Booking in a vehicle: the details a job card starts with

What does a workshop write down first?

Three things: who the customer is, which vehicle it is, and what's wrong or what's been asked for.

One maker's booking guide, checked on 9 November 2026, tells staff to collect, "at a minimum", the customer's name, mobile number, the registration number and the service requested¹. For an existing customer, it says to verify at least their mobile number and vehicle details¹. In some countries the registration is called the "rego" or the number plate. It's the same thing.

Why the mobile number?

Because the workshop will need to reach the customer during the job. Approvals, questions and "your car's ready" messages all go to that number. The approvals page covers what gets recorded when a customer says yes.

How do vehicle details get filled in?

Typing every detail by hand invites mistakes. Some software offers a lookup. The same maker's guide describes a Vehicle Check tool, used from the registration number "to confirm make, model, and year"¹.

What a lookup returns, and which countries it works in, depends on the product and the local vehicle database. Check the maker's own documentation for your country.

A printed card from the same maker shows how much vehicle detail a card can hold. It lists year, make and model, fuel type, transmission, odometer, engine number, colour, VIN and chassis number². You don't need all of it for every job. Registration plus make and model is enough to know which car is which.

Where does the fault go?

Into a notes field. In the booking guide, the service requested goes into the internal job notes, with at least the estimated type of service¹. Another maker's help page lists "reported issues" among the things that can be added to a card at its first stage, along with parts, labour and inspection reports³.

A useful habit is to write the fault in the customer's own words, then the technician's findings separately. That's a suggestion, not something the makers require. It keeps "it makes a noise when I brake" apart from "worn front pads".

What about mileage and drop-off time?

Mileage records how far the car had travelled when it arrived. One maker's page mentions "logging in the millage when the vehicle first entered your shop" (its spelling)³. The printed card in the other maker's system has fields for drop-off and pick-up date and time, taken from the booking².

Note that the second maker's printed card leaves the odometer blank on purpose, so someone writes it in by hand². Always check how your own software treats it.

What else is worth checking at booking-in?

Notes from earlier visits. The booking guide says to check the customer and vehicle card. "There may be important notes, such as special requests or past issues, that you need to be aware of"¹.

It also suggests allocating a technician at booking, because even if the person changes later, "this helps with capacity planning"¹. That ties into the workshop board.