxima
My girlfriend's fathers 89 Previa
My Uncle's 90 Lexus LS400.

Now, I don't do all of the maintenance myself. I mostly just do diagnosis, grabbing engine codes and replacing sensors, brakes, throttle body cleanings, things like that, and I outsource things like oil changes, tire rotations, timing belts, stuff like that, but I basically see it all.

I've tried keeping written logs in the car, but they keep getting lost, or I don't have time to go update them. I can keep reciepts from when I send a car in someplace, but that doesn't help for when I do the service and just buy the parts.

I've tried keeping excel sheets, I have to put so much effort into lining up columns to keep all the parts/labor/fluids costs separate.

Basically, after this long ass post, I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion as to where I could find some commercial customer auto records software. I'm looking for something where I can just pull up the car, put in when I did the oil change, the mileage, and the parts I used and save it so I can go back later and look at it. Overall statistics isn't necessary, but would be cool.

Any ideas for the software, or ideas to organize this better?

[Bill R.]

store it by the customers name. I pull up the records for an individual customer if i need to look something up. Quickbooks puts the date on an invoice anyway and i type the mileage into the owners name box along with their name and vehicle model.




girlfriends fathers records, there was no 89 previa, it was introduced in 90 as a 91 model. :) A longtime previa owner.

[Russell]

seemed like popular mechanics or popular science had something a few years ago. Also, there is a lot of freeware out there that professes to track vehicle records. One example http://www.download.com/Vehicle-3000/3000-2131_4-10303539.html?tag=lst-0-9
Me. I just use seperate Excel spreadsheets for each car. works fine for two cars.

[califblue]

I have a great excel chart that all you have to do is fill in the blanks I got from here a long time ago... shoot me an email and I well send it to you unless you tell me how to make it an attachment

[DanDombrowski]

He said it was an 89 or 90. Heck if I can tell :)

My girlfriend thought I was crazy when I started to remove the passenger seat to replace the valve cover gasket :)

[DanDombrowski]

Thanks! I'll send you an email when I get off from work.

[Bill R.]

own BillB a couple of years back, here it is since i save everything... (http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images2/maintenance.xls)




Thanks! I'll send you an email when I get off from work.

[Mr._Graybeard]

Use a china marker to write down the date/mileage of fluid/filter changes on the air intake box or radiator shroud. Not pretty, but you see where you stand every time you open the hood.

[billb]

I have a great excel chart that all you have to do is fill in the blanks I got from here a long time ago... shoot me an email and I well send it to you unless you tell me how to make it an attachment

...and let me know if it was created by Brian Winstead...I was using his computer when I created it, six years ago.

;)

[Bill R.]

:)
...and let me know if it was created by Brian Winstead...I was using his computer when I created it, six years ago.

;)

[billb]

own BillB a couple of years back, here it is since i save everything... (http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images2/maintenance.xls)

I put EVERYTHING in that spreadsheet. Got it on my shared drive at home so I can put quick entries in it using the laptop in the garage. Put every gas receipt in to get real-time and moving mileage averages. I'm a spreadsheet junkie!!

[califblue]

Yup that is the one!

[SnakeyesTx]

In my top dresser drawer you'll find nothing but gallon-sized Zip-loc bags with the year and model of every car I've owned in the past 12 years. I put them in the bag in chronological order and put little post-it note tabs for books on the receipts with the lifetime warranties. Works great, and just made the newest bag for my 525 3 days ago. Thanks to the previous owner leaving every receipt including the bill of sale and options/warranty window sticker in the glove box, this bag is without a doubt the fattest record bag I have. My Jeep had about 14k in receipts, this 525 has well over 15k in timely maintenence and warranty slips :)

[Paul in NZ]

i would keep a paper record so that it can go with the car,you can buy logbooks at your bookstore.The service records are handy to keep but they are really to show that the car has been looked after for a prospective purchaser arent they?

[Paul in NZ]

wow that spreadsheet is amazing......can we se your chart for the gas consumption now Bill B I would guess the scale for the vertical axis has changed.......:)

[DanDombrowski]

I downloaded this yesterday and played with it a little bit. I like it alot so far! All it needs is something to put in part numbers and parts cost, and itll be perfect.

Oh, and I havent messed with it too much, but I think it lets you invoice wit hthat program, which is a plus.

[SharkmanBMW]

This thread inspired me...
I am trying 4 different softwares that I found today...
2 free, and 2 pay versions that I found cracks for (hate me if you want, but $25 for a software I may never use is too much:p )

I am trying Vehicle Manager, Vehicle 3000 and the free ones: Vehicle Project Planner, and Vehicle record System

I will check them out and see which is best for regular maintenance...

If anyone wants a copy of the programs and cracks, PM me.

If there are more good ones, let us know!

Here is where I found the details on each program...
http://www.download.com/3120-20_4-0.html?qt=vehicle&tag=srch&tg=dl-2001&search=Go%21

My 330 is approaching 95k kilometers, I have done some maintenance and have a glove box full of paper! Maybe this will straighten me out.

[GoldenOne]

wow, if im reading this spreadsheet correctly....1.349/gallon for gas back in 2000!...boy do i miss those days...

[billb]

wow, if im reading this spreadsheet correctly....1.349/gallon for gas back in 2000!...boy do i miss those days...

I thought it was pricey then. We were newly married, and it was our first long road trip in the E34. I thought, when we were taking that trip, "How am I ever going to afford all the gas for this trip?" Little did I know...

[ryan roopnarine]

one incontravertable (sp?) (though you said you don't do oil changes) way i do it for any vehicle that might have to be sold is to clean the drain plug off and take a digital picture of it by the odometer of the vehicle in question. attach a dated receipt of the materials that; you may have used to complete the service, and voila--something better than a mere handwritten service log (at least to a buyer). if a vehicle needs periodic/date based service, i do it the un-sexy way, by writing a note in grease pencil under the hood. makes it easier on me, as i would open a hood more often than reference a computer WRT a vehicle that gets driven so little that the oil needs to be changed every six months.

[SharkmanBMW]

here is a link to a file with 2 programs in it, both for vehicle records, enjoy

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=C0BECB985C6AF291

[zman-95-540i]

Wow. Hard to believe you were paying $1.12 a gallon back in 1999. Those were the days...