Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Tracking vehicle maintenance

Maintaining your vehicle can be a lot of work; you need to get the oil changed periodically, sure, but the tires need to be rotated, the wheels aligned, the fluids checked, and then the oil changed again. :) This week’s tip, shared by azclaire, suggests keeping track of this schedule with some tasks.

Every time I take my car in for its regular oil change, I’m asked if I want to do recommended maintenance (for example, 60,000 mile checkup). In addition, after the oil change, I’m advised to have certain services done (for example, wheel alignment) based on what they’ve seen while doing the oil change and inspection. (These additional maintenance items I normally have performed at an auto repair shop I trust rather than a business primarily focused on oil changes.)

I can’t remember if these things have been done or not! I tend to take my car for oil changes to the business that’s offering the best deal, so it’s up to me to track what’s been done to my car and when. (If they recommend something that’s just been done, it’s a sign that perhaps I should choose a different business next time around!)

I created a list called Vehicles and a tag for each vehicle. I create a task for each maintenance procedure with a scheduled due date (like the oil change) or the date it was recommended via the standard inspection (which would also be the oil change date). I complete each task on the day it’s done. I add the odometer reading in a note as many service procedures are done based on that. I can also add notes about discussions and who I spoke with, invoice numbers, etc if I feel I need historical documentation.

Read the full post for a few more details, including how azclaire used this method to save a lot of money on transmission repairs!

Thanks for sharing this tip, azclaire! You’re our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week.

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