Any recommendations on vehicle maintenance software for the DIYer?

Question

I currently use a combination of Car Minder for the iPhone - it's only $2.99 but limited functionality - and Excel spreadsheets. Ideally I'm looking for something that will track all service for up to 5 vehicles. MPG tracking and ability to export data into a common format (Excel, comma delimited, etc.) would be nice. I would also like to be able to generate a variety of reports to see how much I am spending per vehicle, perhaps showing "regular maintenance" different from "add ons" - i.e. an ARB bumper is a large cost for my truck and I want to record the expense, but it's certainly not a maintenance item.

Here are a few I found from a quick google search - just curious if anyone has used these or others.

EZ Maintenance - $40/month
CarCare Automotive - $40
Innovative Management Systems Auto Maintenance Pro - $35
KZ Software Vehicle Manager - $35
Automotive Wolf - $20-30

Answer 1

I've used aCar for a few months now and I've never had an issue. I used to do all my tracking in an Excel sheet, however having the Droid app really helps ensure that I'm able to jot the info as soon as I have work done, rather than postponing things and entering them later.

aCar lets you track logs for as many cars as you want, supports CSV and other format exports, and it even lets you sync your logs with Dropbox so you don't have to worry about constantly hooking up your phone to copy the data to your computer locally.

It's only a $5 app, but it's money well spent but it's still robust enough that I haven't had a need for a desktop app.

There's also a program called Mileage which is a fairly light MPG tracker, however I had to stop using it awhile back because somehow it marked me as getting 9999999 MPG one week despite my valid numbers -- and when I tried restoring my backups, it failed so I ended up losing all my MPG data, but thankfully I had an Excel file with my maintenance data.

Answer 2

I used CarCare in a past life, and synced it with my PDA (Age comes out). I was satisfied with it, and it allowed for me to track all kinds of things. This was a while ago tho, and I remember it tracked insurance, and all sort of other expenses. They have a trial, so it would not hurt to try them out.

Answer 3

For basic functionality I use mycarfax.com, which has a desktop website and smartphone app, both of which are free.

It mainly just tracks repair dates and for many models it can display the OEM recommended maintenance schedules, and you can set up multiple vehicles.

It will also import maintenance that you have done at participating shops. When you get work done at a shop that submits data to Carfax, repairs matching your VIN number will be automatically imported. You should see everything you would normally see on your vehicle's Carfax report, plus you can add things for your own records.

If your shop doesn't send their data to Carfax (mostly small independent shops), or if you're a DIYer, you can manually enter your repair jobs with date, mileage and notes. You can select repair jobs from a general list, or specify your own.

You can also get reminders for preventative maintenance, like oil changes, registration and tire rotations. The app makes a "best guess" at your current mileage based on your past mileage entries. You can update your current milegae manually at any time (I enter mine every 2 or 3 fillups).

Answer 4

I personnally use Vehicle Fleet Manager 4.0 from Vinity Soft inc. (http://www.vinitysoft.com/fleet-management-software-4-0/)

As you only have 5 vehicles to manage, it will only cost $89,95. It will do all you need and much more. It's the best among the few you mentionned.