Car Fuel and Maintenance Log

In the age where haste is a requirement, we're not only constantly looking for methods to finish tasks in the nick of time, but also travel faster. However, time is money and if you happen to own a vehicle you know what it's all about. For managing your funds a little better, computer applications like Car Fuel and Maintenance Log let you keep an eye on consumption and maybe leave a little extra cash in your pocket at the end of the day.

There's no need to go through a setup process because the application is ready to go as soon as it's downloaded. This is a neat advantage, giving you the possibility to store it along with records on a removable Flash drive and work on the go. System registries also remain intact, thus not having a major impact neither on your machine's health status, nor system resources.

Taking a closer look reveal that it's not really what you'd expect. Most tasks fall in your responsibility, with little to no automated processes whatsoever. On the other hand, this makes it easy to add new entries, especially because of the simple overall design.

You can keep a large database of logs because the application doesn't limit you to a single vehicle. These are easily selectable through a drop-down menu, but you first need to add at least one entry. Keep in mind that you need to store database files in the same directory, otherwise they are not detected, nor can you open external ones.

During the creation process you won't find any custom fields, nor the possibility to add them. However, most steps are equipped with a “Notes” field for additional information. Adding a new vehicle is a walk in the park and you only need to write down name, make and model, after which you are free to simply update the vehicle's profile with fuel and maintenance logs.

Both areas tracked by the application display items in a table structured with fields you are required to fill in. These refer to cost, distance, amount, odometer reading, date and a few more. It's possible to sort them according to criteria mentioned above, but export options are nowhere to be found.

Upcoming maintenance schedules are displayed in the dashboard, as well as several details and statistics regarding fuel consumption over time. Sadly enough, every bit of info can only be accessed through the application, because of the lack of export options. Moreover, there aren't any notifications and if you rely on alerts, you risk of missing appointments.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that Car Fuel and Maintenance Log is a lightweight application best used with personal cars, but even so, practicality is a bit questionable. This is because of the simplicity that tends to be an obstacle rather than a helping aspect. The most impact is delivered by the lack of export options, which might make you look for alternatives.