Free template
Car maintenance log — free printable and spreadsheet
The same log in two free versions: a sheet to print for the glovebox, and a spreadsheet for Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets. No sign-up.
In Google Sheets: File → Import → Upload, then choose the CSV. The first row is an example — delete it.
What to write down for every service
- Date and odometer. Read the odometer off the dash on the day — memory rounds everything to “about a year ago”.
- What was done — and why. “Front pads and rotors, grinding noise” tells the next owner far more than “brakes”.
- Parts: brand and part number. Whoever works on the car next can order the same part without guessing.
- Fluids: type and amount. The oil grade and how many litres, the coolant type. Your owner’s manual lists the specification.
- Who did it. The shop’s name, or DIY. Work you do yourself counts — keep the parts receipts.
- Cost. Parts and labour separately if you can: it is what you will want to know when deciding whether to keep the car.
- Receipt kept. Tick it, and keep the receipt with the log — or photograph it.
- Next due. The kilometres or date from your owner’s manual schedule, so the next service is not a surprise.
Bought the car without a history?
Start anyway. Make the first entry the day you got the car: the date and the odometer reading. Then add what you can prove — old receipts, the shop’s records — and mark anything you are estimating as approximate.
How to rebuild a lost service history
Why keep a log at all
- Selling. A buyer can see the car was looked after — and ask better questions about what was not done.
- Warranty. If you make a warranty claim, the manufacturer may ask for proof that scheduled maintenance was done. Check your warranty booklet.
- Your own planning. What is due next, and what the car really costs you to run.