Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.
Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.
Summary
Every vehicle comes with a maintenance schedule, and that schedule is really two schedules: a normal one, and a severe (or "special conditions") one for drivers who make a lot of short trips, drive a lot of stop-and-go city traffic, tow a trailer, or drive in extreme heat or cold. Most people who meet those conditions have never heard the term "severe service" and default to the normal schedule without ever checking which one is meant for them. This page shows you how to find your own vehicle's schedule, read the manufacturer's own definition of severe conditions to work out which schedule actually applies to how you drive, and write the answer down against today's odometer reading and date so you can see, at a glance, what maintenance is genuinely due.
What this page will not do is print a mileage figure or a time interval, because both are specific to the vehicle: the make, the model, the model year, and sometimes the engine and the trim. Toyota's own guidance is blunt about it: "your owner's manual will tell you when your recommended services should happen." Ford's support site makes the same point from the other side: "for more information about recommended maintenance, refer to your Owner's Manual under Scheduled Maintenance." So this page carries the method and the record format only. The numbers come from your own vehicle's manual.
Necessary equipment
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| Owner's manual (paper or digital) | The manual states the maintenance schedule for the vehicle. |
| Notebook or spreadsheet | The record must be legible after several years. |
| Internet access optional | Use this tool to find a digital copy of the manual. |
| Camera or phone optional | Use the camera to photograph the odometer reading. |
Find the maintenance schedule
Estimated 6 min to 11 min
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
- Find the owner's manual for the vehicle.2mReport a problem with step 1, Find the maintenance schedule
- The manual is usually in the glove compartment.
- Some manufacturers publish a digital copy on their own website.
- Open the section titled Scheduled Maintenance.1mReport a problem with step 2, Find the maintenance schedule
- This section has a different title in each manual.
- Read the table of contents of the manual.
- If you do not have the printed manual, search the website of the manufacturer.3mReport a problem with step 3, Find the maintenance schedule
- Enter the vehicle identification number of the vehicle.
- Enter the model year and the model name if you do not have the identification number.
Choose the correct schedule
Estimated 4 min to 6 min
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
- Read the definition of the severe schedule in the manual.2mReport a problem with step 1, Choose the correct schedule
Do not use a general list of severe conditions.
Each manufacturer has different conditions for its own severe schedule.
- Compare each condition on the list with how you use the vehicle.2mReport a problem with step 2, Choose the correct schedule
- Short trips, dust and extreme temperature can appear on the list.
- The manual states the exact distance or the exact temperature for each condition.
- If a condition matches how you use the vehicle, use the severe schedule.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Choose the correct schedule
- If no condition matches, use the normal schedule.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Choose the correct schedule
Build the maintenance record
Estimated 9 min to 16 min
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
- Make a table for the maintenance record.3mReport a problem with step 1, Build the maintenance record
- Give the table a column for each maintenance item.
- Give the table a column for the distance interval.
- Give the table a column for the time interval.
- Give the table a column for the last service date of each item.
- Give the table a column for the last odometer reading of each item.
- Copy each item from the correct schedule into the table.5mReport a problem with step 2, Build the maintenance record
- Copy the distance interval for each item.
- Copy the time interval for each item.
STOP THE VEHICLE IN A SAFE PLACE BEFORE YOU READ THE ODOMETER.
A vehicle in motion can crash and injure the driver or another person.
- Read the current odometer reading.<1mReport a problem with step 3, Build the maintenance record
- The odometer is on the instrument panel.
- Write the current odometer reading in the table.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Build the maintenance record
- Write today's date in the table.<1mReport a problem with step 5, Build the maintenance record
Find what is due now
Estimated 6 min to 8 min
Do not use only one interval for an item.
Compare the distance interval and the time interval for every item.
- Compare the current odometer reading with the distance interval for each item.2mReport a problem with step 1, Find what is due now
- Compare today's date with the time interval for each item.2mReport a problem with step 2, Find what is due now
- If an item reaches one interval, mark it due now.1mReport a problem with step 3, Find what is due now
- List the items due now in a separate part of the table.1mReport a problem with step 4, Find what is due now
Keep the record
Estimated 2 min to 4 min (partly estimated)
Keep the record in a private place.
The record shows the vehicle identification number and the mileage history of the vehicle.
- Keep the record in two locations.2mReport a problem with step 1, Keep the record
- Keep one copy with the documents of the vehicle.
- Keep one copy outside the vehicle or in an online account.
- Update the table after each completed maintenance item.Report a problem with step 2, Keep the record
- Write the date when you complete the item.
- Write the odometer reading when you complete the item.
- If you sell the vehicle, give the record to the new owner.Report a problem with step 3, Keep the record
- Repeat this procedure at each service visit.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Keep the record
Terminology
This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.
- maintenance schedule
- Also called: service schedule, service interval chart, maintenance interval chart, car service schedule
- severe service schedule
- Also called: severe condition schedule, special operating conditions, heavy duty schedule, harsh conditions schedule, severe duty schedule
- odometer reading
- Also called: mileage, car mileage, miles on the car, odometer number
- owner's manual
- Also called: car manual, vehicle handbook, glove box manual, owners manual
- maintenance record
- Also called: service record, service log, maintenance log, car maintenance history, repair record
When to use a professional
This procedure only finds and records the schedule. It is not a repair.
Take the vehicle to a qualified technician for any item marked due. Ask the technician to make sure of the correct part before a repair.
If you cannot find the maintenance schedule for the vehicle, stop. Contact the manufacturer or an authorized dealer for a copy.
Common questions
What maintenance is due on my car right now?
There is no single answer that works for every car, which is exactly why this page teaches a method instead of printing a table. Find your vehicle's own schedule, read the current odometer reading and today's date, and compare both against the distance interval and the time interval for each item. An item is due at whichever interval comes first, so a car driven very little can still have a time-based item come due before the mileage catches up.
What is a severe service schedule?
Most owner's manuals actually contain two maintenance schedules: a normal one and a shorter, more frequent "severe" or "special conditions" one. Manufacturers commonly list towing, frequent short trips, dusty roads, extreme heat or cold, and heavy stop-and-go driving as reasons the severe schedule may apply, though the exact list and the exact distances differ by manufacturer. Toyota's support content, for one example, ties a shorter transmission fluid interval to "towing or hauling, frequent exposure to severe weather conditions, stop-and-go traffic." Read your own manual's list rather than assuming a generic one applies.
Where do I find my car's maintenance schedule by mileage?
Start with the owner's manual, usually in the glove compartment, under a heading like "Scheduled Maintenance." If you no longer have the printed copy, most manufacturers publish a digital version on their own website that you can look up using your vehicle identification number, or your model year and model name.
Do I drive under severe conditions?
Possibly, and more people qualify than expect to. Read the exact list your manufacturer publishes and compare it, condition by condition, against how you actually drive, rather than guessing from a general list you found somewhere else. If even one listed condition genuinely describes your driving, the severe schedule is the one meant for your vehicle.
Why should I keep a car service interval record?
A written record is the only way to know, at a glance, what has actually been done and what is actually due, instead of relying on memory or a dashboard light. It also has resale value: Toyota's own guidance notes that "a well-maintained car with up-to-date records attracts a better resale price," and Ford's support content advises owners to "keep all receipts for completed maintenance with your vehicle" for the same reason.
What if I don't have my car's paper owner's manual anymore?
Search the manufacturer's own website using your vehicle identification number, or your model year and model name, since most manufacturers publish a digital copy of the manual and the maintenance schedule. If you cannot find a digital copy, contact the manufacturer or an authorized dealer directly for a replacement.
Related procedures
- How to change the engine air filter in your car
- How to reset the service light, oil change light or maintenance required light on a car after an oil change
- Check an automatic transmission fluid level, or establish that the transmission is sealed and has no dipstick
- How to change the cabin air filter in a car when the air conditioning smells or barely blows
- How to check your engine oil and work out what oil your car takes
- How to check your tire pressure and put the right amount of air in your tires
- How to find and record the model and serial number of every appliance in the house
- How to find your car's VIN number and check if it has an open recall
Sources
Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.
- Tier 1Basic Car Maintenance Tips & Services Checklist
- Tier 1How Often Should You Change Your Transmission Fluid?
- Tier 1How do I maintain my gas or diesel Ford vehicle?
- Tier 1Consumer Advisory: NHTSA Offers Summer Safety Road Tips
Revision history
Current version 1 · updated 2026-08-04 · next review due 2027-08-04
- v1 · 2026-08-04First draft. Method and record format only; no mileage or time interval is published as a verified value, per the backlog note that every interval is specific to the vehicle. Sourced from Toyota Motor Sales and Ford Motor Company manufacturer support documentation and one NHTSA consumer advisory, all read and quoted directly.
Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.
Comments and corrections
Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.
Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.