Scheduled Maintenance And Service Record App

[velorider]

With 4 drivers in the house and 6 cars keeping track of what services are due is difficult. By day I'm a software developer, and with constantly changing technologies I'm required to learn new things all the time. I like to apply what I'm learning on side projects. A few years ago I created an online car maintenance application. Over the years I've created numerous side projects for personal use and have decided to start making them available to others who might have similar needs. As a Volvo and long time MVS member I figured MVS might be a good place to gauge interest and get feedback.

The main goal is not a maintenance log but to be proactively notified when something is due on one of the cars. The service history is a nice side effect. Here is the main screen showing upcoming and overdue service in red and below that, past service records.

Using their phones, the family enters mileage when they get gas. If service is due they get a message notifying them what is due.

Screenshot_20190116-165546.png (37.37 KiB) Viewed 1540 times

Current Features:
* You can add scheduled service based on months or miles
* Convert any service record into a scheduled service for future notifications.
* Search past service records
* Edit or Delete any service records
* The rows in red are overdue services, clicking on the "clipboard" icon indicates they been preformed and a service record is created.

Planned Features
* Ability to add photo(s) to service records, could be photos of receipts for parts, invoices, etc.

I would love to hear what information you guys keep for you records and/or ideas you might have.

My plans are to open it up for others to use free of charge. I'm not looking to turn this into anything more then a side project, but would like to get a small community of users using it and providing new ideas to improve it.

For those interested the technical motivation behind this project was to create online services that are secured but do not require username and password. Using a combination of magic link emails, oauth tokens, and invitation tokens users are granted access to certain cars. The only requirement to sign up is an email address.
No username and password with stupid character requirements.

The underlying stack is nodejs and backbone.js. I'm not an UI designer so you'll have to forgiven me for the simplistic UI design.

I need to button up a few loose ends before I can open it up to users, but in the meantime any ideas or thoughts you have I would love to hear. Also what information do you keep with your service history?

[93Regina]

online car maintenance application

With fleet maintenance, records should be maintained.

But, for those with several vehicles, and a mechanically inclined driver, I would suggest keeping a maintenance log inside glovebox. I'm more for each driver paying attention to their vehicle driven, and learning something about vehicle maintenance.

Do note, I have a Smartphone, and also have a flip-phone, but both are used mainly as cellphones. Hence, I still do things the old fashion way mostly. In the days of "desktop" computers, I use to use programs like Quicken for entry work, like for checking account...but got burned out. I realize Smartphones and software programs can be beneficial, especially as business tools.

Hence, the younger generation might have an interest, but last I knew, they ain't got, or don't want to spend, the bucks for an oil change, and they wait for stuff to happen. I suspect your program might be for a niche...younger generation who are concerned about vehicle maintenance. Yes, these people exist, but most other people are not familiar with automotive concepts....a vehicle is something you insert a key (or press button, etc), and drive...in other words, they lack understandings as to why this or that is done with time. Example, how many people can change a tire?

[velorider]

I like to think good tech should aid me in being better or making life easier. I find individuals perspective on both the younger generation and digital ways of doing "same old thing" very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

But, for those with several vehicles, and a mechanically inclined driver, I would suggest keeping a maintenance log inside glovebox. I'm more for each driver paying attention to their vehicle driven, and learning something about vehicle maintenance.
.
I realize Smartphones and software programs can be beneficial, especially as business tools

I created this not to do "same old thing" digitally, the problem I have is keeping track of when to do something. When I was 16, I did have a small notebook in the glove compartment. What's different now is that I realized, either because of lack of knowledge or diligence I didn't do a lot of maintenance I should have done. 10K miles comes and goes and I still today missed tire rotations. Systems should aid me in being better or making life easier. My motivation building this was to aid me in doing better by help me remember to do something, not to document what I have done.

Hence, the younger generation might have an interest, but last I knew, they ain't got, or don't want to spend, the bucks for an oil change, and they wait for stuff to happen.

To some extend this is true, but to some extend, I think is really lack of knowledge and diligence. Manufacturers have done a good job marketing cost of ownership and as a side effect a lot of things have become a lot less clear. For better or worse life seems to have gotten more complicated then when I was 16, remembering to do things every 10K mile is hard. So just like using a digital calendar to remind me of all my meetings and events I built this to help remind me to do something important to me.


Thanks
John

[93Regina]

lack of knowledge

Bingo....lack of knowledge...without knowledge, sorting the chaff (what needs to be done) from the wheat (what should be done) is impossible.

Some 80% of US workers live from paycheck to paycheck....and for this group, spending $$$ is prioritized. I've seen people adding oil, instead of doing an oil change. When stuff happens, then vehicle gets fixed, or taken to salvage yard, etc. Point here, do they really want to know about preventative maintenance? It cost money...really.

Volvo's previous maintenance schedules (I'm not aware of current writings) were good, but normally, once OEM warranty expires, most people do not take older vehicles to their local dealers, and most do not follow maintenance schedules, due to $$$ expenditures, along with ignorance.

On a farm, I maintain a small fleet of semi-trucks, trailers, and other equipment. All get yearly examinations/maintenance...so no records are needed. But, if I had to maintain a larger fleet, maintenance records would be mandatory.

Yes, there are DIYers who might have an interest in a smartphone app, but those without knowledge are clueless about what's what, and what does it mean. Many people see vehicles as a means of transportation, and prefer not to spend a nickel on them, unless they have to....they don't fully understand the why part (preventive maintenance) when it still works.

I drive to various cities, and need something better than a daily beater...I have to do pm work, cause breaking down 70 miles from home is a pia economically and time-wise.

An oil change app might have an appeal, but I'm clueless about what's available. Newer vehicles will inform users for changing oil, but I have no idea if they pay attention...I'd have to ask those who do oil changes for customers vehicles how often their customers get oil changes done.

[Rattnalle]

Not caring about the vehicle isn't as generation thing. Most people don't regardless of age. It's just a tool to go from a to b. Going to a mechanic when the service interval indicator comes on and trusting them to know what to do is probably the most common way for people to maintain a car.

What's changing at least over here is the interest in having a car in the first place. However it's uncertain at this point whether this is actually a thing or it people just take longer to enter the job market properly and thus they don't feel like they have the money for it as early.

For me personally, and I'm born in the 90s, I just go with milage since even 10' km intervals are easily kept track of for oil changes. Other items according to the Volvo service schedule. That plus anything noted from yearly inspections and just driving the car and getting a feel for what's needed. Then everything's kept track of using an Excel spreadsheet. Every fueling is logged using an app called Spritmonitor, every repair entered. The sheet calculates costs per month, year and km for me. Not because I really need to keep track of money on that level but because I like keeping track. Plus I have a compete service record to go with the receipts of I sell the car.

[Rattnalle]

Regarding the app above. It's a bit unclear but is it possible to add different service items such as the 60000 km spark plugs or 20000 cabin air filter so that you get a notification of the different items to be done at each interval? Would be convenient compared to having to find and read the service schedule at each interval.

[matthew1]

John,

This is amazingly cool looking, and I'd be happy to use it. The utility and potential market for this is off the charts.

If you want to host it on a "droplet" at Digital Ocean and offer it here, perhaps at a subdomain like maintenance.matthewsvolvosite.com, I'd be thrilled and would be happy to style it.

I was about 7/10ths of the way in 2011 to fielding a maintenance log here at MVS, integrated with the (admittedly old/awful) forum user system. I ran out of enthusiasm while in the pit of phpBB integration despair, and never got back to it.

I'll try to find the db tables/fields I had set up and post them here.

[matthew1]

BTW, MVS now runs on a DO droplet, and I'd be happy to throw another on my account.

[velorider]

Regarding the app above. It's a bit unclear but is it possible to add different service items such as the 60000 km spark plugs or 20000 cabin air filter so that you get a notification of the different items to be done at each interval? Would be convenient compared to having to find and read the service schedule at each interval.

Yes, the main purpose is to notify me when something is due. You enter mileage at each gas fill up and if something is due it notifies you. You can create whatever service schedule you want; oil change every 5K or 12 months or tire rotation every 10K, wax every 12 months. When you enter your mileage at the gas station if something is due it will tell you. You can either mark it completed then or later from the main screen after you complete the work.

From the feedback, it's clear I need to better convey that this isn't a maintenance log, like a notebook or excel would be. It's primary purpose is to tell users when a service is due. Much like the "Service Soon Message" on the dash, but that has a very limited scope. As a side affect it happens to keep a maintenance log, but it purpose is to proactively notify users when a service is due.

[Rattnalle]

Great. Also I'm guessing it's inherently unit-neutral so that as long as I use the same units all the time the app doesn't really care what they are? For us SI guys. Wouldn't be an issue unless you started saving schedules for different cars as presets, I'm guessing.