How do you guys actually keep track of everything done to your car?

[Gregdd]

3x5 Notepad in glovebox. All paperwork in a filing cabinet. Keeping a list of money spent. Am over 66K now.

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[1 old racer]

I am a member of trackmustangsonline.com and they provide a page that you can list all the mods you have done on your mustang. They also have a link to a 3d data reader, (see attached). I also use a spreadsheet for all maintenance and repair records.

 

[MACHtobers Very Own]

Notebook handwritten with date/mileage and thing done to car

paper work is then put into plastic sleeves in a binder and separated by topic (maintenance/repairs/mods/etc

 

[HKusp]

I write things down in the inside cover of the owners manual. I don't list the price, but I list date and mileage.

 

[Strokerswild]

Spreadsheets are your friend.

 

[FitmentIndustries]

I’ve been trying to stay more organized with my car—maintenance, parts replaced, upgrades, mileage, etc.


Right now it’s kind of all over the place (receipts, notes, photos on my phone).


Curious how you all track this stuff long-term?


Do you just keep receipts, use a spreadsheet, apps, or not track it at all?

Use folders.

 

[Garfy]

I just use Microsoft Access with date, mileage, invoice # (if work done at a repair shop/dealer) and work done. Any receipts for parts, supplies, etc. are kept in a folder in my filing cabinet for any car-related stuff. The database merely shows what was done and when so if I need to find any receipts and such, it's in the filing cabinet. Otherwise I can tell at a glance what was most recently done, etc. I track not only fluid changes and routine maintenance stuff like tire rotation, replacement of air filters and also when I polished/sealant done on the car. I usually polish/seal every 4 months or so. (I don't track replacing wiper blades or other minor stuff like that.)

 

[Drifolio]

It’s interesting how consistent this is across different setups — spreadsheets, notebooks, folders, apps… everyone kind of builds their own system around how they use the car.

The one thing I keep noticing though is everything lives in separate places:
- spreadsheet for tracking
- folder or box for receipts
- phone for photos
- sometimes apps for fuel or reminders

It works, but it’s kind of fragmented.

What got me thinking about this was more on the “end game” side — like if you ever sell the car or hand it off. You’ve got all the info, but it’s not exactly easy to present it in a clean way without piecing everything together.

I’ve actually been working on something that pulls all of that into one place and builds a timeline automatically — maintenance, mods, mileage, photos, etc.

Not trying to replace spreadsheets or anything people already like using, more like a layer on top that organizes it and makes it shareable when it matters.

Still early, but curious — would you guys actually use something like that, or is your current setup already dialed enough?

 

[dasrider]

I really like using google sheets for tracking maintenance on anything that needs to be tracked. As of today that's about 10 things with a gas motor. I started with just a regular excel spreadsheet back in '04 and eventually migrated to google. I just create a new tab for each vehicle to be tracked. I'll put in a few notes of what I did, date, mileage (or engine hour), next interval and sometimes I'll insert pics for reference.

Everything is electronic nowadays and I rarely have paper receipts anymore. I can trace most purchases through email or wherever I bought the item online.

Honestly, I almost treat my log like a diary sometimes. Like what was I doing 15 years ago?

 

[Drifolio]

That’s actually a really solid setup — especially the part about treating it like a diary.

That’s kind of what it turns into over time… not just maintenance, but a record of everything you’ve done with the car.

Google Sheets works well for that too, especially with multiple vehicles. The tab setup makes sense.

The only thing I ran into doing something similar was once you start adding:

• photos
• notes over time
• different types of updates

…it gets a little harder to “see” the full story without digging through rows or tabs.

That’s what got me thinking more in terms of a timeline instead of a spreadsheet — same info, just easier to look back on over the years.

Kind of like scrolling through the history instead of searching for it.

Do you ever go back and read through it like that, or mostly just use it when you need to check something?

 

[NightmareMoon]

Google spreadsheet. Lost an excel sheet when a harddrive went down (and 90k miles of records)

I dont keep receipts and havent ever needed them, but I do record mileage and every change or part that goes on the car, and events I’ve driven. Currently at 105k miles on the chasses, and 8k on the 2nd motor. 13+ sets of tires. Yadda yadda yadda.

 

[GJarrett]

Like others, spreadsheet for everything I've done to it, and a physical folder in a file cabinet with paper receipts/etc

 

[Jaymar]

Note with date and mileage written on the back pages of the owners manual, keeps like a logbook and stays with the car.

 

[JWS]

Well, You're Already Half-Way There! You Started This Thread and It's Yours!


Begin with Your First Mod. Then Add your Second by Editing Your Thread. Include Photos and Data.

Suddenly Remember a Mod? Edit Your List!

Have A Process You used for Your Mod?

Document it On Your Thread!

Just Copy All Your Entries Every Time You Edit and Paste in Your Notes App.

Sure people will Add to Your Thread, but You Know Where Your Entries Are and Can Make EZ Edits.

Plus, You have Access to M6G Any Time You're Near a Computer, Phone or Pad.

 

[MSheets]

I have a note pad on my phone with the '22 Mustang, my wife's '22 Edge, my '16 F150 and my lawn tractor with date, mileage/hours, and what was done.

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