[CarEnthused]

Lets say I want to buy your car and I care about the maintenance. If I ask to see the maintenance records, what would you present me with?

EDIT:
What are some annoyances or inconveniences you've experienced while maintaining a history of work performed?

So far I've just kept receipts in my glovebox for work that I performed or stuff done outside of a BMW dealer. I'm considering taking on a hobby project in my free time to build a better way to organize these logs and I want some input from others.

EDIT 2:
Do you scan receipts already? If not, would you consider it or is that too much work?

[bloppitybloop]

I don't do this but what if you kept an Excel spreadsheet with the date, mileage, and description of the work done along with a reference letter/number to a receipt (that's kept in a folder) to substantiate the description in the spreadsheet?

[FL335]

Originally Posted by reckedhim

I don't do this but what if you kept an Excel spreadsheet with the date, mileage, and description of the work done along with a reference letter/number to a receipt (that's kept in a folder) to substantiate the description in the spreadsheet?

I do exactly this while keeping ALL receipts...a buyer would be all over my cars. I keep up maintenance and am a freak about my cars..probably like most of us. I just sold my e46 M3 M3 and the kid who bought it was very happy.

[kfriceman]

I recently sold 01 ML430 with 12 years of maintenance records three-holed punched and placed in a press-board binder.

-Kevin

[ctuna]

I keep a folder on the car with all receipts.
They are generally in chronological order.

[jwalker87]

Excel spreadsheet with all the mileages and maintenance performed, as well as a folder with all receipts/bill of sale/etc in chronological order. I also scan in all the paper documents for backup and hyperlink them in the spreadsheet.

I also put in the intervals for preventive maintenance in the spreadsheet so I can track when things will come due based on current date and current mileage.

[Underground6t9]

I don't care about keeping records when the time comes I will just trade it in and the dealer doesn't care.

[CarEnthused]

Originally Posted by reckedhim

I don't do this but what if you kept an Excel spreadsheet with the date, mileage, and description of the work done along with a reference letter/number to a receipt (that's kept in a folder) to substantiate the description in the spreadsheet?

Originally Posted by FL335

I do exactly this while keeping ALL receipts...a buyer would be all over my cars. I keep up maintenance and am a freak about my cars..probably like most of us. I just sold my e46 M3 M3 and the kid who bought it was very happy.

Originally Posted by kfriceman

I recently sold 01 ML430 with 12 years of maintenance records three-holed punched and placed in a press-board binder.

-Kevin

Originally Posted by ctuna

I keep a folder on the car with all receipts.
They are generally in chronological order.

Do you scan receipts already? If not, would you consider it or is that too much additional work?

[ucdbiendog]

I kept all the receipts from dealer/indy visits. I have also logged all of this in a spreadsheet. DIY stuff i dont have receipts (oil, parts, etc) but i have them in my spreadsheet.

[Styles]

I have an organized (by date/mileage) 3 ring binder with all service records, receipts for parts (I order all my own parts DIY or not), carfax history, KBB value, NADA value, bill of sale and the title for my car. Makes it easy to look back and see if you had recall/maintenance work done and Its nice to hand the potential buyer a very organized history of the car even if it is just from my ownership period.

[Welcome to NBA Jam]

I just keep receipts. I used to do the log thing but I got lazy about it. My car's appearance, performance, and service history speak for itself.

[Efthreeoh]

I'd show you a maintenance log in an Excel spreadsheet.

[Stresspuppy]

I use the 'Car Care' iOS app (
https://appsto.re/us/v6--q.i) and log everything. It's nice because it tracks mpg, avg fuel price, gives graphs of these things, you can set reminders for various maintenance items. You can email yourself the entries in a CSV file so you have a backup or you can slice/dice how you want. You can also import entries using a specific format and process. I use it for all my vehicles.

As for actual receipts, I keep them in a folder in my deck drawer, newest on top. My goal is to have everything electronically but I need to set aside the time to scan and label.

[NGEE]

Originally Posted by tylerwillingham

Do you scan receipts already? If not, would you consider it or is that too much additional work?

I personally would not scan - too much trouble. If I could take a photo of a receipt from within an app, that would be ok - kind of like my mobile deposit bank app.

[Tom K.]

File for paper receipts.

Plus an Excel file with linked worksheets for fuel consumption, maintenance, and annual cost summaries. Very useful at tax time as the car is used partly for business and the actual costs are significantly higher than the IRS mileage allowance - even for a 7 year old Bimmer!

Tom

[shawntech]

Write mileage/date on all receipts and store in a file with title

[iDriveanXi]

I made a few pages on excel and printed them out so I can hand write maintenance done. I don't have much as my car had the maintenance plan so I'd have to get a print out from bmw for the remainder of stuff. I log the date, mileage, quantity, and cost.

[BMB063]

I keep all receipts together in order by date, and also have an excel spreadsheet that has the mileage, date, $ spent, and all details. It's just easier for me to keep things organized. I feel like most people would just want the proof of receipts that you had the proper maintenance done at the right times.

[ArcticRik]

I keep a folder with all the receipts of the work done organized in chronological order. I may consider scanning everything one of these days when I get bored but for now the paper copies will do.

[Miller335]

Keep all receipts and have an index of what maintenance/repairs/parts replaced at what date on a spread sheet/word doc.

[roccy_miyagi]

I keep a folder with all receipts of work & purchases (oil, parts, etc) I also have a hand written journal of when I purchased items, from what dealership, including the receipt number, the date of the actual service or repair took place.... I include everything

[jwalker87]

The thread lives!

As an update, I added a preventive maintenance tracker that displays when the item will come due (both for mileage-based and time-based), and the spreadsheet pops up red if its past that date or my mileage (has to be manually entered) is over the due miles. Helps me not miss stuff when maintaining 4 vehicles