Car Service Checklist: Minor, Logbook and Major Service (Free Printable)

A car service checklist is the list your workshop works through and hands the customer after a service, so they can see what was done, what was found, and what is coming. Below are free printable checklists for a minor service, a logbook service and a major service, plus a maintenance checklist for the owner and a service schedule by kilometres. All PDF and Word, on A4.

Which car service checklist do you need?

Situation	Use this checklist	What is on it
The regular service, most cars, most of the time	Minor (Basic) Service	Oil and filter, fluids, filters checked, safety check, sticker, logbook stamp, health check report to the customer.
Servicing to the manufacturer’s schedule, logbook stamped	Logbook Service	The interval’s items copied from the logbook, the always items, the if-due items, the stamp.
Every third or fourth service, or by kilometres	Major Service	Everything in a minor, plus plugs, fuel and air filters, coolant, brake fluid, gearbox and diff oils if scheduled, full inspection.
To hand the customer with the invoice	Maintenance Checklist and Service Schedule	What the owner can check monthly and before a trip; typical intervals by km; a service record table.

Minor (basic) service checklist

The service most cars get most of the time. Engine oil and filter with the sump plug washer replaced; coolant, brake, power steering and washer fluids checked and topped up; engine and cabin air filters checked; battery tested and terminals cleaned; belts, hoses and leaks looked at; tyres set to placard pressure with tread measured and a rotation if due; brakes looked at through the wheel; lights, wipers, horn and seat belts; steering, suspension and exhaust by eye; a road test. Then the service indicator reset, the service due sticker on the windscreen, the logbook stamped, and the health check report handed over.

The last line is the one that matters commercially. A service the customer cannot see is a service they think was expensive.

Logbook servicing checklist: the manufacturer’s schedule

In Australia, service usually means logbook service: the items the manufacturer lists for this interval, at this odometer reading, stamped in the service logbook. The interval and the items are manufacturer-specific. Commonly every 10,000 km or 6 months, or 15,000 km or 12 months, whichever comes first, with a major every third or fourth visit, but the book for the car in front of you is the only one that counts.

The logbook service checklist above is built around that: a box to copy the interval and the items from the logbook, the specified oil grade and capacity, the parts used with brand and part number, then the always items and the if-due items, and the finish: indicator reset, sticker, logbook stamped, dated and signed with the odometer reading, or the digital service record updated for makes without a paper book.

Major service checklist: the extra items

A major service is a minor service plus the replacement items that come due by kilometres: spark plugs on petrol engines, the fuel filter or water separator on diesels, coolant drained and replaced, brake fluid flushed, transmission fluid and diff or transfer case oil where scheduled, drive belt if due, timing belt by the book’s kilometres or years, whichever comes first. And a full inspection with the wheels off: pads and discs measured in mm, tyres measured and rotated, alignment checked, suspension and steering, CV boots, wheel bearings, grease points on utes and 4WDs, exhaust and mounts, a battery load test, cooling system pressure test, and a diagnostic scan.

Finish the same way, with one addition: the recommended work not done, quoted, on the card. That is where the next job comes from.

Car service maintenance schedule: typical intervals by kilometres

A planning guide, not a rule: intervals vary by make, engine and driving conditions, and the manufacturer’s service book always takes precedence. For a modern petrol or diesel car, this is what typically comes due:

Interval	What is typically done
Every 10,000 km or 6 months	Engine oil and filter; tyre pressures and rotation; brake and fluid check; lights, wipers, battery.
Every 15,000 km or 12 months	Minor service plus engine and cabin air filters; brake pads measured; safety inspection.
Every 30,000 km	Above plus fuel filter if serviceable; brake fluid flush; wheel alignment check; drive belt inspection.
Every 40,000 to 60,000 km	Major service: spark plugs, coolant, transmission fluid if scheduled, diff oil, full inspection.
Every 80,000 to 100,000 km	Above plus timing belt if fitted, by kilometres; water pump often done with it; suspension bushes reviewed.
100,000 km and beyond	Repeat the cycle; cooling system pressure test; battery (typically 3 to 5 years); shocks and struts reviewed.

The car service schedule download above is this table with a service record grid underneath, so the customer can keep it in the glovebox. Short trips, towing, dust and stop-start traffic shorten every interval on it.

What is not in a service, and gets quoted separately

The checklist is where the misunderstanding starts if you let it. A service inspects the brakes; it does not replace the pads. It measures the tyres; it does not fit new ones. It tests the battery; it does not supply one. Wiper blades, bulbs, a leaking hose, a worn belt: found during the service, quoted separately, done with the customer’s approval. The Advise column on every checklist above exists for exactly that, and the job card with additional-work authorisation is where the approval gets recorded.

Say this at booking-in, in one sentence, while you do the booking-in damage check: the service covers these items; anything we find gets quoted before we touch it. It saves the conversation at pick-up.

Car maintenance checklist for the owner

The second handout. What the owner can check monthly (tyre pressures, tread, oil and coolant levels, washer fluid, lights, wipers), every three months (brake and power steering fluid, battery terminals, belts and hoses), before a long trip, and the signs that mean book the workshop: a warning light that stays on, brake noise or a long pedal, steering that pulls, overheating, oil on the driveway. It turns the customer into an early-warning system for the work you want to see first.

Why hand the customer the completed checklist

Because the ticked sheet with the numbers on it is the difference between a service and a bill. Tread 4 mm, pads 6 mm, battery 12.6 V and passed: the customer sees what was checked and what was fine. Tread 2.5 mm on the rear, advise: the customer sees why next visit is tyres, and books it. The car maintenance checklist and the service schedule are the two handouts that go with it: what the owner can check monthly, and when the next service is due by kilometres.

Paper checklists or workshop software?

Paper works, and the checklists above are as good as any software’s template. What software adds is the part after the service: the next service due recorded against the rego, the reminder when it comes round, and the last service’s Advise items in the history when the rego is typed in. That is where the follow-up work comes from without anyone remembering to chase it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a minor service, a logbook service and a major service?

A minor (basic) service is oil and filter, fluids topped up, filters checked and a safety check. A logbook service is whatever the manufacturer’s service schedule lists for that interval, stamped in the logbook; it may be minor or major depending on the interval. A major service adds the replacement items: spark plugs, fuel filter, coolant, brake fluid, and gearbox or diff oils where scheduled, plus a full inspection with measurements.

How often should a car be serviced?

Follow the manufacturer’s schedule in the logbook: commonly every 10,000 km or 6 months, or 15,000 km or 12 months, whichever comes first, with a major every three or four services. Short trips, towing, dust and stop-start traffic shorten the interval. The service schedule download is a planning guide, not a substitute for the book.

Does a logbook service have to be done at the dealer to keep the warranty?

Independent workshops service cars under warranty every day. The general position is that the service has to follow the manufacturer’s schedule, use appropriate parts and fluids, be done by qualified staff, and be recorded properly. Check the current ACCC guidance and the vehicle’s warranty terms rather than taking anyone’s word for it, including ours.

What is included in a basic car service?

Engine oil and filter, fluids checked and topped up, engine and cabin air filters checked, battery tested, belts, hoses and leaks looked at, tyres set to placard pressure with tread measured, brakes looked at through the wheel, lights, wipers, horn and seat belts, a road test, the service indicator reset, the logbook stamped and the sticker fitted. Anything found is quoted separately.

Can I add my workshop name and logo?

Yes. The Word versions are editable; replace the workshop name line, add your logo and ABN, save. The PDFs print on A4.