Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Anyone else using the Custodian app to ‘manage’ their Elan admin?

I’d not heard of it before but it was mentioned on the Seen Through Glass YouTube channel so I thought I’d investigate.

I only signed up yesterday and, since I’m away from home currently, have not had the chance to explore their website in detail yet.

Tim

Until you posted, I'd not heard of it either.

From looking at the (very flash) website is seems to have a partial take on what Ford are doing now with their new cars. We've just bought a Fiesta and it doesn't come with a traditional service book, just a thin booklet with service schedules and all the records are stored by Ford dealerships on their computers which you access with a Ford "Pass" app. Apart from Ford advertising that also has other features including a "Find My Car" via the GPS positioning which is active 24/7. (mine's currently locked in the garage )

I'm not sure I want to do the same with the Lotus. I don't see why I should share such details with a 3rd party with the possibility of being bombarded with adverts at some future date.

I will admit to having a database program on the PC which I could easily mirror on the phone but being a Luddite I haven't bothered yet.

I can see this being very popular with folks who already use social media and access forums via their phones but to me it's just another database that I'd have to keep up to date. And because I hate typing on a phone/tablet virtual keyboard it's probably not going to work for me.

Brian
(typing from a 1990's old style clattery IBM keyboard....)

I've used an app called Car Costs Complete for years, initially just for fuel tracking but now for all maintenance (shop or diy). It's quite simple and basic, though a dated/clunky interface. Custodian looks interesting, may investigate further

I don't need all the 'fluff' that comes with that. I just keep a Word document in which I enter the maintenance items with date and mileage, just an electronic version of what I used to put in a paper notebook. Here's what it looks like for the Mazda I bought last year:

2019 MAZDA CX-5


25 Feb 2022 29572
Purchased car. Noted problem with mirrors not always returning to previous position after retracting and remaining loose, to be inspected by dealer service department.

06 Mar 2022 29???
Mirrors inspected and re-calibrated by dealer service department.

05 Jun 2022 32070
New oil, filter. (Mobil 1, Purolator Pure One)

14 Jun 2022 32837
New air filter.


I haven't started such a document for the Plus 2 as yet despite seven years of ownership, as I've been doing so much in the way of repair & refurbishment, it would be many pages with hardly any change in mileage. But I'm about to be at the point where more driving will be happening so a maintenance-log will become a need. Maybe I'll create the document right now while I'm thinking about it.

I have the same with Jaguar the records are kept electronically what I find strange a lot of F type owners think there car is just a large mobile phone and moan because they cannot get apple car play they want to start the car via an app. I do not see the advantage you have a 5.0 L supercharged engine just go drive it listen to the exhaust and enjoy it just as I do with my Elan Sprint

I have a draw with 46 years of bills and other bits (remember tax discs?) rammed into it
The nearest I have to Hi-tech records is a USB dongle (in said draw) with photos of the most recent rebuild.
Happy Christmas and a great new year to all
Baggy

The Veg wrote: I just keep a Word document in which I enter the maintenance items with date and mileage, just an electronic version of what I used to put in a paper notebook.

I do about the same for all my vehicles, adding chronologically at the top whatever I notice or needs to be fixed (in bold, back to normal font when attended to) so that I figure out some sort of pattern if need be at a later date.
At the bottom of each file I have a specs section, VIN etc. to help order parts of fluids.