Does a service history increase resale value? What to keep, and how

Yes. A complete, dated service history with receipts is the strongest argument a private seller has, and it works the same way for cars, motorcycles, RVs, and boats. A vehicle whose past a buyer can read is easier to sell and harder to argue down. The good news is that keeping one takes seconds per service.

What a buyer is really asking is "has this been looked after?" A folder of receipts answers it better than any description. It proves the oil was changed on schedule, shows which shop did the brakes and when, and turns "new tires recently" into a date, a brand and a price. A vehicle with no history is priced as if the worst was skipped, because the buyer cannot tell.

What to capture for every service:

• The receipt itself. Photograph it the moment you get it, before it fades or ends up in a glovebox. Thermal-paper receipts turn blank within a year or two, so the photo is the copy that survives.
• The date and the odometer or engine hours. Together they are the timeline. A reading with every entry also feeds your reminders and reports.
• Where it was done. The shop's name, and the location if you might need to find it again for a warranty claim or a comeback.
• What went in. Part numbers, the oil grade and quantity, the tire size and brand. The notes field is for exactly this, and future you will thank present you.
• The cost, even when it was zero. A warranty repair or a recall still belongs in the history, and "free" is worth recording.

Check it yourself: open Maintano, pick the vehicle in your Garage, and add a log entry. Choose the category, set the date and the reading, then tap "Add a photo of the receipt" and take the picture right there. Type the shop name in the place field, or find it on the map so the location is stored with the entry. Add the part numbers in the notes and save. That is the whole routine, and it is faster than filing the paper.

Start with the next service, not the whole past. Log it with the receipt and the reading, and the history builds itself from there.