Best Practices for Tracking & Managing Maintenance & Repair Records

[Tbonem3]

What I do has already been said by others, but I will say -

How much photos have helped with the documention. Photos are time/date stamped but also might show other details that could be important. I've been using my photo's dates more than opening Excel to check when the last annual oil change was or whatever the situation is.

[nextelbuddy]

If I were to use something like this, I think I'd want it as a docker container I could self host.

Having it as a web site puts me at the mercy of whoever owns it, which is too much trust.

Having it as an app limits it to just one device.

docker container takes too much setting up but yes if you want self contained for yourself only thats fine.


if you go the web app route using Flutter, you get a web app and then flutter compiles to native iOS and Android apps and you can then access your data from the web or via the app at the same time.

there can be options to export your data in various formats, CSV, json, etc....in case you want to leave and go somewhere else or have fear that your data will be gone if the app owner dies or disappears.


another option is instead of a 3rd party SQL DB, google drive does offer a Google Drive AppData folder that allows applications to store data as JSON files, the problem is performance would get slower as time goes on as query a JSON file as it gets larger and larger wll get slower vs SQL.

[D-O]

Curious how you handle the digitizing side of it. Are you scanning/copying over everything as it comes in, or playing catch-up periodically? And is the spreadsheet mostly for cost tracking, or do you tie it back to specific parts/order numbers for warranty purposes?

I have a document scanner at home, so its easy to scan them as I go.

The spreadsheet is to document the date, mileage, and specific details of all the work done on the car. I do make a list of all the parts needed for a job, what they cost, and where to source them, but once I make the purchase and scan the invoices I stop thinking about what I spent and I never look at the invoices again. I absolutely do not want to know how much I have spent on the car over the years - that way lies madness.....

I have no plan to sell the car as long as I am physically able to drive it, but if something should happen to me and my wife had to sell it, or if circumstances forced me to sell it, then the receipts would be of value. Tyler mentioned photos, and I do have quite a collection of photos of most of the projects. At first I thought I would make a build thread, but now I save them because they will one day be nearly as useful as the receipts.

As time goes on, I think more about the fact that I am only a temporary caretaker of this M3 , and that someday someone else will have to take over caring for her. I do believe that whoever that next caretaker is, he or she will appreciate having a detailed history of the car.

D-O

[bigjae46]

I might be the biggest nerd here. Shocking because there are many nerds on this forum 🤓 🤣

I use an excel file with a couple of worksheets. I don't have labor receipts, only windshield removal and install, since I do all of the labor. I have trust issues.

1. Maintenance records to keep track of what I did and the cost. Includes replacing parts. I put an ECS or FCP note on the line.
2. Maintenance schedule with the next projected service interval expressed in time or # of laps
3. Corner balance and alignment log
4. Track log which tracks how many laps, consumables (fuel, tires, brakes), what tires, best lap, weather, and notes (breakdowns, issues, offs/spins, how the car is trimmed (NASA, Full, etc.)
5. Planned upgrades, repairs, and changes - mostly around weight reduction and shortcuts I took that I need to fix.
6. Last valve adjustment
7. Last rod bearing change (mostly pics)
8. DTC/ error code log - includes a list of codes I permanently suppressed
9. Project specific worksheets - materials, cost, estimated time, order of work, questions or issues, and a tracking log

I finally upgraded to an AiM Solo 2 DL which forces me to use Race Studio 3. There is more capability which may allow me to make things a little simpler.

I started plugging my track data into an AI agent so I need to start curating (there...I said it) that information somehow.

[bigjae46]

What I do has already been said by others, but I will say -

How much photos have helped with the documention. Photos are time/date stamped but also might show other details that could be important. I've been using my photo's dates more than opening Excel to check when the last annual oil change was or whatever the situation is.

Pics definitely can be helpful. Like samthejam I also use my build thread as a decent way to keep track of what happened and when. Sometimes I want to analyze patterns or use data for something - tire and brake pad wear as an example - to get a good baseline of costs, when to replace, or even for performance.

I use pics the most when I corner balance and align the car. Corner balance, I take a before pic, dry weight, instrument cluster with fuel level, after weight. When I do an alignment, I write the before reading, adjustments (i.e. 1/4 turn CW), and final reading on the fender with a sharpie and then take a pic of each corner.

[oceansize]

Let’s just say I know exactly what I’ve spent on my cars.