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homelabforge edited this page Aug 24, 2026 · 5 revisions

Service Visits

Complete guide to tracking vehicle maintenance, repairs, and service history in MyGarage.

Why Track Service?

  • Maintenance Reminders - Never miss oil changes or inspections
  • Resale Value - Documented service history increases vehicle value
  • Warranty Claims - Proof of regular maintenance for warranty coverage
  • Tax Deductions - Business vehicle expense tracking
  • Pattern Recognition - Identify recurring issues or excessive repairs
  • Cost Analysis - Understand true cost of ownership

Service Visits Overview

MyGarage uses a Service Visit model that mirrors real-world shop invoices:

  • Service Visit - A single trip to a shop (or DIY session)
  • Line Items - Individual services, parts, and labor within a visit
  • Tax & Fees - Separate tracking for tax, shop supplies, and misc fees
  • Vendors - Track where you get work done

Example Service Visit

Date: 2026-01-15
Vendor: Jiffy Lube #1234
Mileage: 45,000

Line Items:
  1. Oil Change (Routine) - $45.99
  2. Air Filter Replacement (Routine) - $24.99
  3. Cabin Air Filter (Routine) - $34.99

Subtotal: $105.97
Tax: $8.48
Shop Supplies: $3.50
Total: $117.95

Adding a Service Visit

Quick Add

  1. From dashboard, click vehicle card → "Add Service"
  2. Fill in basic info:
    • Date - When service was performed
    • Odometer - Current mileage
    • Vendor - Where service was done (or "DIY")
  3. Add line items:
    • Click "Add Line Item"
    • Enter description, category, cost
    • Repeat for each service performed
  4. Add tax and fees (optional):
    • Tax Amount
    • Shop Supplies
    • Miscellaneous Fees
  5. Click "Save"

Creating a Follow-up Reminder

While adding a visit you can create a Reminder for the next service (by date, mileage, or both) so it appears on the calendar and dashboard. See Reminders below.

Line Items

Each service visit contains one or more line items representing individual services.

Line Item Fields

  • Description - What was done (e.g., "Replace brake pads")
  • Category - Service category (Routine, Repair, Inspection, etc.)
  • Service Type - Specific service type (Oil Change, Brake Repair, etc.)
  • Cost - Amount for this line item
  • Notes - Additional details (part numbers, specifications)

Service Categories

Routine Maintenance

  • Oil Change, Tire Rotation, Air Filter, Fluid Top-Off, Wiper Blades

Scheduled Services

  • Inspection, Emissions Test, Tune-Up, Transmission Service, Coolant Flush

Repairs

  • Brake Repair, Engine Repair, Transmission Repair, Electrical, HVAC, Suspension

Tires & Wheels

  • Tire Replacement, Alignment, Balancing, Flat Repair

Detailing

  • Car Wash, Wax, Ceramic Coating, Paint Correction, Interior/Exterior Detailing

Upgrades

  • Performance, Audio/Electronics, Lighting, Window Tinting

Vendors

Track where you get service done:

Vendor Types

  • Shop - Commercial repair shops, dealerships, chain stores
  • Dealer - Factory-authorized dealerships
  • Self - DIY maintenance at home
  • Other - Mobile mechanics, friends, specialty shops

Vendor Information

  • Name (e.g., "Jiffy Lube #1234")
  • Address
  • Phone
  • Website
  • Notes

Vendor History

MyGarage tracks per vendor:

  • Number of service visits
  • Total amount spent
  • Last visit date

This helps identify your most-used shops and spending patterns.

Tax & Fees

Real-world invoices include more than just parts and labor. MyGarage tracks:

Tax Amount

Sales tax on parts and labor.

Shop Supplies

Environmental fees, shop materials, disposal charges.

Miscellaneous Fees

Other fees (hazmat disposal, diagnostic fees, etc.)

Cost Calculation

  • Subtotal = Sum of all line item costs
  • Total = Subtotal + Tax + Shop Supplies + Misc Fees

Both values display in the service visit list:

  • Collapsed view shows Total (matches your receipt)
  • Expanded view shows full Cost Breakdown

Attachments

Attach receipts, invoices, and photos to service visits.

Supported Formats

  • Documents: PDF
  • Images: JPG, PNG

Uploading Attachments

  1. Create or edit a service visit
  2. Scroll to Attachments section
  3. Click "Upload" or drag files
  4. Files are associated with the visit

Viewing Attachments

  • Thumbnail previews appear under "Services Performed"
  • Click thumbnail to open in new browser tab
  • Download original files from attachment list

Reminders

Proactive maintenance is tracked with Reminders (the maintenance-schedule system was removed in v2.25.0). Reminders live under the vehicle's Tracking → Reminders sub-tab and drive the calendar and dashboard.

Reminder Types

Each reminder is due by:

  • Date - a target date
  • Mileage - a target odometer reading
  • Both - whichever comes first
  • Smart - interval-based, projected from recent usage

Reminders show as upcoming or overdue, and can be marked done or dismissed.

Creating Reminders

  • From the Reminders sub-tab, add a reminder directly, or
  • Create a follow-up reminder inline while logging a service visit, or
  • Apply a reminder pack.

Reminder Packs

A pack is a ready-made set of maintenance intervals you can apply in one click instead of typing out a schedule: oil and filter, tire rotation, seasonal ATV and UTV service, snowmobile pre-season, boat winterization, and so on.

The catalog filters itself by vehicle type, so you are only offered packs that make sense for what you are looking at - a boat is offered winterization and not tire rotation.

Applied reminders are ordinary reminders. Edit the intervals, or delete the ones you don't want, exactly as if you had entered them yourself.

Service History View

Default View

Services display as collapsible cards:

  • Most recent at top
  • Shows date, vendor, total cost
  • Click to expand for full details

Expanded View Shows

  • All line items with descriptions
  • Cost breakdown (subtotal, tax, fees, total)
  • Attached files (thumbnails)
  • Notes and mileage

Filtering Service History

Quick Filters

  • All Services - Show everything
  • This Year - Current calendar year
  • By Category - Filter by service category

Search

Search across:

  • Vendor names
  • Line item descriptions
  • Notes

Editing Service Visits

  1. Go to vehicle → Service History
  2. Click visit to expand
  3. Click "Edit" button
  4. Modify any fields:
    • Add/remove line items
    • Update costs
    • Change vendor
    • Add attachments
  5. Click "Save"

Deleting Service Visits

Warning: Deletion is permanent!

  1. Click visit to expand
  2. Click "Delete"
  3. Confirm deletion
  4. Visit and all attachments are removed

Best Practices

Be Consistent

  • Always record odometer reading
  • Enter all line items from your receipt
  • Include tax and fees for accurate totals
  • Attach receipts for major services

Use Detailed Descriptions

Basic: "Oil change" Better: "Oil change - Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30 (6 quarts), Fram Ultra XG10575 filter"

Set Up Reminders

Create reminders for:

  • Oil changes (every 5,000 mi / 6 months)
  • Tire rotations (every 7,500 mi)
  • Inspections (annual)
  • Fluid flushes (per manufacturer schedule)

Track Vendors

Create vendor entries for:

  • Your regular shop
  • Dealership service department
  • Tire shop
  • Oil change locations
  • "DIY" for home maintenance

Exporting Service History

For Tax Purposes

  1. Go to Service History
  2. Filter by date range (e.g., "2025 Tax Year")
  3. Export as CSV or PDF
  4. Provide to accountant

For Vehicle Sale

  1. Export complete service history
  2. Include as PDF with vehicle listing
  3. Documented maintenance increases resale value

For Warranty Claims

  1. Export services within warranty period
  2. Include attached receipts
  3. Submit to manufacturer/dealer

Need Help?

Next: Explore Fuel Tracking or learn about Document Management.

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