Published 2026-09-26
Build a timeline from the papers you have, including the gaps.
Service history is the maintenance log read over years. The difference is the question. A log asks what to write today. A history asks what this car has already been through, and what you cannot prove.
Shops change. Owners change. The history that matters is the one you can still open.
01
Invoices, a dealer book, inspection certificates, and photos of windshield stickers. Put them in date order before you type anything.
02
Each row needs a reason to exist: a document, or a visit you remember clearly enough to name the job and the year. Mark uncertainty in the note.
03
A missing year is information. Do not smooth the timeline so it looks like the car was serviced on schedule.
04
The history you can control is the next invoice. Log it the day you get it, while the odometer on the paper still matches the car.
Ask the seller for invoices, not for a verbal promise. Enter those documents first. If the seller says the clutch was done and there is no paper, you may note it as unverified. Do not present it as fact.
A pre-purchase inspection is its own row if you have the report. It tells you the condition on that date. It is not a service.
They ask about oil, brakes, tires, the timing belt or chain if the car has one, major repairs, and accidents. Your history does not need every washer fluid top-up. It does need the expensive and the safety-related work.
RPMBase keeps this as a private timeline for your car. It is not a public listing and it does not replace the original invoices.
No. Keep the invoice. The log is your index. The paper is the proof.
If you have the invoice, add it as work done to the car. If you only have a story, say so in the note.
