4 Useful Tools For Tracking Your RV Maintenance

Maintenance is something every RV owner should keep track of for several reasons. Most importantly, it will keep your RV in safe working condition and prevent expensive problems later on down the road. It also helps to have your maintenance records organized if you ever wish to rent or sell your motorhome, truck, or toad.

The problem is, RVs are both vehicles and homes, and that means there are more tasks to check routinely than your average car. Trying to keep track of all the Post-It note reminders and important documents can turn into an unorganized mess very quickly.

The seemingly endless parts of an RV that require routine maintenance. Photo via RV LIFE Maintenance

Digital tools make it easier to organize your records and stay up-to-date on what needs to be taken care of next. These websites and apps are designed to help RVers keep track of vehicle maintenance as well as other important tasks.

1. RV LIFE Maintenance

The dashboard on RV LIFE Maintenance

You can also track expenses and fuel consumption to compare how much you’re using over one trip, the whole camping season, or the lifetime of your RV. An online maintenance and fuel log can be viewed any time as well as organized custom reports. Important documents like warranties, registration, and receipts can also be uploaded and managed easily.

Pros:

• Can be used for more than just your RV (up to 3 vehicles)
• Allows you to upload documents, receipts, and photos (up to 1 GB) for better record-keeping
• Sends e-mail reminders to keep you up-to-date on what needs to be done
• Makes it easy to track expenses and view insights on your fuel consumption
• The dashboard is well-organized and easy to read
• Provides custom, comprehensive reports
• Includes automatic pre-loaded maintenance schedules

Cons:

• Membership is not free, but it is very affordable at only $40 for the whole year. And there’s a free 30-day trial!
• No phone app yet, however, the site is mobile-friendly.

2. Fuelly

Fuelly makes it easy to track gas mileage and fuel costs for cars, trucks, SUVs, and motorcycles. It’s free to use on their website, through the apps (Fuelly on iOS, also known as aCar on Android devices), or by texting in every time you fuel up.

Fuelly – Photo via Hiveminer

You can set up multiple vehicles in your account’s Garage, along with time and mileage-based service reminders. Not only can you log in fuel-ups, but also maintenance, services, accidents, expenses, and other notes that you won’t want to lose.

Pros:

• Free to use
• Fill-ups can easily be logged in through text message, the free apps, or on the website
• Get service reminders when things are coming due, like an oil change
• Provides custom reports to give you a better idea of your costs and how your vehicle is performing
• The reports and graphs make all of your data easy to read
• Users can join the discussion, get tips, and find answers on the community support and forums
• Can be used for your car, truck, motorcycle, ATV, or even snowmobiles

Cons:

• Not RV-specific
• More focused on gas mileage and expenses than other maintenance tasks

3. Simply Auto

Simply Auto, formerly known as Fuel Buddy, is available in the Free Version, the Gold Version, and the Platinum Version. Like Fuelly, it is also geared more towards cars and trucks than motorhomes.

The free version allows you to log in all of your fuel-ups, services, and expenses. The two upgraded versions can also generate reports, allow you to access the data on the web (not just on the app), and attach receipts for gas or service repairs.

Pros:

• Log in your fill-ups, services, and expenses
• Track mileage
• Set up service reminders
• Back up your data on the Cloud
• Data can be synced across multiple devices
• There is a free version, however it does not include as many features as the Gold or Platinum versions
• Upgraded versions allow you to upload receipts as well as generate reports

Cons:

• Designed for cars and trucks—Not specific to RVs
• To access data on the web, you need to have the app downloaded and also have the Gold or Premium version
• Gold version is $4.99 (one-time payment), the Premium version is $10/year

4. Calendar entries, Excel spreadsheets

Of course, you can always track maintenance and important dates on your calendar(s) or on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Utilizing the calendar on your phone or email is completely free and it can be synced across different devices. It also gives you the ability to set up custom reminders a few hours before something is due, a day or two, or even a couple weeks before.

Set up reminders on your calendar

Microsoft Excel is not free, however, it is available on most new computers and tablets, and worth the download from Microsoft if you don’t have it already. It can be used to log in expenses, miles, and more.

The downside to using calendars and spreadsheets is that they don’t provide you with easy-to-read reports and graphs like other tools. If you would like statistics, such as how many times you’ve filled up in the last month, or the average price per fuel-up, you will need to do the math with your data manually.

Pros:

• Completely customizable
• Calendars are free to use
• Phone/email calendars can set up reminders
• Digital calendars can be synced across multiple devices

Cons:

• More labor intensive—Does not provide custom reports or graphs
• Microsoft Excel, if you do not already own it, is $130 from Microsoft (one-time purchase)
• The data is not as easy to read

See also: Three Tips to Help You Tackle Annual RV Maintenance Jobs

Fuelly and RV LIFE Maintenance are part of the RV LIFE Network owned by Social Knowledge

Nikki Cleveland

Nikki is the Managing Editor for Do It Yourself RV, RV LIFE, and Camper Report. She is based on the Oregon Coast and has traveled all over the Pacific Northwest in a converted camper van. Visit her Linktree at linktr.ee/nikkicleveland.