Car Maintenance | DontKnowCars.com

You can keep track of your car’s maintenance and repairs in the owner’s manual. However, you’ll soon run out of room for all the information you need. You can buy a hard- or spiral-bound notebook for the car’s glove compartment and keep track of valuable info. Like what?

• Make, model, year, and vehicle identification number (VIN) for your car(s)

• Preferred oil brand and weight

• Preferred and alternate spark plug part numbers

• When and where schedule maintenance was performed

• When and where unscheduled repairs were done

• Name, phone number, and shop hours of your favorite mechanics, parts stores, and other service providers

• Maintenance checklists

• Tune-up specifications

• Insurance policy numbers

• Miles-per-gallon fuel usage

• Reminders, notes, observations, and other important comments.

Some car owners use the owner’s manual to record anything they want the next owner to see, and use their Car Journal for everything else. If you own and maintain more than one car, start a Car Journal for each one and keep it in the glove compartment.