Creating Maintenance Records - Log Repairs and Service

Overview

Maintenance records track all repairs, service, and preventive maintenance performed on assets. Logging maintenance helps you monitor asset health, track costs, and ensure compliance with maintenance schedules.

Maintenance Types

UniAsset supports three maintenance types:

1. Corrective Maintenance (Reactive)

When: Asset breaks or malfunctions

Examples:

• Laptop screen cracked → Repair
• Vehicle won't start → Diagnose and fix
• HVAC unit not cooling → Service call
• Printer paper jam → Clear jam, adjust rollers

Characteristics:

• Unplanned
• Triggered by failure
• Often more expensive than preventive
• Downtime risk

2. Preventive Maintenance (PM)

When: Scheduled service to prevent failures

Examples:

• Oil change every 3,000 miles (vehicle)
• Air filter replacement quarterly (HVAC)
• Antivirus update monthly (laptops)
• Calibration annually (medical devices)

Characteristics:

• Planned/scheduled
• Proactive (prevents breakdowns)
• Lower cost than emergency repairs
• Minimizes downtime

See Preventive Maintenance Rules for automated scheduling.

3. Inspection

When: Routine checks without repairs

Examples:

• Safety inspection (required by regulation)
• Visual inspection (looking for wear/damage)
• Performance testing
• Compliance audit

Characteristics:

• No parts replaced (usually)
• May identify issues requiring corrective maintenance
• Often compliance-driven

Creating a Maintenance Record

From Asset Detail Page

1. Go to Assets → Find asset
2. Click asset name to open detail page
3. Click "Maintenance" tab
4. Click "+ New Maintenance" button
5. Fill out maintenance form (see fields below)
6. Click "Create Maintenance"
7. Record appears in asset's maintenance history

Quick Fields

Required fields:

Type (required)

• Corrective, Preventive, or Inspection
• Select from dropdown

Date (required)

• When was maintenance performed?
• Defaults to today
• Can backdate if logging past maintenance

Description (required)

• What was done?
• Be specific: "Replaced cracked screen, tested display" not just "Repair"
• Include parts used, symptoms resolved, testing performed

Optional but recommended fields:

Technician/Performed By

• Who did the work?
• Internal technician or external vendor
• Example: "Dave Wilson" or "ABC Repair Shop"

Cost

• Total cost of maintenance
• Include labor + parts
• Used for maintenance cost tracking and TCO analysis

Hours

• Labor hours spent
• Used for productivity tracking

Status

• Scheduled, In Progress, Completed
• Defaults to Completed
• Use "Scheduled" for future PM, "In Progress" for ongoing work

Priority

• Low, Medium, High, Critical
• For work order prioritization

Notes

• Additional details, warranty claim info, recommendations

Example: Corrective Maintenance

Asset: Laptop-001 (John Smith's MacBook Pro)
Type: Corrective Maintenance
Date: 2026-01-15
Description: Replaced failed SSD drive (500GB). Cloned data from backup. Tested boot and application performance.
Technician: IT Tech - Mike Johnson
Cost: $150 ($120 part + $30 labor)
Hours: 2
Status: Completed
Priority: High
Notes: Warranty expired. User reported slow boot times for 2 weeks before failure. Recommend enabling Time Machine for all users.

Result: Maintenance logged, cost tracked, recommendation documented.

Example: Preventive Maintenance

Asset: HVAC-Floor5 (Rooftop Unit #3)
Type: Preventive Maintenance
Date: 2026-01-10
Description: Quarterly PM: Replaced air filter, cleaned coils, checked refrigerant levels (normal), tested thermostat calibration. All systems operational.
Technician: ABC HVAC Services
Cost: $250
Hours: 1.5
Status: Completed
Priority: Medium
Notes: Next PM due 2026-04-10. Recommend filter upgrade to MERV 13 for better air quality.

Result: Scheduled PM logged, next due date documented, cost tracked for budgeting.

Example: Inspection

Asset: Forklift-002 (Warehouse Forklift)
Type: Inspection
Date: 2026-01-12
Description: OSHA-required annual safety inspection. Checked brakes (pass), hydraulics (pass), lights (pass), horn (pass), seatbelt (pass). Certificate issued.
Technician: Certified Inspector - John Lee
Cost: $100
Hours: 0.5
Status: Completed
Priority: Low
Notes: Certificate valid until 2027-01-12. Minor hydraulic leak noted, monitor for next month. If worsens, schedule corrective maintenance.

Result: Compliance inspection documented, minor issue flagged for monitoring.

Adding Parts and Consumables

When maintenance uses spare parts from consumables inventory:

Linking Consumables

1. Create maintenance record (as above)
2. In Description, note parts used: "Replaced HVAC filter (20x25x1)"
3. Separately, go to Consumables → "HVAC Filter 20x25x1"
4. Click "Withdraw":
   • Quantity: 1
   • Reason: "Maintenance - Asset #1234 - HVAC Floor 5"
5. Both maintenance record and consumable withdrawal logged

Cross-reference: Maintenance description mentions part, consumable withdrawal mentions asset.

Cost tracking: If consumable has cost ($15), add to maintenance Cost field ($15 part + $50 labor = $65 total).

Uploading Documents

Attach invoices, work orders, inspection certificates:

1. Create maintenance record
2. On maintenance detail page, click "Documents" tab
3. Click "Upload Document"
4. Select file (PDF, image, etc.)
5. Add title: "Invoice - ABC Repair Shop"
6. Upload

Document types:

• Invoices
• Work orders
• Inspection certificates
• Warranty claims
• Before/after photos
• Diagnostic reports

Setting Next PM Due Date

For preventive maintenance, log when next PM is due:

1. Create PM record (as usual)
2. In Notes, document next due:

   Next PM due: 2026-04-10 (90 days)
   

3. Optionally, create PM rule to automate (see PM Rules)

Benefit: When reviewing asset, you see last PM and when next is due.

Who Can Create Maintenance

Permissions:

• Owner: Yes
• Admin: Yes
• Manager: Yes
• Viewer: No (read-only, can view maintenance history but not create)

Typically, IT staff, facilities managers, or fleet managers log maintenance.

Viewing Maintenance History

On Asset Detail Page

1. Open asset
2. Click "Maintenance" tab
3. See chronological list of all maintenance

Displayed info:

• Date
• Type (Corrective/Preventive/Inspection)
• Description
• Technician
• Cost
• Status

Sort by: Date (newest first), Cost (highest first), Type

Filtering Maintenance History

Filter by:

• Type: Corrective only, Preventive only, Inspection only
• Date range: Last 30 days, last 6 months, all time
• Status: Completed, Scheduled, In Progress
• Technician: Specific person/vendor

Use cases:

• See all PMs in last year (compliance audit)
• Total corrective maintenance costs (replacement vs repair analysis)
• Work by specific vendor (performance review)

Maintenance Metrics on Dashboard

Dashboard shows:

Maintenance Summary Widget:

• Total maintenance cost (current month)
• Average cost per maintenance event
• Number of pending maintenance tasks
• Assets overdue for PM

Top Maintenance Spenders Widget:

• Assets with highest maintenance costs (current year)
• Helps identify replacement candidates

Bulk Maintenance Logging

If performing same maintenance on multiple assets:

Example: Monthly antivirus updates on 50 laptops

Option 1: Manual (tedious)

• Log maintenance on each laptop individually

Option 2: CSV Import

1. Create CSV with columns:

   Asset Name, Type, Date, Description, Technician, Cost
   Laptop-001, Preventive, 2026-01-15, Antivirus update, IT Team, 0
   Laptop-002, Preventive, 2026-01-15, Antivirus update, IT Team, 0
   ...
   

2. Import via Maintenance → Import CSV
3. All records created at once

Option 3: Notes on Category

• If maintenance is identical across all and no cost, add Note to each asset: "Last antivirus update: 2026-01-15"
• Less detailed but faster

Common Maintenance Workflows

Workflow 1: Laptop Repair

User reports broken screen:

1. Receive request: User submits ticket
2. Diagnose: IT tech confirms screen cracked
3. Order part: Screen replacement kit ($120)
4. Receive part: Restock consumable "Laptop Screen - MacBook Pro 15in"
5. Perform repair: Replace screen, test
6. Log maintenance:
   • Asset: Laptop-045
   • Type: Corrective
   • Description: Replaced cracked LCD screen
   • Cost: $120 part + $30 labor = $150
   • Technician: Mike Johnson
7. Withdraw consumable: "Laptop Screen" qty -1 (Reason: "Repair - Laptop-045")
8. Return to user: Laptop working, maintenance logged

Workflow 2: Vehicle Fleet PM

Monthly oil changes for 10 vehicles:

1. Schedule: 1st of every month
2. Perform service: Fleet vendor changes oil on all vehicles
3. Receive invoice: $500 total ($50 per vehicle)
4. Log maintenance:
   • For each vehicle, create PM record:
     • Type: Preventive
     • Description: Oil change, filter replacement, fluid top-off
     • Cost: $50
     • Technician: XYZ Fleet Services
5. Track: After 12 months, each vehicle shows 12 oil changes in history

Workflow 3: Annual Compliance Inspections

Fire extinguishers must be inspected annually:

1. Identify assets: Filter assets, Category = "Safety Equipment", Name contains "Fire Extinguisher"
2. Hire inspector: Certified fire safety company
3. Inspector tags all extinguishers: Stickers with "Inspected 2026-01-15"
4. Log maintenance:
   • For each extinguisher, create Inspection record:
     • Type: Inspection
     • Description: Annual fire safety inspection - Passed
     • Cost: $25 each
     • Technician: ABC Fire Safety
     • Notes: Certificate valid until 2027-01-15
5. Upload certificate: Inspector provides compliance certificate, upload to first extinguisher asset (or organization documents)
6. Set reminder: Next inspection due 2027-01-15

Troubleshooting

"Maintenance tab not visible on asset"

Check:

• Asset detail page open? (Not consumable)
• Scroll down or check tab bar (may be hidden on small screens)
• Permissions (Viewer can see tab but it's read-only)

"Can't log maintenance cost"

Cost field is optional but recommended.

If disabled/missing:

• Check form - Cost field should be there
• Contact support if missing (possible bug)

"Should I log every tiny maintenance?"

Balance:

• Do log: Significant repairs, PM, compliance inspections, anything costing money
• Skip: Trivial tasks (wiped down laptop, rebooted device)

Rule of thumb: If it costs money, took >15 minutes, or is compliance-related → Log it.

"How do I link maintenance to PM schedule?"

Create PM rule (see PM Rules) that auto-generates maintenance tasks.

When you complete task, mark as Completed. History shows which PMs were completed from schedule.

Best Practices

1. Be Specific in Description

Poor:

• "Fixed printer"

Good:

• "Cleared paper jam in tray 2. Cleaned rollers. Tested 10-page print job successfully."

Why: Future reference (is this same issue?), vendor accountability (did they actually do the work?).

2. Log Immediately After Completion

Don't wait weeks. Log same day.

Why: Details fresh, costs accurate, won't forget.

3. Track All Costs

Even if $0 (warranty repair), log Cost: $0.

Why: Shows maintenance happened, cost covered by warranty (vs. no maintenance).

4. Use Notes for Recommendations

Technician suggests future action? Document in Notes:

Notes: Brake pads at 30% remaining. Recommend replacement within 3 months or 5,000 miles.

Benefit: Proactive scheduling of next maintenance.

5. Photograph Before/After

For major repairs, upload photos:

• Before: Damaged state
• After: Repaired state

Benefit: Visual proof of work, helpful for warranty claims, insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit maintenance after creating?

Yes. Open asset → Maintenance tab → Click maintenance record → Edit.

Update any field (description, cost, etc.), save.

Can I delete maintenance?

Yes, but not recommended.

Why: Deletes audit trail. Better to mark as "Cancelled" in Notes if maintenance didn't happen.

Does logging maintenance affect asset value?

Indirectly. High maintenance costs may indicate:

• Asset nearing end of life (consider replacement)
• Higher TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)

Depreciation separate (based on purchase date/cost, not maintenance).

Can I create maintenance without assigning to asset?

No. Maintenance always linked to specific asset.

If general facility work (not specific asset): Create "Facility" asset, log maintenance there.

How do I track ongoing maintenance?

Set Status = "In Progress" when work starts, change to "Completed" when done.

Example:

• Jan 10: Create maintenance, Status = In Progress, Description: "Laptop sent to depot for motherboard replacement"
• Jan 20: Edit maintenance, Status = Completed, add Cost: $300, update Description: "Motherboard replaced, tested, returned to user"

Related Articles

• Preventive Maintenance Rules - Automate PM scheduling
• Completing Maintenance Tasks - Mark scheduled PM as done
• Maintenance Cost Tracking - Analyze maintenance spending
• Maintenance History - View all maintenance across assets
• Replace vs. Repair Decision - When to retire vs. fix

Need Help?

If you have questions about logging specific maintenance types or integrating with work order systems, contact support for assistance.