Maintenance History

A maintenance history is the complete, dated record of every service, repair and inspection carried out on a vehicle throughout its life. Each entry states what was done, when, at what mileage, by which garage and at what cost. Kept up to date, it becomes the reference used to analyse costs, prove compliance and make repair-or-replace decisions.

What a good entry contains

• Date and mileage at the time of the job.
• Type of work: scheduled service, repair after a fault, tyres, bodywork, inspection.
• Supplier: garage or technician, with the invoice attached.
• Parts and labour with their cost.
• Origin of the job: due date, fault code, driver report or accident.

Without the origin and the mileage, an entry tells you what was paid but not why, which limits its value for analysis.

Why it matters for a business fleet

• True cost per vehicle: repair and service costs feed the vehicle TCO calculation and future purchasing choices.
• Repair or replace: repeated failures on one vehicle, or on one model across the fleet, show when to stop repairing.
• Audits and duty of care: a verifiable record shows that required maintenance and inspections were done.
• Warranty and disputes: dated proof of servicing supports claims with manufacturers, leasers and insurers.
• Resale and lease returns: a complete record reassures the next owner and reduces disputes.

Paper file, logbook or software

Paper booklets get lost and spreadsheets drift out of date. A digital maintenance logbook or a CMMS stores each job as structured data, so the history of one vehicle, one model or one garage can be filtered in seconds. The key is to close every job properly rather than leaving the record to be completed later.

How Dadycar helps

Dadycar, a French fleet management software, builds the maintenance history as the work is done. Each work order stores the garage, date, mileage, cost and documents. Telematics, without a box on compatible connected vehicles, records real mileage and fault codes, so each entry has an accurate reading. Supplier management, the documents module and reports let the team compare costs per vehicle or per garage, and the history stays attached to the vehicle until it leaves the fleet.

FAQ

How long should a vehicle maintenance history be kept?
At least for as long as the vehicle is in the fleet, and it should be handed over or archived when the vehicle is sold or returned.

Who should update the history?
Whoever closes the job: the fleet manager, the garage or the driver, as long as each entry has date, mileage and invoice.

Is the history useful for maintenance planning?
Yes. It shows which jobs recur and how long they take, which feeds maintenance planning.