Guide

The repair log that wins: what to record at every visit

• Date in, date out. Days out of service are computed from these, in calendar or business days depending on your state.
• The defect, in your words, the same words every time. Write the complaint line yourself if the advisor paraphrases it into something new.
• Odometer in and out. Buyback deductions run on mileage — first-repair miles in most states. The odometer at the trigger visit decides real money in North Carolina, Iowa and Hawaii.
• What was done. Parts replaced, software updated, or 'could not duplicate' — all three count differently, and all three belong in the log.
• Anything you paid. Rentals, towing, and out-of-pocket repairs are collateral or incidental items in most states' refunds. Receipts, not memories.

Two habits separate strong files from weak ones: never leave without the repair order (a 'summary later' is how visits vanish), and send the manufacturer's notice letter while the pattern is completing — not after the window closes. The kit's tracker is this list as a fillable worksheet, including an exportable evidence file you can hand to an arbitrator.

Information, not legal advice. Checked October 23, 2026.