We all know that a well maintained car lasts longer, is safer, and most likely gets better gas mileage. However, I think that most of us know very little about our vehicles maintenance schedules. Sure, we're all worried about wasting money on our car so many people go the route of DIY car maintenance. Others simply ignore everything and wait for a complete breakdown.

So how do you keep informed on what you should be doing? If you are like my father (which I doubt) you have memorized the owner's manual that came with the car and created a table on graph paper indicating what needs to be done and when. This is far from efficient when there are sites like Service Beacon willing to handle it.

Service Beacon tracks everything for you and will eventually go as far as scheduling an appointment for you at the dealer or service center you choose. After entering basic vehicle information (make, model, year, etc.), Service Beacon will begin reminding you each month of the maintenance events that are due. Here is a quick blurb from their site:

"ServiceBeacon makes taking care of your car easier than ever. Let ServiceBeacon remind you when it is time for service and what specific service your car needs. ServiceBeacon also enables you to easily keep your service history and records up to date in electronic form - no more little pieces of paper in your glove compartment. Finally, ServiceBeacon eliminates the hassle of getting the right service: book exactly the service your car needs online with your dealer via ServiceBeacon, or use the service printout option so that you can bring your requirements with you."

To me this is a no-brainer. I know very little about cars and quite honestly I never know when that Jiffy Lube guy is trying to up sell me with a service I really don't need.

Check it out for yourself at Service Beacon.