Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Topic: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using? (Read 789 times) previous topic - next topic

Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

April 06, 2016, 10:56:48 am

I'm using a notebook at the moment but would prefer to start using a spreadsheet. Does anyone use one that wouldn't mine sharing a spreadsheet?

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #1 – April 06, 2016, 11:57:22 am

Jeff & Sandy - if you use Excel, open and click "new" then search "vehicle maintenance". It is a template you can modify to suit.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #2 – April 06, 2016, 06:50:12 pm

If you have an iThing (phone, pad, pod) I have found the App "Road Trip" very handy. Keeps track of all the vehicles, and will convert data to information for you. Some of the information you may really not want to know, projected cost based on past experience for example....among others. My projected yearly fuel cost on the FT is $4090.50, guess I'd better start saving !

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #3 – April 06, 2016, 08:04:09 pm

We use our Rand McNally GPS for fuel milage and costs. I used to keep my maintenance, repair and upgrades in a spread sheet. That was working very well as it was keeping a running total of all $$$ spent.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #4 – April 06, 2016, 09:26:05 pm

All of these can be tracked in VMSpc.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #5 – April 06, 2016, 09:30:13 pm

Yep. But never implemented.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #6 – April 06, 2016, 10:09:57 pm

I use a pencil and a spiral notebook. Man do I sound old.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #7 – April 06, 2016, 10:24:13 pm

Quote from: Kent Speers – April 06, 2016, 10:09:57 pm

I use a pencil and a spiral notebook. Man do I sound old.

Me too!

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #8 – April 06, 2016, 10:35:14 pm

Quote from: krush – April 06, 2016, 10:24:13 pm

Me too!

I used a spreadsheet--until DW caught me. Forget the pencil and spiral notebook. (You can't eat 'em!) My best solution is an Abacus-- call me old school!

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #9 – April 06, 2016, 11:06:57 pm

I don't use any system as I am really not interested in what it costs and I do not have to justify the expense to anyone. If we want to use it we use it and if a part has to be bought then it needs it--simple bookkeeping system. Too many really important things than this to think about, like getting older and not too much time left to enjoy driving the coach.
JohnH

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #10 – April 07, 2016, 12:07:45 am

Truth be told, we have the original spiral notebook from the original owner. Miles, gallons added, comments on campgrounds. That is about it. I am like John, I keep track of stuff but many more important things to do. Actually we do almost everything on one card or another and all of that goes into Quicken and gets categorized when I get around to it.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #11 – April 07, 2016, 03:39:47 am

Some things are very important to me ,but------fuel millage is not one of them . I am going to run period . If I had to worry about this sort of thing I would not have spent my children's inheritance on this coach in the first place . So , this leaves me with choices #1 park it , or #2 run it . In all the years I was running my business , I had to keep records for several reasons , but have had my fill of that and it just simply does not matter any more . I do not have to impress some one with my ability to prove MPH , or anything else . This whole idea of motor homing for me is to enjoy , go where it suits you for what ever reason. I worked my buns off my entire life , and now it if fun time . Am not worried about providing records to the next owner ---it does not matter . Different strokes for different folks .

Brad Metzger

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #12 – April 07, 2016, 05:25:00 am

I keep track of fuel and repairs in a notebook. Yes it does not matter the fuel mileage but the location of cheap fuel does so when I am driving cross country I can look up what exit I stopped at the following year as well as what rest area was great and when I changed out something.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #13 – April 07, 2016, 05:25:41 am

Oh it helped me sell the Born Free to a pilot who loved that I did that.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #14 – April 07, 2016, 07:53:51 am

I probably should have started with a spreadsheet, but instead I formatted the columns in a Word document in a manner that seemed to work well. I have kept using it and it still works well and captures all of the information I find to be essential. The process I use is to write the information on a piece of paper as it happens and then transfer it into the Word document before the piece of paper gets lost. My process might not work for everyone, but it works for me!

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #15 – April 07, 2016, 10:44:57 am

If you are not a Microsoft Office product fan - as in "I don't want to pay for that Office Suite software" - then try Apache OpenOffice - Official Site - The Free and Open Productivity Suite

For free it works well and has "vehicle maintenance" templates and a whole lot of other stuff. Just another option.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #16 – April 07, 2016, 11:02:34 am

Personally, I would be interested in an iPad product that I could enter the maintenance that I've done. It would also need have triggers for time duration and mileage either specific to our GV or allow me to enter the triggers.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #17 – April 09, 2016, 10:57:51 pm

I don't track fuel got to have it if your going to go. All repair receipts go in the bucket and get on a legal pad on a Rainey day.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #18 – April 10, 2016, 05:44:20 am

Converted all oils to synthetic and installed a by-pass oil filter,made sure everything was up to specks and used the yellow
paint stick system,write the date and mileage on the filter with a paint stick.Follow Brad's advice and don't worry.

Re: Fuel, milage and maintenance logs...what is everyone using?

Reply #19 – April 11, 2016, 12:18:30 pm

There is an excellent spreadsheet of costs on the forum. I downloaded it but not in the coach right now. Look in the downloads area for an account of expenses and maintenance. As a newcomer, I used it to baseline my maintenance going forward. I forget the gentlemans name who provided it but it was a nice service. To me mileage is important not so much for cost but for early warning since I don't have the electronic system in my 97. There are several tablet apps that do this for you. You plug in the mileage for your desired interval and it alerts you. The mileage entered between refueling supplies the tracking numbers. The costs are tracked for fuel or maintenance so you have totals by dates etc. I used it with my 5.9 and it was an easy job. Gas cubby is the one I have used not to be mistaken with Gas Buddy.

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