Help

How Motorledger works.

Short answers for every part of the app. Search, or jump to a section.

01

Getting started

#

Sign in #

  1. Open motorledger.co/app, or the iPhone app.
  2. Enter your email. We send a 6-digit code. No password.
  3. Type the code into the six boxes (or paste it). It works once, for an hour.

The same email signs you in on the web and on the phone. Your records stay in sync. To put it on your iPhone's home screen, see On iPhone.

The code works everywhere, including the app on your home screen, which is why it's the code and not only a link: iPhone opens email links in Safari, never in the home-screen app. Under the code, Or open on this device signs in wherever you opened the email, handy on a computer. If you can't type it yet, Send a new code unlocks after 30 seconds.

Sign in with your email

Add a car #

  1. Your first car comes right after sign-in: tap how many cars you look after, then Scan the VIN on the plate at the base of the windshield, driver side. Later cars: tap +, then Add a car.
  2. Or Type the VIN, or Add by year, make, model and turn the three wheels.
  3. The year, make, model and engine fill in, stamped Decoded. Then the schedule, the last oil change (scan the windshield sticker, or type it, or Not sure), and your first reminder is set.

Not near the car? Tap Add it later. The Garage asks for it with Add a car to get your first reminder. No VIN, or a car older than 1981? The wheels work for any year; when there's no model list for it, type the model.

Add a car, with Scan the VIN

The schedule #

Each car gets the recommended schedule for its year, make, model and trim: every service with its miles and months, and when it's next due.

  1. Open a car, then Schedule.
  2. Tap a line. The sheet shows Recommended, like every 7,500 mi or 12 months, with the reason for your car.
  3. Pick a mileage under Every (miles) and a time under Or every (months), or type your own, then save.
Counts
Whichever comes first, counted from the last one you logged.
Edited
A line you changed is marked Edited. Lines you leave alone keep the recommended interval.
Records
Every record you save resets the clock for the services it covers.
A car's recommended schedule
02

Your cars

#

Mileage #

  1. Tap the Odometer tile on a car's page, the mileage on its Garage card, or +, then Update mileage.
  2. The sheet opens with today's estimate. Type the real reading, or keep it.
Estimate
Between readings, Motorledger estimates the mileage from how fast the car has been driven (your last two readings a week or more apart). An estimate shows with ~, like ~61,565 mi. Due dates by miles use it.
Stale
When the last reading is over 14 days old, the car's page says Last reading and the date, with Update; the Garage card shows Update too.
Check-in
If a service is probably within 500 mi and the last reading is over a month old, you may get one message asking what it reads now. At most once a month per car.
Lower
A reading more than 100 mi below the last one asks before saving, in case of a typo.
Records
Saving a record with an odometer updates the car's mileage too.

Car photo #

  1. Open a car and tap Add a photo, under its name.
  2. Pick a photo. It shows on the car's page, as a small square on its Garage card, on the dossier's cover and on the yearly recap.
  3. Tap the photo to choose another or remove it.

Optional and free on every plan. It's private to the people on the car, never sent in a notification or email, and goes with the car if the car is deleted.

Share a car #

Share a car with someone who drives it too: a partner, a parent, a teenager. They get it in their own garage.

  1. Open the car and tap Share this car, under its name.
  2. Tap Send link and send it however you like. The link is for one person.
  3. They open it, tap Open in Motorledger and sign in. The car arrives in their garage, marked Shared. Your car then reads Shared with and their name.
They can
See its records, schedule and photo, log services (each record says Logged by who added it), and get its reminders.
Reminders
One per car: when either of you logs the service, it's done for both.
Pro
If you have Pro, they get Pro on this car: scans on it don't use their free scans, and binder import and the dossier work for it.
Their limit
A shared car counts as a car in their garage. On Free, that's their one car.
Owner only
Only you can share it or stop sharing. They can't delete the car.
Stop
Stop sharing takes it out of their garage and stops an unused link. Leave does the same from their side. Every record stays with the car, whoever logged it, and so does the photo.
Deleting
If you delete your account, a shared car isn't deleted: the person who joined it first becomes its owner, with its whole history.
A car's page reading Shared with Sarah · Stop sharing
03

Scanning

#

Scan a receipt #

  1. Tap +, then Scan a receipt.
  2. Hold the receipt flat inside the frame and take the photo.
  3. Review shows the shop, date, odometer, total and each service. Fields with an ember dot were hard to read. Check them, then Save to history.

The photo stays attached to the record.

Review after a scan

Upload a photo or PDF #

  1. Tap +, then Upload a photo or PDF.
  2. Pick the file. It's read the same way as a scan.

Good for invoices a shop emailed you, or photos already on your phone.

The add menu

Scan a VIN #

When you add a car, Scan the VIN opens a wide frame for the windshield plate or the door-jamb sticker. The VIN is checked against its check digit; if it doesn't add up you'll see Read · check it.

A car added without a VIN shows + Add VIN on its card. Tap it any time.

Scan the VIN

Read an oil-change sticker #

Scan the windshield sticker like a receipt. A sticker says when the next service is due, so it doesn't become a record: it sets that service's next due on the car's schedule, and the photo is kept with it. Sticker scans are always free.

  1. Tap +, then Scan a receipt, and photograph the sticker.
  2. It reads Next-service sticker. We'll remind you at 108,881 mi.
  3. Due and Schedule show it as at 108,881 mi · Valvoline sticker.

The sticker usually means the service was just done. Tap Log the oil change this sticker came from? to add that record in one step, dated and at the mileage the sticker implies. Logging the next oil change takes over from the sticker.

A next-service sticker, read

Fuel #

Scan a gas station receipt, or a photo of the pump's screen after you fill up. Either becomes a fuel record: gallons, price per gallon, total and the station.

Receipt
Gallons, price, total, station and date are read from it.
Pump photo
Gallons and total; the station if its sign is in the photo. It's dated today.
Odometer
Review asks for it. With an odometer on two fills, the car's page shows its MPG.
Where
In the car's history with the pump mark, and under Fuel on Records. Fill-ups stay out of the dossier.
Counts as
One scan, like any receipt. Email-in reads fuel receipts too.
Review of a pump display photo

Import a binder Pro #

  1. Tap +, then Scan a receipt, then Multi.
  2. Photograph each page of the binder: handwritten logs, dealer stamps, old invoices.
  3. Motorledger reads them all, puts the history in date order, and marks each record Imported.
Binder import

Needs review #

Anything the reader wasn't sure of, or couldn't match to a car, waits at the top of Records under Needs review. Tap one to finish it. A receipt that couldn't be read shows Retake. Swipe a row left to delete a scan you don't want.

Records with Needs review
04

Logging by hand

#

Log a service #

  1. Tap +, then Log a service by hand. Or Log a service on a car's page.
  2. Pick the car and the services. Add the date, odometer and cost if you have them.
  3. Save to history.

Work you did yourself is stamped In house. Manual records are free and unlimited.

Log a service sheet
05

Email-in

#

Your filing address #

  1. Tap the gauge icon, top left, to open Account.
  2. Under File by email is your address, like name-7k2@in.motorledger.co. Tap Copy.
  3. Forward a shop's emailed invoice there.
From
Only the address you sign in with. Mail from anywhere else is ignored.
Accepts
PDF and photo attachments (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF), up to five per email. With no attachment, the email's own text is read.
Plan
Pro. On the free plan the address files nothing and replies once a day that forwarding is part of Pro; scan or upload the receipt instead.
Then
It's filed under the right car, or waits in Needs review if the car isn't clear.
Account sheet with the filing address
06

Due and reminders

#

What's due #

The Due tab lists every car's services as Overdue, Soon and Later, by miles or by date, whichever comes first. Soon means within 30 days or 500 mi.

You hear once when a service falls due, and once more if it's still not logged 14 days after. No streaks, no daily nudges. Logging the service clears it.

The Due tab

Notifications #

Account, then Notifications. Under This device, Push says On or Off for the phone or computer you're on; tap to switch. On iPhone in a Safari tab it says Not available here: push needs the app on your home screen.

Service reminders
When a service falls due, and once more if it goes 14 days overdue.
Filed
When a receipt you emailed in is filed, or needs a look.
Sticker
When a next-service sticker sets the schedule.
Mileage check-in
When a service is probably close and the last reading is over a month old.
Email tips
Three getting-started emails in your first month. Email only. The unsubscribe link in any of them turns these off too.
How
A notification on any device with push on; otherwise an email. Messages wait for 8am to 8pm in your time zone.

Each switch is on until you turn it off.

On iPhone #

  1. Open motorledger.co in Safari.
  2. Tap Share in the toolbar, then Add to Home Screen.
  3. Open it from the home screen and sign in once more with the code we email you: it keeps its own sign-in.
  4. Turn on notifications when it asks, or in Account, Notifications.

It works like an app: full screen, its own icon. iPhone only sends notifications to apps on the home screen, so until then reminders come by email. The Garage offers the steps once; Not now leaves a small line at the bottom of Garage. On Android, Chrome offers Add to Home screen (or Install app) from its ⋮ menu.

Sign in on the home-screen app
07

Records and the dossier

#

A record #

Tap any record to open it: the receipt photo, the shop, date, odometer and total, each service, and its stamp. Edit changes anything.

Verified
Read from a shop's own invoice.
Imported
From a handwritten log or a previous owner's binder.
In house
Logged by hand.
Logged by
On a shared car, a record someone else added says who, after its date.
A service record

Delete a record #

  1. Open the record and tap Edit.
  2. At the bottom, tap Delete this record.
  3. The sheet says what it affects, like which service will count from the one before. Tap Delete.

The photo goes with it, and the car's reminders are worked out again. For five seconds a toast offers Undo.

Delete this record? sheet

Share the dossier Pro #

  1. Open a car, then Export dossier.
  2. Choose whether to show the full VIN and what you paid.
  3. Share a link for a private page, or Download PDF.
The link
Private, for anyone you send it to, for 30 days. Changing a setting makes a new link.
Covered
Names, addresses and card numbers on any receipt shown.
By default
The VIN shows its last five characters. Costs are hidden.
Export dossier sheet
08

Pro

#

Plans and prices #

Free
One car (a car shared with you counts), five scans then one a month, manual records and reminders without limit.
Photos
Every plan keeps each receipt photo as a 2,000px copy, sharp enough to read every line. Pro also keeps the original at full resolution. Photos stay until you delete the record or your account.
Pro
Unlimited cars and scans, forwarding receipts by email, full-resolution photos kept forever, binder import, the dossier. $29 a year, $4.99 a month, or $129 once for lifetime.
Founder price
Founders get lifetime Pro for $49 in their first week: the 7 days after you add your first car. Founder pricing ends Nov 29, 2026, 11:59pm Central, whichever comes first, and isn't extended. After that lifetime is $129, in Account → Plan. The Garage counts down your week.
Lifetime
Lifetime is paid once. Nothing renews.
Shared cars
On a car you share, the people you share it with get your Pro for that car.
  1. Account, then Go Pro. Checkout opens in your browser.
  2. To cancel, change your card or see invoices: Account, then Manage subscription. Cancelling keeps Pro until the end of the period.
Lifetime
Refundable within 14 days of purchase.
Yearly, monthly
Refundable within 14 days of the first charge.
After that
Cancel any time and keep Pro until the end of the period you paid for.

To ask for a refund, write to hello@motorledger.co from the address on your account. The terms have the details.

The Pro paywall
09

Your data

#

Export your data #

  1. Account, then Export all data.
  2. Download everything: a zip with every record as a spreadsheet and every receipt photo, on any plan. A big garage comes one car at a time. Records only, as a CSV gives just the spreadsheet.
Never
Your records are never sold, and nothing is shared with insurers or data brokers. Not with your name on it, not without it, not in bulk.

The privacy policy lists every service that handles your data and why.

Account settings with Export all data and Delete account

Change your email #

  1. Account, then Email. Type the new address and tap Email me a code.
  2. Type the code sent to the new address.
  3. Then type a second code, sent to your current address. Two codes keep anyone else from moving your account. Nothing changes until both are in.

Cars, records and Pro stay with the account. Your filing address stays the same and takes mail from the new address from then on.

Delete your account #

  1. Account, then Delete account. The sheet lists what goes and offers Export my data first.
  2. Tap Delete my account. It can't be undone.
Goes
Your cars and their records and receipt photos, your dossier links (they stop working), your filing address, your notifications on every device, and your sign-in.
Billing
A monthly or yearly plan is cancelled at once; nothing more is charged. Deleting doesn't refund anything: within the 14 days, ask for a refund first.
Shared cars
A car you shared stays: the person who joined it first becomes its owner, with its whole history, the records you logged and the photo. A car shared with you stays with its owner, with the records you logged on it.
Sold cars
Records you logged on a car you no longer own go with your account.
10

Notes and help

#

Notes from Chris #

Short letters from the person building Motorledger. Each one shows on the Garage as A note from Chris until you've read it.

When
The day you sign up, then 3 days later. During your founder week (the 7 days after your first car) a few short emails about the founder price, the last on its final evening.
How
The first, third and last also arrive once as a notification headed A note from Chris, or by email if you don't have push on. Never by email after you unsubscribe.
Skipped
The founder emails stop the moment you go Pro, and never go out once your week is over.

Something off? #

  1. Account, then Something off?
  2. Say what happened, or what you expected. Short is fine. Add a screenshot if it helps.
  3. Send. The screen you were on, the app version and the device go with it; nothing else.

A person reads every one. The reply comes by email from hello@motorledger.co to the address you sign in with. Answer that email to carry on.

11

Founders codes

#

Redeem a code #

  1. From an invite link like motorledger.co/join/CODE: sign up as usual. The code is applied once your garage opens.
  2. Or open Account and tap Have a code?, then enter it.

A code gives Pro on the house, shown as Pro · Founders. One code per account, and not on top of a paid plan.

Have a code? sheet
12

Troubleshooting

#
A scan is slow
Reading usually takes a few seconds; a long invoice or a weak signal takes longer. Keep the app open until Review appears. If reading is paused, the receipt waits in Records under Needs review to retake or fill in.
It filed under the wrong car
On Review, tap the right car's chip before saving. For a saved record, open it, tap Edit, and pick the car.
A field was read wrong
Tap the field and fix it. An orange dot marks a field Motorledger wasn't sure of. The photo stays attached either way.
Opening a shared car asked me to go Pro
A shared car counts as a car in your garage, and Free keeps one. With Pro the car arrives the next time your garage opens. The link waits on that device until then.
The mileage has a ~ in front
It's an estimate from how you've been driving. Tap it and type the real reading; reminders by miles get more accurate.
The VIN wasn't found
Check the 17 characters: there's no I, O or Q in a VIN. Cars before 1981 don't have a standard VIN; use No VIN? Enter it by hand.
13

FAQ

#
What if it reads something wrong?
Anything Motorledger isn't sure about gets an orange dot and a short note before you save. Tap the field, fix it, done. The original photo stays attached to the record either way.
Where do the service intervals come from?
From the recommended schedule for your car's year, make, model and trim. It's a starting point, and you can change any interval. If a shop's record says otherwise, the record wins.
Can I get my data out?
Always. Account, Export all data gives a zip of every record and every receipt photo, and the dossier gives a page or a PDF per car. Any plan can export.
Does it work for my old car?
Especially. Air-cooled, carbureted, pre-OBD, whatever. Motorledger reads paper, not the car's computer, so the age of the car doesn't matter.
Is there an Android version?
iPhone comes first. On Android, open motorledger.co in Chrome and add it to your home screen. It works like an app, opens full screen and stays in sync.
Do I need the iPhone app?
No. The web app works on any phone, tablet or computer, with the same account and the same records.
What counts as a scan?
Each receipt read from a photo, a PDF, a binder page or an email, fuel receipts included. Typing a record by hand doesn't count, and sticker scans are always free. Free includes five, then one each month. A scan is counted when it's read, so deleting the record doesn't give it back. Scans on a car shared with you by someone with Pro don't count.
Can I keep more than one car?
Free keeps one car. Pro keeps as many as you like, each with its own schedule and history.
Can two people keep the same car?
Yes. Open the car, tap Share this car and send the link. They get it in their own garage, can log services, and get its reminders. Either of you logging a service clears it for both.
Do you read my email?
Only mail you send to your filing address, from the address you sign in with. Nothing else in your inbox is touched.
Who can see my dossier?
Only people you send the link to, for 30 days. It doesn't show up in search. Names, addresses and card numbers on receipts are covered.
Can I undo a delete?
For five seconds, from the toast that says Deleted. After that the record and its photo are gone. If you exported your data before, the export still has them.
Does it track fuel?
Yes, as records. Scan a fuel receipt or the pump screen; give the odometer and the car's page shows MPG once two fills have one. There's no fuel tab; Records has a Fuel filter.
Can I change the schedule?
Yes. Open a car, then Schedule, and tap any line. Your changes are kept and marked as yours.
What does Verified mean?
The record was read from a shop's own invoice. Imported means it came from a handwritten log or a previous owner's binder. In house means you logged it by hand.
How do I cancel Pro, or get a refund?
Cancel from Account, then Manage subscription; you keep Pro until the end of the period you paid for. Refunds: lifetime within 14 days of purchase, yearly and monthly within 14 days of the first charge. Write to hello@motorledger.co from the address on your account.
Do reminders need the app open?
No. With notifications on they arrive as a notification, even with the app closed; otherwise by email. One when a service falls due, and one more if it goes 14 days overdue, between 8am and 8pm your time.
What happens when I sell the car?
Export the dossier and give the buyer the link or the PDF. It carries the full history, with the receipts and what a shop confirmed.

Nothing matches that. Try another word, or write to hello@motorledger.co.

Still stuck? Write to us. A person answers.

hello@motorledger.co