Keep a useful vehicle condition and service history

Photograph the vehicle safely while parked and record the date, mileage, visible condition, warning indicators and known concerns. Keep repair invoices, maintenance records and completion checks. Do not crawl beneath an unsupported vehicle or dismantle components to collect a photograph.

When to update your record

Review the record regularly, for example every six months, and after repairs, new damage, equipment changes or a significant change in condition. Add a dated update and preserve earlier documents. A photograph of yesterday’s condition does not establish today’s condition.

Why it can matter after a future loss

Dated records help distinguish pre-existing damage from a later incident and show when an earlier concern was repaired. Unrepaired damage or mechanical problems may affect the condition information used in a later vehicle valuation. Service spending is not automatically added dollar-for-dollar to vehicle value, and records do not guarantee a higher settlement. Auto Care 1 Stop supplies technical records; questions about coverage or legal rights belong with the appropriate qualified professional.

Your private record and your choices

With your consent, Auto Care 1 Stop stores your entries and selected files for future assessment or repair discussions. Personal plans expire two years after the last confirmed vehicle update unless linked to an active case hold. Update notices are attempted 30 and 7 days before expiry. Keep your own copies. You may request deletion through the shop. Marking a vehicle sold removes it from your account and archives its vehicle identity as unassigned; it does not give a new owner access to your personal records.

Create or recover your private vehicle record →

Accident preparation and collision concerns

The blank accident playbook provides instructions and a worksheet. A completed saved record documents customer-provided information. For accident preparation, collision assessment or a suspected total loss, visit our collision-repair referral:

CR1stop accident playbook · Download the blank CR1stop PDF · Collision and total-loss assessment