The Service section's data entry works the same as the Fuel section, with the exception that you can set reminders on each type of service. The software comes with a service list containing everything I could imagine my car needing, and more, but if you need to add a particular service it's easy to do so. You can set the reminder to be at a certain odometer reading, or a certain date, and the preferences let you set how far in advance the reminder will be triggered.

Trips isn't something I found useful for myself, but if you are able to be reimbursed for mileage through work (or for tax reporting), I can see it being invaluable. You can enter the start time (strangely, not the finish time as well) of a trip, its start and end odometer reading, and additional information about where you went and why. The PC version can print reports of this information, which would make it far easier to fill out an expense report.

Memos comes pre-populated with three memos: insurance company information, auto club membership information, and a template of information you'd need to collect in the event of a collision. I tend to keep all of my memos organized in the Palm's Memo Pad application, but I can see the benefit of keeping auto-related ones here, and the collision template would be a great way to organize your thoughts at a difficult time.

Synchronization worked well. Changing information on one platform and deleting a record on the other, then synchronizing, resulted in the record being recreated on both platforms. Changing the same record on both platforms resulted in two copies of the record. In both cases, the software didn't alert me that this had been done; I generally prefer to be informed that I have made such changes as they are often inadvertent. However, AutoFile's method of handling discrepancies does ensure that no data is lost.

From the PC version, you can print reports and graphs. However, I found the graphs to have some labeling issues. Figure C shows my car's fuel cost since April, with each month's column labeled as Jan 2008. The fuel cost, service cost, and distance graphs all have the same problem. (The fuel economy line graph works properly.) The reports are labeled correctly, but some of the headings wrap from one line to the next mid-word, which does not look professional.

FIGURE C


It all works, as long as you just drive in January, according to AutoFile's graph, and its labeling error. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Overall, AutoFile is a decent piece of software. While the amount of detail it collects may be overkill for the average driver, its flexibility allows you to track only what you really want to know. If you have multiple vehicles, or are running a fleet or billing for mileage, AutoFile is indispensable.

The menu display error in the Palm version and the graph and report oddities are unfortunate, but in most cases they won't hinder your use of the software.

AutoFile Plus's rating is a 3.

OUR RATING: 3 of 5

Adrienne Gonzalez is Project Coordinator for Roger CPA Review based out of San Francisco. She is also a painter and illustrator and Windows Mobile ninja.